11/01/2014 Talking Business with Linda Yueh

Now on BBC News, it's time for Talking Business.

Entertainment is big business. Is Hollywood looking East to try to

capture hearts and purses? What about new forms of entertainment,

like a viral video on the Internet. That gets you use, but do they make

any money? Here in Singapore, I am Linda Yueh and we are talking

business. Welcome to our entertainment

special. 2013 saw a Hollywood first, and movie filmed in China in Chinese

as well as English. Man of Tai Chi was the directorial debut of Chianti

reads. The movie tells the story of a martial artist who finds

themselves embroiled in the dangerous but the group took four

underground fighting. It is the latest in a string of films that

takes inspiration from the East. Joining us now is the producer of

the film. It is a delight to have you join us. I want to ask about

this kind of reduction. Was it difficult to get funding, is that

why you went to China? It was difficult to get funding. That is

not why we went to China. The driving force behind it was the

director wanted to make a Chinese film. A lot of your work does look

East. Is there a particular reason? This story was born out of a

friendship with his stump man who worked with him on the matrix, he is

the coup leader in the movie. He really wanted to come to China and

make a movie with him. That aside again.

Are there things that can be learnt from the Chinese industry? When we

go to China to make movies we are guests in that country. At the same

time they want to learn from us how we do it because their industry is

evolving and they are discovering audience taste and hide the box

office works. It is not just about the Chinese money, it is more about

a new market that" a lot of possibilities for storytelling, for

business, all kinds of things. The only advice I would give to anybody

when there is to remember you are a guest in the country and want to

make sure that you act accordingly. What is it like to work with Keanu?

It is great. He is an extraordinary talent. Although it was his debut as

a director, it wasn't like as first time because he had so much

experience working with great direct is. He is a reliable sort of guy

that understands production, understands what my job is and his

leadership is one that is very inspiring, they united the entire

crew and the business people and everybody to rally around him. I

would say I highly recommend it if you ever get the chance to work with

him! Thank you very much for speaking to us.

The way this film was funded and film raises a host of questions

about where movie production is headed. Joining me now in the studio

on Hollywood's crossover with Asia is Mark, the Flying Dutchman. He has

been an entertainer in Asia for 30 years. We have a radio DJ and act

dress. She starred in one of the most popular sitcoms in Singapore

and has served under place firmly on the Asian entertainment scene. And

Robin, trends after across -- across Asia. Welcome to the programme.

Mark, is this collaboration between Hollywood and Asia the genuine

article really about collaboration, or just searching for audience? I

think Hollywood has realised that there are a lot of dollars in Asia.

You have done a movie, using a Chinese crew, filming in China

because you know you will earn big money in China. I man had for extra

minutes in China, the same thing with avengers and Batman. It is all

about the Chinese dollar. That sounds a bit cynical. I love sitting

on the fence. It is about the dollar at the end of the day, and you have

to start somewhere stop they want to grow their audience, then you have

to get in there with a collaboration with them. We are here to give you

more entertainment, and thank you very much for your dollar. When

Carrie Grant on we have earned -- and Audrey Hepburn were in Europe,

nobody thought that was strange trying to drum up business. I don't

think you can blame the animal for wanting to get more dollars. I think

you can see Asian artists moving to Hollywood, then moving back to Asia.

It is much more of a revolving door. There is the dollar imperative, but

as a consequence, you can see people mix of a lot more. The conjuring,

that was directed by a guy who grew up in Malaysia. It is a story

inspired by Asian ghost stories. When you mix these different

cultures, it opens up a new door for a new storylines, a new look. We are

exotic! UDC and number of Chinese actors and actresses gone over to

Hollywood and working. Why is it always just China? You don't see

enough of India in Hollywood. Are you talking about Bollywood actors?

You don't see enough of them in Hollywood. Just doing it pieces.

