Globalization Trends in Entertainment Industry
The globalization phenomenon has taken the world by storm and it continues to influence every aspect of life in the contemporary era. Globalization mainly refers to the individuals, the companies and the governments of different countries involved in interaction and work via international investment and trade. It is done with the support and help of information technology (Robins, 2018). The phenomenon has resulted in the disbanding of previous national and state frameworks and organizations (Robins, 2018). Nonetheless, with change, globalization also creates stability because it results in the development of a transnational space and global society.
The essay discusses the complexities associated with globalization with a special focus on the entertainment industry. The influence of globalization in the four countries in particular shall be discussed, which include India, Nigeria, New Zealand and China. The essay will first elaborate on the trends of globalization and then highlight its impact on the entertainment industry of the said countries.
Globalization trends are most visible in the media sphere. With the progress in satellite technologies and cable services and the ease in media regulations, television market has taken a huge leap from national to transnational. The 1991 Gulf War live coverage by CNN, the American news channel revolutionized the way television is perceived. The coverage was seen across the world. The creation and popularity of the Disney Channel, MTV channel and other such media channels further confirmed the influence of globalization. The telecommunications technology has allowed people to gain access to databases present globally. The internet revolution and then the emergence of social media platforms fueled the trends of globalization.
With these trends visibly influencing the lives of people, arguments have also been made regarding the complexities associated with globalization. Two significant qualifications related to globalization must be discussed in order to understand the complexities it possesses. The first is the notion that globalization displaces everything traditional and old. This notion is not true as globalization does not change or displace everything, which is evident from the continuities visible in both cultural and social life. In this perspective, globalization might mean an accretion of cultural phenomenon “where new global trends coexist”. The second qualifying point about globalization is that apart from being complex, it is also diverse. People experience globalization in multifarious ways.
In the context of media and the entertainment industry in particular, globalization trends have been largely visible. The following section shall highlight the influence of globalization, mainly ‘Americanization’ in the entertainment industry (Robins, 2018).
Impact on Indian Film Industry
The globalization process has offered various opportunities for the minor and developing nations but it also has created friction. The ‘Americanization’ of international films has caused much distress as it has resulted in the weakening of the national film culture. The weakening of national film culture is chiefly evident in the Indian, Chinese, Nigerian and New Zealand film industries that are the newly emerging industries.
Bollywood, or the Indian Film Industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world with its popularity ranked just below Hollywood. Prior to the 1970s and 1980s, when globalization had not reached the Indian sphere, the Indian Film Industry, particularly the Hindi Film Industry was dominated with stories concerning the cultures and values of the Indian society. Most films were based on family systems, feelings of nationalism and patriotism and on social and moral issues. Post globalization, when the Indian audience were exposed to foreign films, especially American films, it changed the landscape of Indian Cinema. As Punathambekar (2013) mentions, filmmakers began to target audiences not only in India but also in countries like the U.S. and the UK where the Indian Diasporas is the highest. Films like Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995), Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham (2003) and Pardes (1997) are examples of films that began the shift towards globalizing the Indian entertainment industry. However, it led to the ‘Americanization’ of Indian films as most films began to shift away from traditional values and catered to the taste of the Diaspora. The author has delved upon the contribution of the state and its policies in transforming the Hindi film industry into Bollywood. Recognition of the Indian Diaspora as citizens of the country gave the filmmakers an opportunity to expand their reach. The author mentions two names – Yash Chopra and Karan Johar as the leading filmmakers who could be credited with the transformation.
While the Hindi film industry is yet to attract global filmmakers to make films in India, the Chinese entertainment market has become an influential force in the international media industries. This rise in the Chinese entertainment market has been noticed by Hollywood, notes Kokas (2018). The growing demand to expand the market for Hollywood in combination with China’s eagerness for global soft power has resulted in the expansion of the Sino-U.S industrial relationship. The author in his article ‘Policy and Superheroes’, reveals that the relationship between China and America in terms of films actually shows the contribution of policy in joint media productions. While the collaboration with Hollywood helps the Chinese media production augment its value, it also extends the “reach of Chinese soft power” (Kokas, 2018). This attempt is evident in the film Iron Man 3 in which, some Chinese doctors are seen performing surgery to save the life of the protagonist using traditional medicine of the Chinese. In another instance, the robots in the film Transformers 4 are seen fighting a fierce battle at Guangdong in Hong Kong that further reveal the policy of the Chinese media production to extend its soft power. However, the attempt of the Chinese production company to enlarge their soft power through the Iron Man 3 film did not yield the result they had expected. The author of the article demonstrates the failure of the Chinese film industry to penetrate into the mainstream Hollywood production. In Iron Man 3, the only Chinese elements that were visible seemed to be forcefully included and had no contribution to the plot.
