Research On The Production And Operation Of Private Film Production Enterprises In Shanghai (1913-1937)

Films combine artistic and industrial characteristics.In previous relevant research,movie history researchers discussed more about their artistic characteristics,and less about the industrial ones.Meanwhile,when researchers of economic history study the problems of modern Chinese industry or enterprises,they rarely include the development of the film industry or enterprises into the topics of their choice.Different from the traits of other industries in modern China,the film industry lacks relevant research.The current emphasis on cultural industries make the research on the production and management of modern film enterprises meaningful,not only enriching the academic field of Chinese film history and economic history,but also evaluating objectively the advantages and disadvantages of moderm private film production enterprises in the systematic research,analyzing related reasons,and drawing some historical insights.This paper mainly analyzes the main force of film making during the relatively smooth development of modern Chinese cinema.It focuses on the production and management of Shanghai private film production enterprises from 1913 to 1937.The introduction part clarifies the object of the study,its theoretical value and its practical significance,reviews previous research home and abroad,and puts forward the research focus,research methods and innovation points of this paper.First of all,we study "the gestation of art" and "the development of industrialization".The first chapter summarizes the rapid development of foreign trade after the opening of ports,the rise of domestic trade and related industries,the establishment of foreign concessions,the convergence of domestic and foreign populations to Shanghai,and the prosperity of material consumption such as necessities in Shanghai.The rise of various industry,the convergence of population and the prosperity of consumption have promoted the development of traditional culture and emerging Western culture.In modern Shanghai,the economy is relatively developed,the society is relatively stable and thus provides a good foundation for film introduction and development,such as cultural consumer group and talents for writers,directors and actors.The second chapter discusses the second feature of modern Shanghai film:"the development of industrialization".The chapter analyzes the reasons why films projected more in Shanghai after they entered China,the circumstances where the foreigners came to China to film the films and the reasons they suffered from the Chinese boycott.It then illustrates the process by which Chinese art creation teams contracted foreign film companies to produce films and those teams gradually developed into production companies which rented foreign equipment.On this basis,we focus on five aspects of production and management of major enterprises.The third chapter summarizes the sources,remuneration,development and other aspects of screenwriters,directors,actors,technicians and other film professionals,focusing on the analysis of overall skills of screenwriters and directors,the types of actors and their remuneration,the high cost of foreign technicians and gradual training of domestic technicians.The fourth chapter analyzes the technical facilities of Shanghai’s private film production enterprises from 1913 to 1937 from the three following three aspects:filming equipment,movie scene setting and company venue.The filming equipment is classified by the silent film period and the sound period.The movie scene setting is categorized as indoors and outdoors.Company venue can be rented or self-built.It was found that the reliance on import of filming equipment became a major bottleneck for the industry’s development during that period.The fifth chapter analyzes three channels of financing at that time:self-financing,equity financing and bank loans,as well as the main usage and efficiency of the funds,and draws the conclusion that the private film production enterprises lacked financing and the capital efficiency was not high.The sixth chapter reviews the situation of cinemas in and out of Shanghai,the main ways and competition pattern of film issuance,the number of screening,and the box office revenue.It concludes that during 1913 to 1937,the distribution channels of Shanghai private film production enterprises were very narrow and the competition was fierce.Most enterprises can only look for opportunities in a limited space,while a few companies expanded their markets to the South Pacific.The seventh chapter analyzes the operating environment of the film industry,sorts out three kinds of censorship and their changes,and also points out that at that time the gang forces prospered and put pressure on the business operation.The devastating blow to these enterprises was the Japanese’s invasion.Through the systematic analysis of the seven chapters,the eighth chapter summarizes the overall status of Shanghai private film production enterprises from 1913 to 1937,and comments that modern Shanghai,though honored as "Oriental Hollywood",is only in contrast with the harsher environment of film production in other regions of China.