Full Service Cinema: The South Korean Cinema Success Story (So Far) :: Free Essays Online

Full Service Cinema: The South Korean Cinema Success Story (So Far) Fifteen years ago, South Korean cinema was in precipitous decline. It was facing deadly competition from Hollywood as import barriers were dismantled, and had almost no export market. Today, South Korean cinema is widely considered the most successful and significant non-Hollywood cinema anywhere in the world today. It is successful both in the domestic market, and internationally. This essay sets out to understand this phenomenon. First, it attempts to trace South Korean cinema’s comeback story. I feel a need to do this because I find that so many of my South Korean friends and colleagues are reluctant to admit this, or focus solely on the problems the industry is facing in the future. There may be worries about the future and there may be â€Å"ifs† and â€Å"buts† about the present state of the South Korean film industry. But we should start out by acknowledging its success. In considering some of the reasons for the recent success of South Korean cinema, two further observations can be made. First, if we pay attention to the international export success of South Korean cinema, we can see that it has carved out a new route. This is based on regional markets at least as much as Europe and the United States. Second, unlike the successes of the Taiwanese and Chinese â€Å"new waves† since the 1980s, it is not based on the old European art cinema model. This raises a question about the viability of art cinema, independent feature films, short films, independent documentary, and other less profitable and commercial modes of filmmaking in South Korea. It may even lead some people to believe that those other modes of filmmaking are not an integral part of the new South Korean cinema success story. Yet, my third and final point will be to argue against this and for the importance of what I want to tentatively call â€Å"full service cinema,† includ ing a full range of modes of production and consumption. In making this point, I want to challenge another very common assumption not only in South Korea but everywhere—the idea that art cinema and independent cinema are opposed to mainstream commercial cinema. While there may be an aesthetic opposition between them, it is a strategic mistake to translate this into an institutional opposition. Even though their philosophies may be very different, as I will attempt to outline today, they need each other to succeed. Full Service Cinema: The South Korean Cinema Success Story (So Far) :: Free Essays Online Full Service Cinema: The South Korean Cinema Success Story (So Far) Fifteen years ago, South Korean cinema was in precipitous decline. It was facing deadly competition from Hollywood as import barriers were dismantled, and had almost no export market. Today, South Korean cinema is widely considered the most successful and significant non-Hollywood cinema anywhere in the world today. It is successful both in the domestic market, and internationally. This essay sets out to understand this phenomenon. First, it attempts to trace South Korean cinema’s comeback story. I feel a need to do this because I find that so many of my South Korean friends and colleagues are reluctant to admit this, or focus solely on the problems the industry is facing in the future. There may be worries about the future and there may be â€Å"ifs† and â€Å"buts† about the present state of the South Korean film industry. But we should start out by acknowledging its success. In considering some of the reasons for the recent success of South Korean cinema, two further observations can be made. First, if we pay attention to the international export success of South Korean cinema, we can see that it has carved out a new route. This is based on regional markets at least as much as Europe and the United States. Second, unlike the successes of the Taiwanese and Chinese â€Å"new waves† since the 1980s, it is not based on the old European art cinema model. This raises a question about the viability of art cinema, independent feature films, short films, independent documentary, and other less profitable and commercial modes of filmmaking in South Korea. It may even lead some people to believe that those other modes of filmmaking are not an integral part of the new South Korean cinema success story. Yet, my third and final point will be to argue against this and for the importance of what I want to tentatively call â€Å"full service cinema,† includ ing a full range of modes of production and consumption. In making this point, I want to challenge another very common assumption not only in South Korea but everywhere—the idea that art cinema and independent cinema are opposed to mainstream commercial cinema. While there may be an aesthetic opposition between them, it is a strategic mistake to translate this into an institutional opposition. Even though their philosophies may be very different, as I will attempt to outline today, they need each other to succeed.