Arnold Schwarzenegger'snew movie is directed by a Korean. Nicole

Kidman'snew movie directed by act Korean. If you go back to 1976 or

79, there were some Bollywood act as working in Hollywood. If you talk

about this global movie scene, is Hollywood the be all? I have been

asking this question for 30 years. Has Hollywood learned to use their

dollars to globally generate hype? Is that really what it is. His

Chinese cinema that far behind Hollywood's, is Bollywood Heinz

Hollywood? Or does Hollywood have so much money to generate the hype?

Would you consider Hollywood's? It is so universally known and easily

accessible that people think of it as the leader in cinema. With the

Chinese market and its filming industry, it could overtake America

in the dollar cents. I think we are moving into this concept of the

living end this multipolar world and will not just be one big superpower.

It was so exciting when John Woo went to Hollywood's -- Hollywood's,

and the tender to be appointing. -- and it ended up being a little bit

disappointing. Hollywood actors can fly from tree to tree the way the

Asian ones can! Thank you very much to my panel. It is not just China

and Korea that are gaining popularity with global audiences,

Hollywood has long been watched outside India. Mr or is filming his

latest action film in London. The fact is it is already dominating

the entertainment landscape. Formally, the Western media has not

caught up with it. If you look at the sheer numbers of videos out

there, films that are out there, the sheer numbers of music, the numbers

far exceed the US and Europe together. Now, it is not quantified

because nobody has bothered to quantify it like Western

entertainment product is. And I'm probably in certain sectors, it is

not as highly prized. Shakka, how are these big

international film projects being funded these days?

If you look at career, its rise in film and television has been very

much driven by the Korean government. They started funding

Korean television, and now you go to China, it is dominated by Korean

television. In Singapore, Korean television is really popular. In

eastern parts of India, Korean TV is more popular than Indian TV. It is

partly the way the government does it. In China, the government is

doing it. The infrastructure the government is providing to local

film-makers, they are adding nine screens every day. Most of them

digital, many 3D. They are increasing the infrastructure to

which people can go. In India, film is an obsession. Out that

obsession, when someone makes a lots of money, you know what they say

is, the best time for Indian cinema is when there has been a good

monsoon. When there is a good monsoon, the farmers have a lot of

tax-free money. They all come to Bombay and say, we are going to make

movie. There is a cultural obsession with movies that does not exist in

the West, that exists in India. One Company in India says, we have

dominated, we have done the best we can in the Indian market, let's go

international. If Hollywood funding is changing

because of the global nature of the industry? If you make a Hollywood

film, how is that funded? Or Hollywood has become very

corporate. There is a huge movement saying independent film funding, but

for a while that was from hedge funds which collapsed. They are

coming back little bit. Then, there were countries that came in. The

Korean government got their fingers burned, the Japanese. A lot of

Indian funding. Companies like Reliance, Stephen Spielberg, funded

with a $600 million deal. Finding Hollywood for the same reasons as an

addiction to cinema. If you come to Hollywood now, the big visual

effects houses, most of the big visual effects houses are being

bought by Indian entrepreneurs, Chinese entrepreneurs. Somehow what

will happen is, the reason they are buying it is because they are

transferring back into China and India where they can do it cheaper,

to keep these going. For example, the company that did Life of Pi.

That was bought by an Indian animation company. Transferring it

back to India to keep it going. In doing this, they are transferring

technology to India. As I said, that is what the US will see, technology

moving to Asia, Hollywood will struggle to survive as a major

film-making hub. Hollywood may be facing competition

from around the world, but the biggest game changer has been the

Internet. People are getting their Entenmann, Chamakh -- entertainment

on the go. The video which captured at this year is what captured much

about is what sound the Fox makes. The video has been seen by a quarter

of a billion people over the world. It has made them so busy, the only

time we caught them was when they were in New York on a press tour and

I was on assignment in Japan. Through the wonders of technology, I

asked why they thought their video went viral?

Put me down, put my feet back on the ground.

