中美合拍片 贏得票房的熊貓就是好熊貓

SHANGHAI — Tucked away in a quiet design studio in this fast-growing city, a team of young animators, illustrators and computer programmers is bringing an ancient Chinese village to digital life.

上海——在這座快速發展的城市，一間安靜的工作室裏窩着一羣年輕的動畫設計師、插畫師和電腦程序員。他們正在讓一座中國古鎮在數字世界裏重現。

Using three-dimensional texture painting software, the team — mostly graduates of China’s leading arts schools — is adding intricate details to temples, palaces and pagodas. Team members are also helping animate the movements of the digital characters, including two pandas named Po and Mei Mei.

這個團隊裏的成員大多畢業於中國頂尖的美術院校。利用三維紋理繪圖軟件，他們正在爲寺院、宮殿和寶塔增添複雜逼真的細節。這些工作人員還會讓數字角色動起來，包括兩隻熊貓——阿寶和美美。

“This is what I really love to do,” says Fang Zheng, a 32-year-old animator who studied environmental arts in college. “I’ve always been interested in characters and cartoons and things like that.”

“這是我非常熱愛做的事，”32歲的動畫師方徵（音）說。“我一直對角色和卡通之類的東西感興趣。”方徵大學時的專業是環境藝術設計。

The project, part of the next installment of the blockbuster Hollywood film franchise “Kung Fu Panda,” represents a shift in China’s moviemaking ambitions.

他們從事的項目是好萊塢系列大片《功夫熊貓》(Kung Fu Panda)的最新續集的一部分。它同時也代表着中國在電影製作方面的抱負的轉變。

No longer content simply to build movie sets and provide extras in Hollywood films, Chinese studios are moving up the value chain, helping to develop, design and produce world-class films and animated features. They want a bigger role in the creative process, one that will allow them to reap more rewards, financially and artistically.

中國的電影公司已不再滿足於爲好萊塢的影片搭設場景或提供臨時演員，而是正在向價值鏈的上游移動，參與到世界級影片和動畫長片的開發、設計和製作當中。他們想要在創意過程中扮演更大角色，而這將讓它們獲得更多回報，無論是經濟上，還是藝術成就上。

“Kung Fu Panda 3” is the first collaboration between Hollywood’s DreamWorks Animation and its Chinese partner, Oriental DreamWorks, which is partly owned by a government investment fund and a private equity firm, China Media Capital. DreamWorks Animation has taken the lead in the creative and design work for the animated feature, which is scheduled for release in early 2016. Oriental DreamWorks contributes by adding Chinese elements, creating storyboards and building parts of the 3-D digital sets.

《功夫熊貓3》是好萊塢的夢工廠動畫電影公司(DreamWorks Animation)及其中國合作伙伴東方夢工廠(Oriental DreamWorks)的首個合作項目。東方夢工廠的所有方包括一個政府投資基金和一傢俬募公司——華人文化產業投資基金(China Media Capital)。該片計劃於2016年初發行。夢工廠動畫負責這部電影的創意和設計工作。東方夢工廠則負責爲影片添加中國元素、製作情節串聯圖板，以及打造部分三維數碼場景。

“We’re trying to develop Chinese creative talents,” says James Fong, the chief executive of Oriental DreamWorks.

“我們正在努力培養中國在創意方面的人才，”東方夢工廠的首席執行官方淦說。

It is part of a broader push by China Media Capital into the entertainment business. Over the last few years, the investment firm has made deals with Warner Bros. and the IMAX Corporation of Canada. It also helped develop a Chinese version of the hit TV show “The Voice.”

這是華人文化產業投資基金進軍娛樂業的宏大計劃的一部分。過去幾年，這家投資公司與華納兄弟(Warner Bros.)及加拿大的IMAX公司達成了多筆交易。此外，它還協助推出了熱門電視節目《好聲音》的中國版。

For American companies, such collaborations offer access to new talent and the chance to understand better a culture that will increasingly be portrayed in its films. And coproduction deals provide greater access to China’s tightly regulated market, which in a few years is expected to surpass the United States as the world’s biggest film market.

對於美國企業來說，這樣的合作既是接觸新人才的渠道，也提供了更好地理解未來將更多地出現在其電影裏的中國文化的機會。此外，合拍也可以讓美國公司更容易進入受到嚴格管控的中國市場。預計幾年之後，中國就將超過美國，成爲全世界最大的電影市場。

With China adding an average of 15 cinema screens every day, the country’s box office brought in $4.8 billion last year, tripling in size since 2010, according to the Motion Picture Association of America. And Chinese piracy is no longer such a significant threat to American studios; for example, “Transformers: The Age of Extinction” made more money in China than in the United States.

