The Online Film and Television Review Committee of China Film Review Society was established in Beijing a few days ago, and published the Seven Conventions of Online Film Critics, which was called by the media as the first online film review group with the title of "national prefix", causing some people to worry about the objectivity of online film reviews in the future.
The first director of this online film criticism group is Zhang Yiwu — — Professor, critic and cultural scholar of Chinese Department in Peking University. Zhang Yiwu also has his own choice about the subject of the interview. At first, he politely declined. When he saw the reporter, he asked, "What do you want to interview?" When he learned that it was a movie, Zhang Yiwu suddenly became interested: "The movie is good. Let’s talk about it. Let’s go!"
So, we started with the most controversial Great Wall recently.
On "Zhang Yimou is Dead"
Whether it is a "curse" remains to be discussed.
Beiqing Daily: Did you watch The Great Wall?
Zhang Yiwu: Yes, and I wrote a film review. This is a large-scale production, international standard film. It can be said that it is an attempt to integrate China blockbusters with global production, which is of great significance.
Beiqing Daily: However, there is still a lot of controversy about The Great Wall on the Internet.
Zhang Yiwu: The imaginative way of the film is beyond history, and some details have no historical basis. For example, we talked directly with people in the Song Dynasty in English more than 1,000 years ago. If we ask for such details, we will definitely be criticized. Others say that this film has no theme. In fact, it has a horror metaphor facing the whole world, which is easy to remind people of the terrorism existing in the present world, nor can it simply be said that there is no theme.
Movies have different opinions, and it is normal for the audience to have different voices. Some people spit on this film because it didn’t reach 2 billion. In fact, the box office environment in 2016 was also good, indicating that the audience still has some interest.
Beiqing Daily: Weibo V publicly said that "Zhang Yimou is dead" for this film. What do you think of this comment?
Zhang Yiwu: This sentence may have two meanings. On the one hand, it refers to life and life, which means disrespect for people; On the other hand, it refers to artistic creation, which is boring. These two meanings have caused different controversies. Of course, the word "dead" is really extreme. Whether this dramatic rhetoric has hit the bottom line and whether it is a curse to individuals remains to be discussed.
On "Douban Film Rating"
Douban is also a platform for providing services.
Beiqing Daily: At about the same time, the article "People’s Daily criticized Douban score" was screened. What happened?
Zhang Yiwu: I think there are some misunderstandings about this matter, and some people in the circle joked that this is the People’s Daily. At that time, the rumor was the official voice of the People’s Daily, criticizing the Douban score. But the fact is that this is not a report of People’s Daily, but other reports reprinted by the People’s Daily client, which is quite different from the criticism of People’s Daily.
It reflects the mentality of some people: it is always said that the People’s Daily or other authoritative voices are criticizing the comments of online film reviews, as if someone wants online film reviews to be silent. In fact, the diversity of film reviews is the normal state of society, and often the film industry and producers are anxious about some film reviews, fearing that they will have an impact on the industry and the market. So now, this thing is actually a collision between the voice of the industry and the voice of the network.
Beiqing Daily: Do you usually watch the movie rating of Douban?
Zhang Yiwu: Sometimes, as a reference, watercress is quite good.
Beiqing Daily: How was the Douban Film Review written?
Zhang Yiwu: Some film reviews such as Douban are wonderful, with vivid analysis and deep understanding, which is very helpful for the audience to watch movies. Now some of them are getting shorter and shorter. In the past, there were many long film reviews of Douban, but now the long film reviews are often backward, which doesn’t attract much attention. Of course, short comments can also be very interesting.
Beiqing Daily: What about the scoring system of "Douban" and "Cat’s Eye"?
Zhang Yiwu: The film rating system has also played some roles over the years, which is a reference for the audience. However, it does not rule out the existence of some non-objective ratings. Douban and Cat’s Eye are also "businesses" and enterprises are also doing platform services. Some ratings are contrary to the market performance, with very low ratings, resulting in good box office performance, while those with high ratings are average. Therefore, the scoring system may not completely influence the film market.
On the whole, douban mainly affects the audience and literary youth in metropolis. When this influence spreads to the general population, or the third-and fourth-tier people, its effect is limited.
On "Network Film Review Committee"
There is no uniform caliber
Beiqing Daily: Why do you want to set up such an organization? Is it because of "Douban Film Review Event"?
Zhang Yiwu: That’s not true. The online film review committee has been preparing for it for more than a year. In recent years, the influence of online film reviews is increasing, and it also has a great impact on the audience. The China Film Criticism Society has always paid attention to mass film criticism and amateur film criticism, and of course it is very concerned about this new part.
The establishment now has nothing to do with "Douban Film Review Event", let alone the film review "national team".
Beiqing Daily: What is the organizational form of the committee? How many people are there now? What do you mainly do?
