| This thesis, based on practically creative activity, aims to discuss on and probe into the value construction of Chinese TV documentary films.The paper consists of seven parts, including introduction, five chapters and conclusion. In the part of introduction, the author analyzes and expounds the purpose and significance of the research from two perspectives: creative practice and theoretical research by surveying the historical development of Chinese TV documentary films as well as its contribution and deficiency in different ages of artistic and cultural achievements. Meanwhile, this paper touches upon the prominent problems of Chinese TV documentary films in value judgment and construction, as well as shows some of the confusions regarding creative practice of documentary films. The author also points out that the theoretical frame and the intellectual genealogy of Chinese TV documentary films are far from being established; and yet, value judgment and value construction remain the core issues of how to set up theoretical frame for documentary films. In the first chapter, the author compares each between television documentary films at home and abroad; television documentary films and other types of documentaries. The author illustrates the aesthetic aspiration of documentary films on the basis of detailed analysis and explains the definition and types of documentary films. This chapter is the premise and basis to the whole research. The second chapter analyses and discusses the general value and special value of Chinese TV documentary films. Some of the misunderstandings regarding value judgment in industrial circles and educational circles are analyzed in this part. The author points out that besides having general values, such as aesthetic value, social instruction value and industrial development value, documentary films also have special values, such as the value of literature collection and cultural inheritance, the value of international politics and cultural communication, the leading value of thought exploration and innovation. The third, fourth and fifth chapters are the main bodies of the thesis. On the basis of introspecting the creative practice of the author himself and his counterparts, the author seeks to find out and construct the theoretical foundation of and the practical approach to the values of Chinese TV documentary films from the following three aspects: 1) excavation of documentary films and exploration of thoughts on the background of pluralism; 2) innovation of documentary films’narrative strategy in all media era; 3) countermeasure to developing documentary film industry in the tide of globalization. In the part of conclusion, the author proposes that the planners, filmmakers, and directors have to re-recognize and re-evaluate the value of documentary films, on the basis of which, all of these producers should focus on the excavation and construction of the blended and synthesized values including those of documentary recording and cultural inheriting, international politics and cultural communication, thought exploration and innovation, artistic aesthetic, and industrial development. Construction doesn’t mean setting up a new value system; instead, it means a kind of reviewing once more the value of Chinese TV documentary films as well as its development, its excavation, and its creation after a profound reflection upon its positive and negative effects resulted from the course of its own development and its comparison with western and eastern communication. What the producers and creators should do now is a kind of comprehensive work of selection, improvement, reforming, and surpassing. In that case, a totally new value system can be set up so as to present real classic works, inherit culture, and develop industry.The classic feature of a documentary film is embodied in the following five aspects: the value of documentary recording and cultural inheriting, the value of international cultural communication, the value of thought exploration and innovation, the value of artistic aesthetic, and the value of industrial development. In brief, it contains five dimensions of documentary recording, thought enlightening, cultural transmission, artistic aesthetic, and industry development. There are two prerequisites for documentary films to present the feature of being classic: First, none of the five prerequisites can be neglected; otherwise, the vitality of the work will be severely destroyed. It is the case that a film might have some influence or get positive comments for some of the advantages it has when it is issued, but as time goes by, it might lose its vitality for lacking of other necessary dimensions. In the end, the film will be forgotten by audience and fail to be recognized by historians. This kind of documentary films can never be listed in the historical annals of art, and the nature of being classic will be lost. Second, the five dimensions must always be kept in a suitable balance (when a documentary film is created). Ignorance or exaggeration of any of the five dimensions may lead to the unbalance of the work. That is to say, the five dimensions must be kept in a harmonious and balanced state of co-existing and co-functioning in order to exert influence and keep vitality of a real classic documentary work. Any classic work must be proved by time.Hence, it is evident that only by supplementing and integrating the five values of recording and cultural inheriting, of international politics and cultural communication,, of thought exploration and innovation, of artistic aesthetic, and of industrial development, the feature of being classic of a documentary film can retain and remain a perfect and perpetual presentation. |
