A Critical History of Taiwanese Indepednent Documentary
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A Critical History of Taiwanese Independent Documentary Chen, Pin-Chuan Awarding institution: King's College London The copyright of this thesis rests with the author and no quotation from it or information derived from it may be published without proper acknowledgement. Download date: 29. Sep. 2021 A Critical History of Taiwanese Independent Documentary Chen Pin-Chuan Department of Film Studies King’s College London Thesis Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) 2014 1 Abstract This thesis is the first history of Taiwanese independent documentary. It asks what independent documentary (dulijilupian) is in Taiwan and how it changes in different historical periods. To address the characteristics of Taiwanese independent documentary and pursue the connection between social and political circumstances and independent documentary production in Taiwan, the thesis relies on primary data collection and archival documents to write a chronological and analytical history. It argues that independent documentary in Taiwan should be periodised according to changes in the in the mode of production, which are related to changes in the social and political environment. Deploying this approach based on mode of production and socio-political environment, the thesis divides the history of independent documentary production in Taiwan into four periods. First, the independent documentary making originated primarily as a vehicle against government-controlled media and in order to reveal alternative points of view during the political movements of the 1980s. Thus, independent documentary is a form for participating in political movements in this period. Second, the period after the cessation of Taiwan’s martial law (1987) saw independent documentarians shift their focus from political and social movements and towards social issues. Here, the independent documentary revealed the problems of the socially marginalized, which had been ignored by mainstream media. It participated in the idea of Community Development, which was a major topic from the late 1980s to the mid- 1990s. Third, after the mid-1990s, the decline of the Taiwanese feature film industry drove filmmakers, especially members of the post-New Taiwan Cinema young generation, to turn to digital video and make low-budget documentaries independently. Their approach placed art as a higher priority than social and political engagement. Fourth, since the early 2000s, independent documentary making has also become a way for expressing identities. For instance, filmmakers who used to be the filmed subjects of documentaries, such as Taiwanese indigenous peoples, foreign spouses, or other marginalized groups in society, have used independent documentary to express their cultural and social identities from their own viewpoints, and to claim equal rights. 2 Acknowledgements First of all, I would like to thank my supervisor, Professor Chris Berry, for his continual support and wonderful guidance. Without his encouragement, I could not have come this far. Many thanks also to Nathan To for his help with the language of this thesis and for his sincere friendship. Without his great support, I would not have been able to reach this outcome as smoothly. Thanks to my interviewees: Li San-Chong, Wu Yi-Feng, Li Mong-Zhe, Dong Zhen-Liang, Ke Su-Qing, Yang Li-Zhou, Chen Shuo-Yi, Wu Yao-Dong, Lin Yu-Xian, Shen Ke-Shang, Bauki Angaw, Mayaw Biho, Wu Ping-Hai, Zhang Shu- Lan, Han Bi-Feng and Yadrung Lasa. Without their participation and generosity, I also would not have finished this research so smoothly. Thanks to my examiners Professor Brian Winston and Tony Dowmunt for their wonderful comments. Many thanks also to Professor Ray Jiing (Yng-Ruey Jiing) for assisting me with the admission and access to the video database at TNNUA. Thanks to Wan Pei-Chi, Zeng Qiong-Yi, Zeng Ye-Shen, Li Ming-Yu, and Zheng Fu-Cong. Because of their generous assistance, I was able to gather important materials too difficult to obtain on my own. I would like to thank all the friends I have met in London for their many kindnesses and supportive attitudes. I am grateful for everything they have done for me. For my parents and siblings, I offer great thanks also for their constant support. Last, but not least, thanks to the Ministry of Education, Taiwan, and Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation for the International Scholarly Exchange that has funded my research. 