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In order to answer the core research question of what role product placement plays in modern Chinese film productions, this study is divided into two sections (Discourse analysis section and textual analysis section), and six chapters.
The first section provides an overview of the history of the Chinese film industry and a discourse analysis of the industry framework in terms of product placement in films. It aims to examine how practitioners in the industry frame product placement deals in their discourses from an industry perspective. The second section focuses on researching the practices of product placement in modern Chinese films from a textual perspective by conducting a close mise-en-scène analysis of a range of modern Chinese films.
Although the primary focus of this study is on the use of product placement by the Chinese film industry in the twenty-first century, the first section puts product placement in the industry into a much wider context in the beginning, establishing a wide historical framework upon which subsequent chapters will build. Therefore, Chapter 1 provides a historical overview of the development of the Chinese film industry from the era of early cinema until the present day. In a broader sense, this chapter examines how the historical development of the Chinese film industry is influencing product placement in modern Chinese cinema. Particular attention is paid to the patterns of change and continuity in the Chinese film industry. The chapter argues that these patterns have shaped the way in which product placement has been adopted by the industry in the new century. To be more specific, from an internal perspective, this chapter suggests that the structure of the Chinese film industry has altered in the twenty-first century, although it is still controlled by the state. This has generated a specific type of operational model of product placement in films, which differs from the Hollywood model. The chapter criticises the importance that some Chinese scholars have placed on the Hollywood model, and brings in the major external factor: the Hollywood film industry. From an external perspective, the Chinese film industry s relationship with Hollywood has shifted many times throughout its history. In spite of the fact that the Chinese film industry is becoming more powerful in the
global market, Hollywood is still a powerful influential factor in its development.
After setting up the historical frame for the Chinese film industry, this study moves on to Chapter 2, which begins to look at the industry aspect of this research by examining how power relationships between the state and the film industry are reflected in product placement deals.
It does so by analysing the discourses of the Chinese film industry in the Chinese trade press and film websites. This chapter provides the first reflection on the idea of balance in the operation of product placement in film production; that is, how practitioners in the industry deal with the challenges of the struggle between state control and industry development. Based on the industrial commentary on product
placement deals, this chapter argues that the Chinese film industry is more powerful than the state in product placement operations. Under the Chinese film industry s particular model of product placement discussed in Chapter 1, although the industry maintains more power than the state in relation to product placement, there is a power hierarchy among the groups of industry practitioners involved in the product placement operations. Thus, this chapter looks at how different groups of practitioners interpret and defend their actual and potential power in their discourses by using their expertise in product placement deals.
Moreover, in recent years a new trend has emerged: that of Chinese brands being placed in Hollywood blockbusters. This raises the important issue of how the Chinese film industry collaborates with Hollywood in relation to product placement. This chapter suggests that the Chinese film industry has developed more competitive power in these deals. This is mainly reflected in the Chinese film industry s critical assessments of the influence of Hollywood blockbusters on the development of Chinese product placement. In order to examine how the industry talks about product placement deals under state control,
this chapter focuses on three power relations: audiences vs industry, Hollywood vs China, and product placement agency vs other
participants in product placement operations. It is important to
consider these three power relations because the Chinese film industry uses these terms more frequently than others in their discourses, and all of them are important participants in product placement deals in films.
Chapter 3 investigates the concept of balance in product placement in film production by examining how the Chinese film industry describes the power relations between creativity and commerce in product placement. Due to the complexity of product placement existing in the completely different conceptions, how to achieve a proper balance between creativity and commercialism has become a vital issue for the Chinese film industry. This chapter argues that the Chinese film
industry dialectically states that the creativity and commercialism in product placement can coexist, even though product placement is based upon completely different conceptions. This could imply that the
Chinese film industry emphasises collaborative relationships in its product placement discourse, which is also reflected in how Chinese practitioners criticise author-God theories by emphasising the power of collaborative creators. Furthermore, in a wider sense, the Chinese film industry, like other film industries, provides the illusion that they give audiences what they want. However, this study proposes that the Chinese film industry prioritises commercialism and profit, rather than what audiences really want. Even though practitioners criticise the crude and overt methods of product placement in modern Chinese films in their discourses, their discourses also reveal the industry s intrinsic pursuit of profit.