中國平均每天新增15塊銀幕。根據美國電影協會(Motion Picture Association of America)的數據，中國去年的票房收入達到了48億美元（約合300億元人民幣），是2010年的三倍。此外，中國的盜版問題也不再是美國電影公司的重大威脅。例如，《變形金剛：絕跡重生》(Transformers: The Age of Extinction)在中國的票房收入就超過了美國。

The rapidly growing market is reshaping the way Hollywood deals with China, from the scripts it accepts to the marketing strategies it adopts. Some of America’s biggest television and movie production houses, including HBO and Warner Bros., are already pushing into China with a raft of joint ventures, partnerships and cofinancing projects.

這個快速增長的市場正在重塑好萊塢與中國打交道的方式，從可以接受的劇本，到營銷策略的選擇，不一而足。美國的大型影視製作公司，包括HBO和華納兄弟，已經開始通過創辦合資企業、建立夥伴關係以及參與資助一些項目，在進軍中國市場。

Lionsgate, the American studio that produced “The Hunger Games,” has licensing and financing deals with Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce giant, and Hunan TV, a Chinese state-owned broadcaster. A unit of the Hollywood studio Legendary Pictures is co-producing an action film here with the award-winning Chinese director Zhang Yimou. And last year, when the former Warner Bros. executive Jeff Robinov set up a new Hollywood studio, he received a $200 million investment from the Fosun Group of China.

推出了《飢餓遊戲》(The Hunger Games)的美國獅門娛樂公司(Lionsgate)已經與中國電商巨頭阿里巴巴及國有的湖南電視臺簽訂了幾筆內容許可和融資協議。好萊塢公司傳奇影業(Legendary Pictures)的一家子公司，正在與著名中國導演張藝謀合拍一部動作片。去年，華納兄弟前高管傑夫·羅比諾夫(Jeff Robinov)從中國的復星集團獲得了2億美元的投資，創辦了一家新的好萊塢電影製作公司。

“The center of gravity is shifting so rapidly from Hollywood to China,” says Rob Cain, a consultant who runs . “And it’s not just that the audience is going to come from China; so is the capital.”

“重心正在迅速地從好萊塢向中國轉移，”中國電影業務網的所有者、行業顧問甘敏中(Rob Cain)說。“來自中國的將不光是觀衆，還有資本。”

The Chinese government is supporting the deals, seeing them as part of a broader “soft power” push aimed at enhancing the country’s image and the way its people and culture are depicted on the big screen, at home and abroad. As global filmmakers look to gain entry to the market, they must now consider the tastes and preferences of a Chinese audience, not to mention the wishes of the ruling Communist Party.

中國政府正在爲這些交易提供支持，並將它們看做更大層面的“軟實力”努力的一部分。此舉旨在提升中國的形象，改善國內外影片裏刻畫中國民衆和文化的方式。在尋求進入中國市場的時候，全球的電影工作者現在不僅需要考慮中國觀衆的品味和偏好，更要琢磨執政的共產黨的心思。

“Because of the importance of the Chinese market to Hollywood, no one wants to make movies that offend China,” says T.J. Green, a former Warner Bros. executive who now runs Apex Entertainment, which builds cinemas in China. “Some may see that as self-censorship.”

“因爲中國市場對好萊塢的重要性，誰都不想拍出冒犯中國的電影，”華納兄弟的前高管T·J·格林(T.J. Green)說。他現在經營着在中國建電影院的APX國際影院投資（香港）有限公司。“一些人可能會認爲那是自我審查。”

That is the price of market entry. A few years ago, the Chinese authorities whetted Hollywood’s appetite by raising the quota on foreign film imports, allowing Hollywood to receive a bigger share of the box-office profits and approving more coproductions with local partners.

這是進入中國市場的代價。幾年前，通過增加外國影片進口配額、允許好萊塢獲得更大的票房利潤分成以及批准更多與本土合作伙伴製作的合拍片，中國當局激起了好萊塢的胃口。

But analysts say greater access to China doesn’t mean unfettered access. Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained,” for instance, was heavily censored in China. And Hollywood studios complain that the release dates of some Western films are often shifted to bolster local movies.

不過，分析人士指出，更大的准入機會並不意味着不受限制。比如，昆汀·塔倫蒂諾(Quentin Tarantino)拍的《被解救的姜戈》(Django Unchained)就在中國遭到嚴重審查。並且不少好萊塢電影公司抱怨，爲了支持國產片，一些西方影片的上映日期常常被更改。

The market, in other words, remains tightly regulated. Authorities have also made clear that they want China to develop its own powerhouse studios, perhaps even its own version of Hollywood, that could eventually compete with Tinseltown.

