Asians in Film
The award season will soon be upon us. Oscars, Golden Globes, and Guild awards will be
filling the tubes and the paper. As you read the list of nominees and winners, count
the number of Asian participants.
Go ahead - take your time. I'll be counting the number of Asian politicians in office. Zero?
One? Maybe two? Why is that?
I would love to sit here and point out all the reasons why Asians are not represented in
film but what's the point?
Yes, Asians make more money than any other ethnic group.
Yes, Asians fill the halls of Harvard, Yale and Princeton.
Yes, Asians represent half of the world's population.
But are any of them in positions of power?
Are there any Asian executives that can green light a film?
Any Asian that can finance a film?
Let's do a test. When you watch T.V., count the number of Asians on T.V. When the
commercials come on, count the Asian actors that appear. When you do get one, write
down the job they hold. Is it a big part in the movie or show?
Until that happens - Asians will be regulated to cooking, cleaning and chop-socky films.
An even funnier thing - the only Asian males in cinema right now consists of Jackie Chan
and Jet Li - that's great. It's better than nothing. Now the funny thing is you will
never see them kiss the female lead. Not even once. Nothing.
As far as the American public is concerned, Asian males don't know how to kiss.
Rating films
All right, I've been promising K. Lui movie reviews and movie reviews you guys will get.
But before the reviews start flowing in, there's got to be some guidelines. How do you
rate films? Can anyone rate films? What constitutes a good film? What constitutes a bad
film?
Anyone can rate films. Of course, it helps to have a love of film and a degree in film.
To rate films, you have to break down the filmmaking process and analyze the various skills
needed to put a film together.
The difference between a good and bad film depends on a number of things. Story,
cinematographer, direction, editing and acting are the criteria's I will use to determine
the ratings. A good job in each craft will award them one SPOT. So a great film will have
five SPOTS. (Cinespot = spot) I know it's corny, but who cares.
STORY - A good story will have great characters, snappy dialogue, sound structure, and a
moving tale.
Cinematographer - To get a spot, the D.P. better be picture perfect. This is one craft
that doesn't get enough respect. Lots of young directors get credit for a certain style
but more often than not, it's the cinematographers that create that style. They are the
ones responsible for everything that goes on the screen.
Direction - The D.P is responsible for everything that goes on the screen; the director is
responsible for everything that happens on the screen. The mark of a good director is the
interaction of the actors with each other.
Editing - From one shot to the next, the editor decides, with or without the help of the
director, what goes next. Sound and soundtrack will be cover here also.
Acting - Good acting is simples subtle and sometimes obvious but good acting will hold you.
Bad acting can be spotted a mile away.
That's all folks...
Written by Charlie Cheng
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