The final three chapters focus on the implementation of product placement in modern Chinese film productions from a textual perspective. The textual analysis investigates the three central film
elements: narrative, character, and genre. These elements are identified as the key areas where product placement is most overtly displayed, visualised and embodied, and considers the impact that this has on narrative coherence. Previously, scholars have rarely paid attention to the relationship between product placement and these film elements.
This study posits that product placement in modern Chinese films is closely related to film narrative, characters and genre. Additionally, the industry discourse from the first three chapters offers crucial context for the textual analysis of product placement, as the final three chapters indicate. Specifically, when discussing product placement deals, the Chinese film industry highlighted the importance of balance. This is strongly reflected in the demonstrable relationship between product placement and film elements, such as the integration of product placement with the narrative, and the close connection between the types of products placed, character types and genres. In addition, the Chinese cultural experience offers the specificity of Chinese film
storytelling, and even Chinese film genre. This potentially influences the embodiment of product placement and its relation to the film elements.
Chapter 4 examines the first demonstrable relationship – between product placement and the key film element, film narrative – from a textual perspective. This chapter argues that there are two types of relationship between product placement and film narrative in modern Chinese films: integration and disruption. On the one hand, the Chinese film industry always says that it is pursuing the right balance between creativity and commercialism in the practice of product placement in domestic films, and the integration of product placement within the film narrative is crucial to achieving this balance. The proper integration between product placement and film context is also highly praised by Western scholars and Chinese scholars through looking at how they define the concept of product placement in films and how they
categorise types of product placement in films. Thus, in order to explore how product placement is integrated into film narrative, Chapter 4
investigates three aspects of product placement: the purpose, the degree, and the method. These three aspects are closely related to the definitions and categories of product placement presented in the literature review. Specifically, the purpose of product placement is related to the brand s marketing communication strategy. This chapter suggests that brand identity and brand image are integrated into the narrative of the film through product placement. In addition, the depth of product placement can be divided into deep and shallow , which, to some extent, reflects the method of product placement. In a broader sense, the methods of product placement include visual and auditory aspects, while deep and shallow product placement fall within the visual and auditory dimensions. Following the categorisation of product placement discussed in this study, this chapter also suggests that script product placement, as a form of deep product placement, is integrated into film narrative either visually or aurally; while prop product placement and dialogue product placement, as shallow product
placement, are less integrated into the film narrative either visually or aurally. However, on the other hand, the presence of product placement can be disruptive, distracting the audience s attention from the film narrative. Thus, this chapter also examines how film narrative is disrupted by the presence of product placement in modern Chinese films.
Following this, the study will move on to the more specific and practical perspective: how product placement is performed in films. Chapter 5, therefore, investigates the relationship between product placement and character in modern Chinese films. Film character is one of the most crucial elements of the film story, and is as important to the film narrative as narrative time and narrative space. Film character plays a concrete role by performing product placement within the film
narrative. Thus, this chapter suggests that there is a close relationship between product placement and character in modern Chinese films.
Specifically, this is manifested in particular types of film character being
matched with particular types of products placed in films. Film characters have particular identities, personal experiences and emotions, which are associated with the embodiment of product placement on the screen through their performance. At the same time, how product placement is embodied on the screen is closely related to actors/actresses performance skills. In order to construct a framework for the relationship between product placement and character in
modern Chinese films, this chapter uses film performance theory to demonstrate how Chinese film characters influence product placement on screen. In particular, this study explores how different characters perform product placement with particular traits, such as gestures, movements, inflections and intonations.