Rise of Chinese Entertainment Market
In case of New Zealand, similar to China, it too had to fight for its recognition by the superpowers of the entertainment industry, Hollywood. In the article titled ‘The Frodo Franchise; The lord of the rings and modern Hollywood’, author Thompson (2018) makes important notes about the recognition of New Zealand as a sought after location for Hollywood filmmakers. The development of ‘Wellywood’ as an important place for film production marks a new trend in the entertainment industry. New Zealand was put on the world map significantly after the release and remarkable success of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Although New Line Cinema was initially, reluctant to unveil the location to the audiences but eventually the secret was out and New Zealand instantly became famous. It came to be popularly recognized as the ‘Middle-earth’ to fans. The success of the film provided the country with a new impetus and several other projects came in its lap. However, despite the successful filming of the Rings trilogy and other such projects, the national film industry has not made any mark when it comes to reaching out globally.
The Nigerian film industry, known also as Nollywood, is also a rapidly emerging entertainment market similar to New Zealand. Although Nollywood is known most for its video production, it has shown great promise. Lobato (2010) sheds light on the emergence of the Nigerian entertainment industry and the dilemma faced by the Nigerian filmmakers whether to make films for the local audience or target the global viewers. The author finds that the local audiences do not like the kind of African films that are made to be screened at the West film festival programmers. The main reason behind the dislike for such films is the film viewing culture of Nigerians that emerged from colonial rule. Globalization has further caused the emerging video film industry of the country to give increased prominence to English-language movies.
In the light of the above discussion, it can be seen that the globalization influence in the entertainment industries of the four countries have been remarkable. It is evident that Indian film industry has been the most influenced by the global trends in the industry while China has redirected its focus on extending its soft power. In case of New Zealand, globalization has caused it to be recognized by people as the ideal location to shoot films in but not an ideal place from where big budget films are expected. The Nigerian case is entirely different from the rest, as the film industry in the country has not been touched by the ‘Americanization’ as much as others. The video production industry in the country is still blooming despite the onslaught of globalization.
Conclusion
To conclude, it must be stated that the entertainment industry has demonstrated the most influences of globalization. The essay discussed the effects of globalization with particular focus on the entertainment industry. To one person, globalization is great as it boosts the national interest; to the other it demeans the national interest. Therefore, it is clear that although globalization phenomenon has and continues to influence people’s lives, the governments and countries, it has not been positively accepted by many. The analysis found that globalization, often remarked as ‘Americanization’ of the entertainment industry in the countries of India, China, Nigeria and New Zealand have resulted in the weakening of national identity.
References:
Kokas, A. (2018). Policy and Superheroes china and hollywood in sino-us relations. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/qut/detail.action?docID=4699776
Lobato, R. (2010). Creative industries and informal economies: Lessons from Nollywood. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 13(4), 337-354.
Punathambekar, A. (2013). From Bombay to Bollywood: The making of a global media industry. NYU Press.
Robins, K. (2018). Production of culture/cultures of production. Retrieved from https://mahorder.s3.amazonaws.com/15262-76kxb102-du_gay_paul-production_of_culture_cultures_of_production-ch1_what_in_the_world_is_going_on_-pp12-47-(1).pdf
Thompson, K. (2018). The Frodo franchise; The lord of the rings and modern Hollywood, 1 (2007). Retrieved from https://mahorder.s3.amazonaws.com/15265-16kxb102-thompson_kristin-the_frodo_franchise;_the_lord_of_the_rings_and_modern_hollywood-ch_10_right_in_your_own_backyard_pp_282-332-pp282-332-(3).pdf
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