Korea-China joint productions are in full swing. At first, it was notable for Korean technical human resources to make a foray into the Chinese film industry. Then directors and actors followed suit. These days, ‘real’ joint production films are coming out of combinations of Korean productions’ planning and development and China’s investment. Here is a look at some cases of various types of Korea-China joint productions.

 

The Agreement between the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Korea Concerning of the Co-Production of Films was signed on July 2014, triggering Chinese capital investment in Korea. This agreement makes Korean films produced with Chinese investment free from China’s screen quota system if they were approved as joint Korea-China productions by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Chinese State Administration of Radio, Film and Television. Thus, such Korean films can play freely in China as Chinese films regardless of China’s import film quota. This agreement lifted the gate to the Korean film industry and big Chinese capital rushed into Korea. Huace Media became the second largest shareholder of NEW by investing KRW 53.5 billion (USD 52 million) in exchange for a 15% equity in NEW. Huayi Brothers hammered out a strategic agreement with Showbox with which the company produced Mr. Go (2013), a KIM Yong-hwa film.

 

“We are preparing four Chinese films in discussion with Huayi and Showbox,” producer SOHN Jang-hyun said. “We are developing a new engine by combining Korea and China’s planning and development systems. We anticipate that Korean planning will lead to commercial works that will pay off in China this year.” Producer SOHN bridged Korean technical staffs and Chinese filmmakers by taking part in Assembly (2007) directed by Xiaogang FENG (2007), Red Cliff directed by John WOO (2008) and 1942 (2012), also directed by FENG. He also managed the shooting of some parts of My Way (2011) and Mr. Go in China.

 

The internet platform company iQIYI inked an exclusive deal to secure online screening rights to 40 films from Lotte Entertainment and 50 films from Finecut during the Busan International Film Festival. LeVP runs the video site LeTV and owns about 1,200 screens in 108 cities all over China as China’s largest on and offline platform company. The company held ‘Korean and Chinese Appreciation Evening’ in Seoul on December 21st of last year and put out an announcement that they will sign deals with ten Korean directors for joint Korea-China productions.

 

Chinese capital investment in Korea is not limited to the Korean film industry. In the overall Korean entertainment industry, there are more moves influenced by Chinese capital. The Chinese search engine site Baidu struck a deal with Korea’s SM Entertainment to secure rights to music, music videos and other videos of its entertainers. Tencent, a big internet service operator, decided to invest in KeyEast which manages KIM Soo-hyun who gained huge popularity in China through the TV drama My Love from the Star . Besides, Chinese capital is actively looking for opportunities to secure Korean contents and pursue joint production with Korean filmmakers.

 

The above-mentioned agreement prompted Chinese capital to become very active in securing Korean contents. At first, Korean technical staffs simply took part in Chinese films. This trend was set off by Assembly , a Xiaogang FENG film. Director FENG was impressed by Taegukgi: Brotherhood Of War (2004) and asked its director KANG Je-kyu for help. Therefore, director KANG recommended to FENG twenty-five Korean industry professionals such as producers LEE Chi-yun, SOHN Jang-hyun and members of a special effects team (Demolition), a special makeup team (Meiji) and a sound team (Blue Cap). Since then, special effects companies such as Demolition and other post-production companies began to take part in Chinese films.

 

Their advancement into the Chinese film industry led to the hiring of Korean directors. It is well known that director AHN Byung-ki made Bunshinsaba (2012), Bunshinsaba 2 (2013) and Bunshinsaba 3 back to back, and director KWAK Jaeyong made Meet Miss Anxiety, a romantic comedy with Chinese actress ZHOU Xun and actor TONG Da Wei. Wedding Diary, to be released in China on March 14th, was directed by HUH In-moo who made Love, So Divine (2004). Korean actor JI Jin-hee and actress CHAE Lim star in the film.

 

Korean technological companies, postproduction companies, directors and actors intermittently participated in Chinese films. But Joint Korea-China productions began to come out gradually before and after the signing of the agreement. The most notable move was made by CJ Entertainment. This year marks the fifth year of CJ Entertainment’s production of Chinese films since its well-made comedy Sophie's Revenge (2009). The company enjoyed modest success in China through its partial investment in What Women Want (2011) and finally established itself in the Chinese market via A Wedding Invitation (2013). CJ took part in planning, investing and producing A Wedding Invitation. The film, a successful amalgam of Korea’s planning and China’s production know-how, became a good example of localization, recording the second highest-ever box-office score among joint Korea-China films at the time.

 

“Our biggest weapon is our power of planning,” said a spokesperson at CJ Entertainment. “We study and understand Chinese viewers’ preferences and keep on developing highly commercial screenplays with Chinese sentiments in a collaborative system. At the moment, small and midbudget romantic comedies and dramas are the mainstream. But we will expand into the development of various genre films including well-made thrillers. Now CJ Entertainment is engaging in the post-production work of the disaster thriller Pyung An Do (working title) directed by CHANG Yoon-hyun.

 

Moreover, 20, Once Again! directed by Leste CHEN, based on the Korean original Miss Granny, hit 5,500 screens across China on January 8 and earned CNY 122.35 million (about KRW 21.4 billion) in four days after its release, according to Enbase, a Chinese entertainment research site.

 

The Chinese production company C2M, which jointly produced A Wedding Invitation with CJ Entertainment, invested in 20, Once Again! and director KWAK Jae-yong’s new project. Producer LEE Chi-yun, who is developing Doupocangqiong (investor and distributor:Wanda Cinema Line Corporation) with director KANG Je-kyu, has also drawn up a plan to remake the Korean films Architecture 101 (2012) and Cyrano Agency (2010) for Chinese viewers in partnership with Myung Film. In addition, producer LEE is working on Bastard (working title) to be directed by Son Hao with Huayi Brothers. Bastard will deal with a happening among Chinese tourists on Jeju Island. Director Son Hao will helm the Bastard project. Son Hao worked for Assembly as an assistant director under director FENG. What differentiates this project from others is the fact that Xiaogang FENG and KANG Je-kyu will support director Son Hao as executive producers. The shooting will begin on Jeju Island this year.

 

In addition, the Korean production company Film Line decide to produce The Teacher's Diary, to be directed by KIM Tai-sik and brothers with China’s Phoenix Legend Film and Malaysia’s Prodigy Media. The Korean production Golden Monkey Media Group (CEO: KIM Boo-hyun) is preparing a blockbuster with the Chinese media company DMC on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Chinese-Japanese War. “In the past, most of the Korean staff who joined Chinese film production were Korean technical workers,” producer SOHN said. “But now, joint production is being conducted in various ways such as planning and development by either Korea or China and production with the capital of either Korea or China.

 

“These days, runners are pacing neck and neck in the Chinese market race,” producer SOHN added. “Big film studios such as Alibaba, Enlight Media Group and Huayi are stepping up their efforts to assume the leadership of Chinese cinema. But latecomers are able to catch up with the front running group now that they have strong financial power. This is why you should consider your business partner as your future partner.