However, character identity is shaped by the conventions of different genres of film. As Grant claimed, Genre movies are those commercial feature films which, though repetition and variation, tell familiar stories with familiar characters in familiar situations , ix . Thus, Chapter 6 will focus on examining the demonstrable relationship between product placement and genre in modern Chinese films. To develop this idea, this chapter will start with the theoretical framework, considering the relevant film genre theory in Western literature. Integrating film genre theory into the study of product placement extends our
understanding of the concept of product placement and provides a new perspective from which to study it. Next, the chapter will consider a wider framework in order to investigate how product placement is used in conventional film genre in Chinese cinema. The chapter will then move on to a specific investigation into how product placement is associated with particular genre of Chinese film. Academics in product placement studies have largely ignored the issue of whether film genre influences how product placement is implemented on screen. However, this chapter suggests that product placement is not shaped by film genre, but that film genre has some influence on the way in which product placement is embodied in the narrative context. Additionally, in
relation to Chinese film genre, this study provides a historical overview of the origin and development of New Year films in Mainland China.
Overall, this chapter provides a distinctive understanding of the demonstrable relationship between product placement and genre in Chinese cinema, and adds insight into how film genre theory is practised in other national cinema and cultural contexts.
In conclusion, this study provides a crucial understanding of the role of product placement in the Chinese film industry, which contributes to the theory on product placement in other national film production. The main focus of this study is to answer the question of how product
placement is adopted by the Chinese film industry from an industry and a textual perspective. It is specific to Chinese experiences of product placement in film production. In the majority of previous studies, Hollywood has been the sole object and example of product placement in films. Although there are numerous examples of successful product placement in Hollywood, other national cinemas have started to explore this profitable and creative realm. The Chinese film industry, as an important national cinema, is paying attention to product placement in film production as well. Product placement in film production has developed rapidly in recent years. On the one hand, the Chinese government is encouraging the development of product placement in film production through its policies and regulations. On the other hand, the Chinese film industry has found more ways to develop various aspects of product placement, such as transnational cooperation in product placement deals. Therefore, a critical investigation of the role of product placement in the Chinese film industry is needed.
It is notable that (ollywood s influence on Chinese film practice has been overstated by many researchers in the existing literatures. This study critically advocates that Chinese cinema creates its own cultural preference of aesthetics, narrative, and even commercial operation, although Hollywood-style historically shaped the development of
Chinese cinema in the initial phase within various aspects such as producing, exhibition, and distribution. There are two compelling reasons. Firstly, from historical perspective, China banned the most of entertainment and artistic activities during the Cultural Revolution for a decade. Therefore, from to , there were no (ollywood s film imported or screened publicly in China. In this situation,
(ollywood s impact was nearly zero in that period of time. Secondly, since the 21st century, China has grown rapidly, which is the fastest growth economy in the emerging economies. Under such impressive economic growth, Chinese film industry has attracted extensive attentions from various perspectives in the world. The huge market offers Chinese film industry particular advantage for exerting its power and impact at global level. In this context, (ollywood s impact on Chinese film practice is not such dominated as previous scholars presented.
It is also necessary to emphasize that the stardom is not addressed in depth in this study, although the stardom is realized as an important component for embodiment of product placement on screen. There are two compelling reasons for why the stardom is not further involved in this study. Firstly, this study aims to examine the relationship between product placement and the characters in the film productions, rather than explore the relationship between product placement and the stars.
Even though the stars are closely related to the characters in films, but the stardom study belongs to the completely different field and is involved in desperate theoretical frameworks. It is not the main concentration in this study. Secondly, the theoretical framework of stardom is complicated and it has been researched for a long time. The concept of the star can be identified as various ways, such as a product of mass culture, an industrial marketing instrument, a social sign, a product of capitalism, and a figure consumed for his personal life. It is essentially related to extensive areas. Compare to consider product placement in such comprehensive areas, this study prefers to focus on
the specific areas. Therefore, this study investigates how product placement is associated with the film characters rather than with the stardoms.