Experts in the film and visual media business from Korea, China and the U.S. came together in Seoul to evaluate the current state of the industry in their respective countries. They also discussed the proper direction the industry should take in the future, and ways to cooperate on joint productions between the three countries.
The fourth KOFIC Global Forum brought together the movie experts in Seoul on Sept. 2, allowing them to share their thoughts on what an ideal model would be like to create new profit channels in the business, for example, by establishing new infrastructure or by diversifying platforms amid the various forms of technology and platforms available in different markets. The forum was hosted by the Busan-based Korean Film Council (KOFIC).
Film and visual media experts from Korea, the U.S. and China attend the fourth KOFIC Global Forum at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in northern Seoul on Sept. 2.
Korean, Chinese and U.S. experts share their ideas on the present state and future of the film and visual media industry at the fourth KOFIC Global Forum in Seoul on Sept. 2.
The forum consisted of two sections. In the first section, Vice President Allen Zhu of China’s leading Internet TV network and Curt Marvis, CEO of The QYOU, a U.S. TV channel, talked about the complex reality and changes that they have witnessed in the film industries in the three countries.
Both presenters, in particular, pointed out the structural limits that the film industry, both here in Korea and abroad, too, has faced, with only blockbusters dominating screens, leaving no place for other art and independent films to be viewed.
“Now is the time to shift the current paradigm in this circle to create a new one that allows people to enjoy a wider variety of movies,” they both said.
They continued to seek ways to set up a new system under which movies could be produced, distributed and consumed in an effective and profitable manner, especially with the use of technology. In this regard, a representative from China’s Wanda Media asked that more joint productions between Korea and China be made.
In the subsequent section, Bob Abramoff, producer of the animated film “Dino Time,” and Jamie Mitchell, an animation director at Walt Disney, talked about the animated film industry in Korea and suggested a series of strategies and measures to help Korean productions reach wider audiences abroad.
National Assembly Speaker Chung Eui-hwa speaks during the fourth KOFIC Global Forum, stressing that, ‘We need to look for a new platform befitting the rapidly shifting paradigm in the film industry.’
“As we live in a so-called ‘smart media era,’ the current paradigm in the film industry here is rapidly shifting,” said National Assembly Speaker Chung Eui-hwa during his congratulatory speech. “Technological developments have brought us new platforms to use and these platforms have started to replace the way in which we watch movies on the screen at a theater. Accordingly, we now see a change taking place around us in how movies and other visual products are distributed.”
The speaker went on to say that, “It’s time to make a change in our mindset, too. In this sense, the KOFIC forum will give a good chance to find ways to bring about that change, I hope.”
By Sohn JiAe
Photos: Wi Tack-whan
Korea.net Staff Writers
jiae5853@korea.kr