Zhang Yiwu: Actually, it is a professional committee under the China Film Critics Society, more like a peer society, which holds meetings to communicate and study some topics. There are more than ten directors, and besides the directors, many film critics will be contacted.
The main job is communication and exchange. There is always a feeling of "hostility" between the film industry and the film critics. The industry is afraid that there will be no market for online film critics, so they also need some communication. There is also communication between different film critics and listening to different voices.
Beiqing Daily: If there are too many exchanges, will it become a "unified caliber"?
Zhang Yiwu: At present, online film reviews are very active and it is impossible to be homogeneous. In addition, the Committee was established to make different voices. Just like directors, each director’s works are different, and each film critic writes different film reviews. The directors’ association has always existed. Have Zhang Yimou and Jia Zhangke’s films become the same? (Laughter) Writers’ Association has always existed. Have the works of Liu Zhenyun and Mo Yan become a style?
Of course, commentators will not write the same comments just because they join an association, and homogenization will not appear because of the emergence of the society.
On "Internet Film Critics Convention"
The basic bottom line of film critics’ self-discipline is not aimed at all netizens.
Beiqing Daily: How were these seven conventions drafted?
Zhang Yiwu: Actually, it is a consensus reached among members of the committee, and there is no complicated drafting process, such as "You should not comment before watching the movie, and you should not use cyber violence". These are the basic bottom lines.
Beiqing Daily: Does it mean that publishing film reviews online in the future will be bound by these seven articles?
Zhang Yiwu: Of course not. It’s not aimed at all netizens. It’s the Committee members’ self-discipline. As a film critic, these seven rules are the basic bottom line.
Of course, you don’t have to ask for this for the general audience. Even if the audience didn’t watch it, it’s normal to want to vomit a few words. But for example, if you are an influential online film critic who can influence a group of people, then at least you should watch this film before expressing your opinions.
Beiqing Daily: What kind of person is an "online film critic"?
Zhang Yiwu: The online film critic is gradually formed in practice. He continues to write film reviews online, which attracts the attention of the audience. At present, this group is still very clear, mainly some relatively concentrated opinion leaders. They are netizens and are also very influential.
Not every audience is an "online film critic". After watching the movie, just write a sentence like it or not, which is the feeling of the ordinary audience, not the film critic’s film review.
Beiqing Daily: The convention repeatedly emphasizes "professionalism". How can it be regarded as "professionalism"?
Zhang Yiwu: I have a certain understanding of the laws of movies, and I have an understanding of the narrative style, cultural background and artistic expression of movies, so I can make a more in-depth analysis. This is slightly different from the casual audience. We hope that film critics have some qualities and have a certain understanding of the art and operation of movies.
On "Film Critics Circle"
There is no absolute ideal state.
Beiqing Daily: Does the Committee have any other specific work arrangements?
Zhang Yiwu: In addition to communication, there are also studies and reflections on online film reviews, and the protection of film critics’ rights and copyrights will be carried out gradually.
Beiqing Daily: Will film critics such as Douban and Cat’s Eye be included in the future?
Zhang Yiwu: People from Douban attended the inaugural meeting. Participating in the committee does not mean that it will hinder comments, and there is no "unification" or "constraint". Both the platform and the film critics want their film reviews to be more objective, and the Committee is the platform for communication.
Beiqing Daily: What is the film review environment in China now?
Zhang Yiwu: Generally speaking, it is very active, and the new amount of online film reviews is even more energetic, and the audience also expects good film reviews very much. But many times, some film reviews with fierce words and eye-catching words are loud and everyone can hear them. If it is said objectively and the analysis is complicated, no one will read it. This is an easy situation on the Internet, and there is indeed a phenomenon that "bad money drives out good money".
Beiqing Daily: What should be the ideal film criticism circle?
Zhang Yiwu: There is no absolute ideal. Let’s talk about hope. There will be more different voices, so that the audience can get more objective information, and online film reviews will have a better reputation.
This edition/our reporter Zhang Xiaomei Photography/our reporter Hao Yi
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Contents of Seven Conventions of Internet Film Critics
1. Insist on telling the truth and being reasonable, and create a good atmosphere for online film reviews;
2. Adhere to the criticism of seeking truth from facts, do not flatter or flatter, and do not replace artistic standards with simple commercial standards;
3. Respect every audience’s right to like or hate movies;
4. Respect the audience’s demand for diversification, differentiation and individualization of movies;
5. Adhere to the professional spirit, use your own professional knowledge, and make a professional analysis of movies to convince people and increase credibility;
6. Take every film seriously, regardless of its merits and demerits, and don’t formally publish a film review without watching the whole film;
7. Resolutely oppose cyber language violence, and do not abuse and attack film works, creators and people with different views.