On 4 June 2024, the lecture "Producer's Experience: Directors I Have Worked With," organized and hosted by Professor Wan Chuanfa from the Shanghai Theatre Academy's College of Film, was successfully held at the Shanghai Theatre Academy College of Film. The lecture was delivered by Mr. Ren Zhonglun, Vice Chairman of the China Film Association and PT expert at Shanghai Theatre Academy.
At the beginning of the lecture, Mr. Ren Zhonglun reminisced about his years at the Shanghai Film Studio. From an entrepreneur's perspective, he keenly pointed out that building a strong film nation relies on two conditions: developing globally competitive film enterprises and producing films with worldwide influence. By analyzing the current state of China's film market and comparing it with the business models of several American film companies represented by Disney, he emphasized the importance of film groups for the development of China's film industry.
Subsequently, Mr. Ren, speaking from his experience as a producer, reviewed his collaborations with internationally renowned directors such as Jia Zhangke, Wong Kar-wai and Ang Lee. Using his first project with director Jia Zhangke, "The World," as a starting point, he analyzed the reasons behind the sixth generation of Chinese directors' focus on the fate of ordinary people against the backdrop of significant historical changes. He proposed that "the alignment of values and artistic concepts is key to successful collaboration," expressing his affirmation of their artistic pursuits and providing the students with many creative insights drawn from industry practice.
Furthermore, Mr. Ren discussed his collaborations on several well-known films with director Wong Kar-wai. By comparing the film works and the TV series "Blossoms Shanghai," he explored the similarities and differences between the two forms of creation. While affirming the artistic value of "Blossoms Shanghai," he highlighted the increased anticipation for Shanghai-themed works following its success. He proposed that the successful creation of local-themed works, represented by Shanghai, plays a significant role in the cultural development of a city.
Mr. Ren Zhonglun noted that "film is a personal expression combined with public resonance." On one hand, he asserted that creators must possess social conscience and take on social responsibility, bringing new value experiences to the audience. On the other hand, he highlighted the cultural significance behind the audience of films—the urban middle class—based on the history of film's origins. Mr. Ren pointed out that film originated in cities and is a product of urban culture, with its primary audience being the urban middle class, which is a crucial part of the city's composition. Film creation cannot be separated from its audience, the urban middle class, and film studies cannot be detached from this cultural window. Therefore, whether it is film creation or the study of film culture, urban cultural research using the urban middle class as an entry point holds dual importance in both historical and cultural contexts. Drawing from his diverse and rich experience, Mr. Ren provided in-depth interpretations of cultural phenomena from multiple perspectives, including production, marketing, industry structure, humanistic connotations and cultural origins, based on different directors and their styles within the context of film history. This offered profound guidance for stduetns in terms of both film studies and film creation.
