Hong Kong Cinema

Early Years 

The beginning of Hong Kong cinema is the same as so many others, that of short clips, as audiences marveled at this new technology. However, it was in 1909 when Hong Kong released its first narrative feature film “Stealing a Roast Duck” a comedy, the genre that will keep appearing in many Hong Kong films as a staple of the culture. This would be a similar theme as to the action genre and its popularity, largely because of how cheap these types of films were to create, especially considering the action is mostly martial arts based, so there was little to no special effects required when making them. This allowed Hong Kong to create a huge number of films which could then be exported to other countries to make a huge profit. 

Exportation is a huge part of why Hong Kong is so successful and is one of the main reasons the United Kingdom bought it from China. With the UK ruling this trading port, the exportation of goods gave Hong Kong a huge economic boost over that of mainland China. 

It was in the mid/late 20s when more special effects were being used in Hong Kong films, including the use of the new reverse jumping technique. This allowed for a wider range of expression in Hong Kong cinema, allowing the more fantastical elements to take the spotlight of the film industry. Discovery's like this allowed the appearance of modern-day special effects, while allowing the growing industry to remain cheap and accessible. 

 

Modern Day 

Whilst it had existed for many years before, it wasn’t until the release of “Encounters of the Spooky Kind” in 1980 that the Hong Kong horror genre exploded into what it is today. This film succeeded in creating the supernatural in an inventive and threatening way, whilst still maintain its Hong Kong charm and comedic atmosphere. From the perspective of a foreign audience it may appear that Hong Kong’s slapstick comedy and martial arts fighting scenes detach the films away from any form of horror. They use these forms as a method to lighten the atmosphere so as not to depress the audience or make them feel genuinely scared. 

This then leads on to 1989, when Category 3 was first introduced. Category 3 is essentially the Hong Kong version of an 18 on the UK film certification system. Before this label was introduced it was banned for any film to contain any characters getting away with crimes or for the film to have any kind of sex scene. By moving away from these strict government guidelines filmmakers were able to create a wider range of moving image and tell a more in-depth story or, more commonly, simply shock an audience. 

Korean Cinema

Early History 

The best place to start the history of Korean cinema would be 1910, when Korea becomes an annex of Japan. Japanese culture is known worldwide for its strict rules and traditions, so it is only obvious that when they decided to lead Korea that some of their behaviors would be passed down into society. The government then, wanted to ensure that these behaviors would remain a part of society, and that no parts of old Korean culture would in any way incite rebellion. This leads to the idea of the censorship and control of all forms of entertainment, including cinema.  

For a film to be shown in a screening house, owned by Japanese businesses, the film must first be shown to government panels, who would determine if there were any signs of unwanted behavior or themes in the film. Even after this, cinemas still had armed police officers at the screenings to watch for signs of rebellion in the films, and to ensure the general behavior of the public was calm and engaging with the material. 

Because of these strict rules and regulations applied to Korean cinema, the 1930’s mainly consisted of melodrama, costume drama and pro-Japanese films. These small selections later also included propaganda films when Japan went to war with China, until 1942 when Korean language films were outright banned in all cinemas across the country. 

Rennaissance 

The 1950’s, while a dark time for Korea, due the Korean war, it also led to a resurgence of cinema at the end of all the fighting, due to no longer being an annex of Japan and being separated into the North and South. Thanks to the help of foreign aid and tax initiatives, the Korean film industry for the first time would be able to stand on its own two legs, especially during the 1960's. The beginning of its life span in this golden age saw a popularity in melodrama and action films, with these genres taking center stage. This is likely a result of the student uprising in 1960, which toppled the authoritarian government at the time. 

It is then around this time where the Korean action film became rooted in as a classic staple of Korean cinema and would hold popular to this very day. The industry would continue to ride this wave until it hits a dip in the 70’s, coinciding with when President Park created a new constitution, which enabled him similar power to a dictator, potentially causing a rift in the Korean film industry.

