China’s rather-difficult reputation as a country that imposes censorship has made it a challenging place where filmmakers, local and foreign alike, can ply their trade. But as the country remains an appealing choice due to its mystique, it pays to sift through fictions from facts regarding its film production milieu.
Fiction: Copyright protection in China is practically nonexistent.
Fact: Both the Chinese government and the private sector are aware of China's poor reputation for copyright protection. Cultural attitudes regarding piracy made the problem more rampant, and poor enforcement only served to compound the problem.
Nonetheless, a shift in attitudes in China regarding piracy commenced, with the recognition that original content can generate copious amounts of income. Therefore, to protect original content makers--the homegrown ones especially--measures against piracy have become more stringent in the country.
Piracy in China is punishable under these kinds of enforcement: administrative, civil, and criminal. Each of the foregoing involves different fines and damages, warnings, license revocations, and even imprisonment.
Fiction: The state has the monopoly of all film production in China.
Fact: Private production houses have flourished in China as of late, gaining thrust from the country's membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO). The entry of foreign films in the country urged local talents to come up with homegrown competitors to retain viewers, who now have wider choices.
Private players in China's film industry play a cooperative role with both their state and foreign counterparts, although the Chinese government remains an authoritative figure. In that case, private players tend to work on winning the state's favor, being the body that censors content in the country.
Even more interesting is the fact that China's largest technology firms have started to dabble in affairs involving film production. The likes of Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent have endeavored to combine film content with other related businesses such as social media, online video streaming, and ticketing.
Fiction: Censorship and talent volatility make China a complex place for film production.
Fact: It's not at all difficult for film production to proceed smoothly in China, if a few considerations are kept in mind. Government censors from the State Administration of Press, Publications, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) generally ban subversive content and anything that negatively portrays the country.
Although it would be admittedly difficult to determine the SAPPRFT's standards, it would be helpful for filmmakers to study the films that passed through their evaluation. Of course, highlighting China's positive character is encouraged, but sensitive social topics can earn a ban.
Moreover, with China's entertainment industry in full swing, film talent has become quite volatile. But as media continues to boom exponentially in the country, filmmakers won't be short of talents to choose from, though they shouldn't expect them to just stay in one place.