Transformation and Modernisation of the Chinese Film Industry under the background of COVID-19 : from the filmmaker’s perspective

This thesis explores the gaps in research and practice concerning the transformation and modernisation of the Chinese film industry during this particular period of COVID-19. This report covers a period divided into three periods: before the emergence of COVID-19, the beginning of COVID-19, and the middle of COVID-19's development to the current day. These time segmentations will provide a basis for comparing and explaining the development and transformation of the Chinese cinema scene within the research period. Previous literature research has investigated the fact that the market for the Chinese film industry has reached a stage of saturation, the market development of the Chinese film industry at an academic level, and reasons that justify why the Chinese film industry should be transformed and developed. The research presented as part of this thesis draws on previous market data on the Chinese film industry while expanding the research knowledge in the field by exploring the methodology used to study the market data of the Chinese film annuals in the Lighthouse app. Furthermore, the study reflects on the impact of the film industry’s transformative development in China. This work includes descriptive, inferential, and regression analysis of the Chinese film industry’s marketing and distribution data from many specific surveys. In addition to data analysis findings, the thesis explores the impact of COVID-19 on the film industry in China. This was a particular development period to inform the modernisation of the film industry in China and the European or American film markets under the influence of COVID-19. The combination of an in-depth literature review, analysis of findings, and reflection on the impact of changes in practice and application by the Chinese Film Office and the Chinese government produce a set of recommendations and guidelines to improve the bottlenecks in the development of marketing and distribution in the Chinese film industry.