New Zealand

Early History 

New Zealand's early history doesn’t contain very much in the way of feature films.  This is mainly due to the lack of proper governmental support, and fact that the county is on “the edge of the world”. Being so isolated meant that it was difficult for successful long-form entertainment to gain popularity. Because of this the first New Zealand feature film was released in 1914 with the release of Hinemoa. The film was based around the Māori legend, and thus depicts a story enriched in New Zealand culture and history, whilst also establishing the Kiwi Gothic. 

In 1970 there were only a total of 5 New Zealand feature films created in the last 30 years. Most of the short films that were made during this time were documentaries created by the government’s publicity office, as an attempt to promote the country’s natural beauty and landscape. This did very little for the film industry, but it lays the groundwork for what little perception of the country other nations had at the time. 

70’s Onwards 

1973 marks a special change in New Zealand’s path, as that is when the UK joins the EU and as such must terminate the special relationship it had established with New Zealand. This marks a sudden shift, as New Zealand was now left on its own and needed to establish a new form of social identity within the world. This includes the looming recognition that New Zealand needs some way to appeal to an international audience without UK intervention. 

As such, in 1977, the New Zealand government finally decided to establish the “New Zealand Film Commision”, a program designed to help boost the international appeal of the country by supplying film makers with the funds required to make their films. Because of this, and a rather large tax break, the New Zealand industry sees a sudden “boom” of activity, as suddenly anyone could make a film with a budget with zero risk, as the government will give the makers money even if the final product didn’t make any. It is due to this support that in 1981 “Goodbye Pork Pie” was released and recognised with international appeal. 

Modern Industry 

It is really post 2005 where it can be said the New Zealand film industry had finally found its legs. This is thanks to the success of the “Lord of the Rings” movie franchise and that fact that New Zealand became known as “the land of Lord of the Rings”. Not only did this new branding promote tourism to the country, as audiences of the film around the world became entranced with this new landscape, but also it sent other film makers over to New Zealand so they could create their own films in the style of this trilogy

Hollywood Cinema

Early History

When cinema was first emerging as a format, there were only a handful of companies in America that appeared to take a serious interest in this new business venture. This appears to mainly happen around 1910, when these companies began to use vertical integration around their own cinemas and in the production process. 

It was also around this time when in 1909 Hollywood started to focus its promotional efforts into creating the first 'movie stars'. This is seen with Florence Lawrence when she became Carl Laemmle's 'IMP Girl'. Laemmle used a variety of methods to make Lawrence as popular as possible to promote his studio's films, which can be identified when he [1]"sent his star on tour and planted story after story in the newspapers, including one falsely reporting her death". This kind of behavior led to a possessive attitude, where institutions almost literally 'owned' some actors, forcing them to work without any method for them to escape their contracts. 

Mid 90's 

After lasting a long and strong 50 years, the American Hollywood system begins to see a decline after 1946, ironically the most successful year in Hollywood's history. The fall is marked by a number of events. Firstly, the end of vertical integration. In 1948 the supreme court ruled vertical integration as illegal which had a profound impact on the film industry. This includes the need for film companies to be more cautious when making their films, as they now no longer had complete control over what audiences could watch at the cinema. 

The second event to occur was a survey made in 1950, which revealed that 9/10 American homes owned a T.V set. This revelation meant that American audiences no longer needed to leave the house for entertainment. Instead of saving up money to see a movie in a cinema, an American family could instead stay in, eat dinner and watch the T.V. This change is due to the sudden decrease of cost to T.V sets, which enabled families over the US to cheaper and easier access to entertainment. 

  

Modern Hollywood 

The earliest example of modern Hollywood cinema would have to be in 1975 and the release of 'Jaws' onto cinemas. 'Jaws' became the first film to reach 100 million units in rentals and was the highest-grossing film of all time, until it was over taken in 1977 by 'Star Wars'. One of the reasons Jaws likely reached this record was because it was the first 'Event' movie. This essentially means that companies spent a large amount of time and money on the film's merchandise and promotion. 

Similar summer releases, even years later could still see the effect of becoming an 'event'. This is clear from films such as 'Alien' which spent $7 million on production yet a massive $15 million on its promotion, alongside when Jurassic park first released, as there were around 5000 products related to the film available for audience's consumption.

[1] Geoffrey Nowell-Smith (The Oxford History of World Cinema) Great Clarendon Street, 46