The secret is you can't plan for this to happen, this happened by

accident, as it does most of them. The story is, we have a talk show,

my brother as well, two of us. There was only one chair today, so I am

doing it alone. We have a comedy talk show. We make comedy and music

videos. This was meant to be three minutes of Norwegian comedy. We

released it on YouTube as we do with every song we make. Somehow, it

started travelling. The numbers kept on. Kept on piling up.

How much have you made from YouTube? It is impossible to find out. I have

been asking so many times. The music industry is the strangest industry

in the world. No one knows how much or if you will earn anything at

all. For now, I have had no pay-outs. We will see. I don't know.

We are just doing it for fun. We will keep doing it no matter what.

Hopefully they will cover the airline tickets or something!

Surely you will get something? Something in due course?

I would assume we would. I heard some figures, after 1.5 billion

hits, the first million dollars. Then you have to divide that among

the hundreds of people involved. You don't make a lot of money on

YouTube, I don't think so. You have collaborated now with Crayon --

Korea. How important is the Asian market,

and US market which has traditionally been the largest?

Everyone has been talking about the rise of Korean pop. It is a big

thing. I do not think you can say the same for European use it as far

as importing to the US. If you have a good song, it will travel. It is

not important to us where we have future fans. As many as possible, of

course. When we went to Hong Kong, we did some interviews with the

Korean press and they told us we had been number one to six weeks. We

didn't even know. We were super excited. For us, it adds to the

comedy, and it adds to the greatness of life. It is both something we

really enjoyed to be, of course, who doesn't want to be number one? It

emphasises the comedy in the whole concept.

For more insight into what the new norm in the entertainment industry

is, still with me are my panel, Robin Marrone and Burnett Lopez.

Penetta, Howell have music tastes changed because of the advent of

online and YouTube? Everything is digital, online,

especially for the younger crowd. Let's not take it away from all age

groups. You want to download stuff, see it on the go, it immediately.

From so many sources, some illegally. Which we won't talk

about. No, no. It is a voracious appetite. With people trying to get

into the business, they tend to use viral videos to get in there.

Mark, the big question, how do you make a viral video? You get up and

you be yourself. That is what it is. This will go viral clearly. If I got

up and sang right now, I would have a whole new career! If you look at

the Fox video. If they had taken that to a record label and said, I

want to sell this record, no one would have taken them seriously.

There they go on YouTube, they put it at that and the world loved it. I

don't understand it but it makes me happy listening to it! I didn't know

those were the sound Fox is made. On that night -- note, how do you make

money from a viral video? I can speak about Psi. Gangnam

Style. We all saw the video. Then we saw parody videos, translated into

different mortgages, different context, Singapore style. There is a

concept setting on YouTube where you say, you can have my music and do

what you want, but I want a cut of your video. That is what his team

did. It meant it expanded. People were translating his video for him.

I do not speak Korean but I knew it was fantastic.

Final question to my panel. The most revealing question I ask you. What's

the last video you watched on YouTube?

My parents are watching, it is censored! It was the one we watched

while we were on radio. Theh People Versus Winter. People skating on ice

and injuring themselves really badly.

They put it on video. One guy actually forgets it is winter and

tries to dive into a swimming pool, and it is frozen ice. But if it was

using video, it would be the last one, Ilvis.

Because I had to do a round-up of the most searched towns, it was an

Indonesian street performer kid, with a ukelele, singing, sweet,

singing in Indonesian in a way I don't know. He has apparently become

quite big, he has toured with a band. He is this high, really sweet.

A crazy moment, how long would it have taken that kid to have reached

that level ten years ago? Love it, love it. I won't tell you

the last thing I watched on YouTube. I would like to thank my panellists.

I am not leaving until you tell us. We have heard from the producer of

man of Tai Chi. From the Oscar-winning director of Elizabeth.

What this disparate group reveals is the change in taste of how we see

entertainment today. That's all we have time for today. Check us out.

See you next week for more Talking Business.

Good evening. As is often the case this time of year, Sunshine by day,

by night, the Frost arrives, widely forming. For some, it is already

there. Across western areas, this cloud will take away