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MillimeterAction in the East
May 1, 2008 10:00 AM, By S. D. Katz
Director Rob Minkoff on filmmaking in China.
Compare the visual-effects experience of working with Los Angeles/San Francisco studios and those in Asia.
The language and sensibility of film and filmmakers is surprisingly similar all over the world. But if you're not based in Asia, as we weren't for postproduction of Forbidden Kingdom, be prepared to log a lot of air miles or get used to working via cineSync and Skype.
What are the opportunities for filmmakers in China?
China more and more will become a filmmaking hub for the world. With expanded facilities and experienced personnel, China is in a fantastic position to compete as an alternative production pipeline. Artistically China offers a unique range of skilled artisans eager to expand their horizons. Furthermore, it appears that in the next 10 to 15 years, China will become the largest film market in the world.
What is the mix (local vs. international) of the crew when working in China? Can you bring a U.S. DP to China? What essential production job categories need to be filled by Westerners when coming to China?
On The Forbidden Kingdom, 90 percent of the crew was either from mainland China or Hong Kong. Very few Westerners were brought over. Mainly the editorial staff, production designer, and sound department were the critical personnel imported for the job.
Are there big savings to making movies in China?
Productivity is a function of proper planning and management of resources. Therefore if you emphasize pre-production, it's possible to fully capture the benefits of cost-effective production. That being said, it is equally critical to make the right choices in terms of local hires. Any weak link in the chain will end up increasing costs.
What production story or anecdote best sums up working in China?
We needed to find a location for the fight in the peach blossoms. We discovered an enormous grove of trees in full bloom. When it came time to shoot, the blossoms had all fallen off the branches. So Bill Brzeski the production designer had a team of people glue tens of thousands of synthetic blossoms by hand.
Are there any government incentives to be had in China? What about individual cities or provinces?
Apart form the lower cost structure of working in China, I'm not aware of any specific incentives, either national or provincial.
Did you use storyboards and previz?
Although we had barely 10 weeks of preproduction, we storyboarded and prevized as much of the movie as possible. Thankfully, we had a board artist who was fluent in Mandarin and English who could help translate between departments. The previz started quite late because we didn't get set up until the crew from the visual-effects house in Korea arrived to Hengdian. But once we were set up we had a very effective system that allowed all the departments to keep an orderly workflow moving through the pipeline.
