2009 Box office

[Alex Zahlten]

Hi,

> > So I was wondering if anyone knows if this figure includes straight  
> > to video and pink films...

As Aaron already mentioned, these are only theatrically released films; it's important to remember that the number of actually produced films is much higher?but that many have difficulty of entering the theatrical distribution circuit. Nomura Masaaki estimated 2-3 years ago that the number of films actually produced was over 700.

Distribution has become an incredibly difficult field right now, at least if your company name isn't Toho. Heydays of distribution were in the 60s for Pink Film, in the 80s for (more or less) art film on the minitheater circuit (also heavily supported by video rights sales) and in the 1990s for straight-to-video films. For a few years now, it has become very difficult to distribute small films at all (let alone profitably), and it often takes 1-2 years after a film's completion until it finds its way into the cinemas; this usually means 1-2 years in which the production company and/or the company that financed production cannot recoup on their investment. And the recent series of bankruptcies by distribution companied shows that there is less money to be made for the distribution side as well.

Also, don't forget about Jishu Film. There is a riduculous amount of films (short, medium, and feature film length) being produced and financed by directors themselves, often shown in inofficial late show screenings or at festivals and not counted as theatrical releases. 

> Most people agree there is over- 
> production of films, but the reasons for that are not really clear to  
> me yet. 

I agree that it is somewhat of a baffling question. It has, however, become significantly easier to produce films, and depending on the kind of film it has also become cheaper. There was never a lot of money to be made in production, but I do think sinking budgets and technological developments are big factors here. Take for example V-Cinema: Budgets are a fraction of what they used to be. This is largely due to shooting on video, lowering production values, and especially to lowering labor costs. The explosion in film schools since the 1990s has supplied companies with a wave of young filmmakers and technical staff eager to work, and having been raised in freeter culture they will often gladly do it for minimum reimbursement while working in a supermarket on the side (Nobuhiro Yamashita did this for several years and has only recently been able to focus completely on working as a director- and he was a pretty well-known director at the time). V-cinema at the beginning was f!
 ull of experienced directors that had difficulty finding work in theatrical film (such as Masaru Konuma, for example), and even if they worked on the cheap, this was by completely different standards of payment. 

This also has led to an incredible amount of films with first-time directors; I would have to make a precise count, but I don't think there have been as many directorial debut films since the last high point in 1991, when there were over 50 directorial debuts (at the time the development was largely fueled by the rise of V-Cinema and the so-called igyo (non-business) directors, who were often aidoru or actors given a directing job for name value; the latter was a symptom of the bubble economy film business, and of course this was how Takeshi Kitano originally made his debut). 

Alex




-- 
alex at nipponconnection.de

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