換句話說，中國市場依然處於被嚴格管制的狀態。當局也明確表示，他們想讓中國發展自己的大牌影視企業，甚或是自家的好萊塢，最終能與丁塞爾鎮（代指好萊塢——譯註）匹敵。

Major Chinese studios are already taking shape. Alibaba has a studio called Alibaba Pictures. Bona Film and Huayi Brothers are now power players. And then there is the China Film Group, the state-run giant that has its own production bases and long experience working with Hollywood studios.

中國的大型影業公司已經在成形了。阿里巴巴旗下擁有一家阿里巴巴影業集團有限公司。博納影業和華誼兄弟是目前市場上的大玩家。此外還有國有巨頭中國電影集團。中影集團有自己的製作基地，還有與好萊塢影業公司合作的長期經驗。

“We want to learn how to make movies that appeal to a global audience,” says Ren Zhonglun, president of the state-run Shanghai Film Group, which is also negotiating to form alliances in Hollywood. “Eventually, we need to go global.”

“我們希望學習如何拍出能吸引全球觀衆的影片，”上海電影集團總裁任仲倫說。“最終，我們需要走向全球。”上影集團也在與好萊塢進行結盟談判。

One of the most ambitious efforts is being financed by the private equity firm China Media Capital, which has become one of Hollywood’s preferred partners in China.

在最具雄心的嘗試中，其中一項得到了私募公司華人文化產業投資基金的資助。該公司已經成爲了頗受好萊塢青睞的中國合作方之一。

Last year, China Media Capital announced plans to create a “global content investment fund” with Warner Bros. and the global advertising giant WPP, among others. The firm has bought a stake in the Chinese operation of IMAX. With government backing, China Media brought in new partners to develop a $3.1 billion “Dream Center,” a cultural and entertainment district in Shanghai with theaters, performance halls, restaurants and shops.

去年，華人文化產業投資基金宣佈，計劃與華納兄弟和全球廣告巨頭WPP等企業共同創立一個“全球內容投資基金”。該公司收購了IMAX中國業務的部分股份。在政府的支持下，華人文化產業投資基金引入了一些新的合作伙伴，以在上海開發一個名爲“夢中心”的文化娛樂區。該項目投資達200億元人民幣，將容納劇院、演藝廳、餐館和商鋪。

The China Media Capital executive behind many of these deals is Li Ruigang, a former government official and Shanghai media executive. It was Mr. Li, 45, who helped set up Oriental DreamWorks, the Shanghai joint venture working on “Kung Fu Panda 3.” Alongside projects with DreamWorks Animation, the studio is also working on its own portfolio of television programs, films and animated features.

在這些交易中，很多項目的背後都有華人文化產業投資基金的負責人黎瑞剛的身影。他曾經是一名政府官員，上海媒體界的高管。正是45歲的黎瑞剛，幫助成立了在參與制作《功夫熊貓3》的合資企業東方夢工廠。除了與夢工廠動畫電影公司合作的項目外，東方夢工廠還在拍自己的作品，包括電視節目、電影和動畫長片。

“We’re talking to all the major Hollywood studios,” Mr. Li said during an interview at the headquarters of China Media Capital in Shanghai. “But we’re also developing our own original Chinese stories. We want it to be high-quality animation that can be distributed globally.”

“我們正在和好萊塢所有的大電影公司洽談，”黎瑞剛在華人文化產業投資基金位於上海的總部接受採訪時說。“但我們也在開發自己原創的中國故事。我們希望是能在全球發行的高質量的動畫片。”

The Oriental DreamWorks studio, now a temporary space in a glass office tower, looks like a creative playground, decorated with colorful toys and Lego blocks. Most of the 260 employees are working on elements of “Kung Fu Panda 3.” Overnight, they ship large computer files to California, where the work can then be integrated into the movie.

東方夢工廠的工作室現在是一處臨時的地方，位於一棟玻璃辦公樓裏，看上去像一個創意遊樂場，裝飾着五彩繽紛的玩具和樂高(Lego)積木。其260名員工中的大部分人都在從事與《功夫熊貓3》有關的工作。他們會在夜裏將相當大的電腦文件傳給加州。在那裏，相關工作再被融入整部電影中。

They are determined to forgo dubbing into Chinese, so the partner studios are effectively producing two films. The characters’ mouths and jaws are being animated for two languages, English for most audiences and Mandarin for cinemas in China.

他們決心放棄中文配音，所以這兩家合作的公司實際上是在拍兩部影片。角色的嘴巴和下巴的動畫製作是針對兩門語言設計的，即面向大部分觀衆的英語和麪向中國院線的漢語。

“We want to leverage the best of the Hollywood creativity with the best Chinese characteristics,” said Mr. Fong of Oriental DreamWorks. “We make it faster, do it cheaper, and in the end do something really innovative.”

“我們想用最好的中國特色來最大限度地利用好萊塢創造力的精華，”東方夢工廠的方淦說。“我們會做到更快、成本更低，最終做出真正創新的東西。”