Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Stuntmen, Slumdog Millionaire, and 60 Minutes of 'Shot in Shanghai'

Sadly, the work on this page has gone the way of the blogyard for the past few months...No, I did not drop off the face of the earth while doing yoga in Hainan. The world of media in Shanghai has become an exciting place and has steered me away from writing. Here are a couple of highlights from the period of fallow blog activity:

1. International Channel Shanghai aired "Shot in Shanghai," a special on co-productions, a television show based on my research in Sino-U.S. film co-production. The link will follow once I get my hands on a DVD copy. I had the opportunity to collaborate with Xu Zhanxiong, the editor of 'Reel Talk' on ICS, and former East China Normal University Critical Studies colleague.

2. The students and faculty of Shanghai University invited me to deliver a lecture on the politics of 'Slumdog Millionaire' and international co-productions. Our talk focused on the use of local space in transnational filmmaking, and the shifting power differential between Hollywood and Asian domestic filmmakers.

3. I have started taking martial arts classes to become more involved with the stunt community here in Shanghai. Well-trained, cost-efficient martial arts practitioners and stuntmen are some of the major reasons for the financial benefits of shooting in China. Look for more information about the community as the world unfolds for me.