3 Tablet of Contents Abstract……………………………………………………………………2 Acknowledgements………………………………………………………..3 Chapter 1: Introduction…………………………………………………8 1.1 Prologue…………………………………………………………….....8 1.2 Defining Independent Documentary Production in Taiwan………….18 1.2.1 Independent production………………………………………19 1.2.2 The Mode of Production………………………………….......21 1.3 Historical Approach…………………………………………………..29 1.4 Chapter Breakdown…………………………………………………..31 Chapter 2: Literature Review…………………………………………..36 2.1 Research on the Taiwanese Documentary…………………………....38 2.1.1 Histories of the Taiwanese Documentary…………………….40 2.1.2 Alternative Medium and Popular documentary………………49 2.2 Theories and Histories of Documentary Beyond Taiwan…………….52 2.2.1 Theories of Documentary Film……………………………….54 2.2.2 The Histories of Documentary Film………………………….59 Chapter 3: Methods: Film Historiography…………………………….66 3.1 Film Historiography…………………………………………………..69 3.1.1 Social Film History…………………………………………...69 3.1.2 Historical Explanation and Organization Methods…………...75 3.2 The Materials for Historiography……………………………………..79 4 Chapter 4: The Precursors of the Taiwanese Independent Documentary………...89 4.1 Filmmaking during the Japanese Colonial Period……………………90 4.1.1 Japanese Colonial Government Propaganda…………………90 4.1.2 The Amateur Film……………………………………………93 Chapter 5: The First Taiwanese Independent Documentaries………101 5.1 After the Japanese Colonial Era……………………………………...103 5.1.1 KMT Propaganda…………………………………………….103 5.2 The Emergence of Independent Documentary……………………….108 5.2.1 The Independent Documentary in the 1960s and 1970s……..108 5.2.2 Television Era Between 1960s and 1970s…………………...110 5.2.3 Fragrant Formosa (1974-1976)……………………………...114 5.3 The Launch of Taiwanese independent documentary………………..117 5.3.1 The End of Martial Law……………………………………...117 5.3.2 New Video Facilities…………………………………………119 5.3.3 Green Team Documentary…………………………………...121 Chapter 6: Taiwanese Independent Documentary - Expressing Social Concerns from the Late 1980s to the Mid-1990s……………………….132 6.1 A New Direction for Taiwanese Independent Documentary………….135 6.1.1 The Relaxation of Media Control……………………………..135 6.1.2 Ren Jian Magazine………………………………………….....138 6.2 Independent Documentary Production and the Social Concerns……...143 6.2.1 Full Shot Studio Documentary………………………………...144 6.2.2 Firefly Studio…………………………………………………..151 6.2.3 Individual Documentarians…………………………………….156 6.3 Independent Documentary and the Community Development Project…164 5 6.3.1 The Community Development Project…………………………165 6.3.2 Independent Documentary and the Community………………..167 Chapter 7: Taiwanese Independent Documentary from the Mid-1990s to Early 2000s: Documentary as the Cinematic Art………………………..172 7.1 The Thriving of Independent Documentary-Making…………………...174 7.1.1 The Subsidies…………………………………………………...174 7.1.2 Government Policy……………………………………………..179 7.2 Independent Documentary-Making as the Cinematic Art………………183 7.2.1 Film Industry and Digital Individual Filmmaking……………...184 7.2.2 TNCA Documentary……………………………………………186 7.2.3 Floating Islands: An Experiment……………………………….193 7.2.4 New Platforms: Viewpoint and TIDF…………………………...196 7.3 The Diversity of the Independent Documentary in the Early 2000s……202 7.3.1 First-person Documentary………………………………………202 7.3.2 Theatrical Releases...……………………………………………203 7.3.3 From Documentary to Dramatic Feature Film………………….207 Chapter 8: Independent Documentary as Expression of Identity: After the 2000s………………………………………………………………………..211 8.1 Ethnic Groups and Migrants in Taiwan………………………………...214 8.1.1 Ethnic Groups…………………………………………………..214 8.1.2 New Emigrations since the 1980s………………………………216 8.2 The Establishment of Ethnic Government Organizations………………219 8.2.1 Ethnic Affairs Organizations……………………………………219 8.2.2 Indigenous and Hakka Television Stations……………………..221 8.3 Independent Documentary as a Way Claiming Identity………………...228 8.3.1 Indigenous Documentary………………………………………..228 6 8.3.2 Hakka Documentary……………………………………………243 8.3.3 Foreign Labours, Foreign Spouses and Waisheng……………...252 Chapter 9: Conclusion: A History Perspective on the Taiwanese Independent Documentary……………………………………………….266 Appendix I: List of Interviewees………………………………………....278 Appendix II: Chinese-English Terms……………………………………279 Appendix III: Chinese Names (People)………………………………….285 Appendix IV: Chinese Names (Organizations)………………………….288 Bibliography……………………………………………………………….290 Filmography……………………………………………………………….317 7 Chapter 1: Introduction This thesis is the first history of Taiwanese independent documentary film. It is written based on an analysis of the films and available written materials and documents, as well as new primary data that I have produced, mostly through extensive interviews with filmmakers. The main research question is: what is the characteristics of Taiwanese independent documentary and how has it changed and developed since its inception? I look at the sector based on the mode of production, including filming techniques, financing, and the production process, and also consider the relationship of mode production to social-political