On the HuangNiu Mountain

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On the HuangNiu Mountain

• Miao Wang
• December 13, 2004

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Abstract

• On the HuangNiu Mountain (working title) is a
  short documentary that portrays the artistic
  endeavors and the personal journeys of two older
  contemporary overseas Chinese artists. Through
  their experiences and artistic developments the
  film reflects on the historical, social, and
  cultural context of the modern China that they
  come from and now look at from a distance. It is
  the semi-parallel stories of Zhang HongTu (61)
  and Zhang JianJun (49), two mainland Chinese
  avant-garde artists living in New York City. They
  both emerged from the turbulent Cultural
  Revolution era (1966-76), although the impact of
  the Cultural Revolution for a 23 vs. 11 years old
  is very different. Both were among the earliest
  influx of mainland artist to immigrate to New
  York in the 1980s. Though very different in
  artistic expression, they share a sense of lost
  idealism in their reflections on the new modern
  China.

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Domains

• Documentary Filmmaking
• Moving Photo Montage
• Sound Design
• Chinese Contemporary Art and Activism

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Precedents

• Montage editing technique
• Slow cross dissolves
• Still images overlaid on top of video footage
• Evoke sense of memories, dreams, nightmares

Histoires des Cinema - Godard
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Precedents

• Photo Montage
• Dynamic use of archival and other still images
• Simulates motion

The Kid Stays in the Picture - Morgan
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Precedents

• Cinéma Vérité Approach
• Relationship between the filmmaker and the
  participants

Chronique dun Eté - Rouch
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Precedents

• Part Documentary
• Part Travelogue
• Part Visual Poetic Essay

San Soleil - Chris Marker
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Precedents

• Juxtaposition of patterns and other images
• Effective use of sound and music to create
  tension and carry the rhythm of the editing

A Place Called Chiapas - Wilde
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Audience / Context

• Film Festivals
• Independent Cable Channels
• PBS
• Galleries / Institutions dealing with
  contemporary Chinese art

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Process
untraditional artists
POLITICAL HISTORY
Cultural Revolution
INFLUENCES
ARTISTS
CHINA
Zhang HongTu
successful
immigration experience
Tiananmen Square
Zhang JianJun
Transcultural
unsuccessful
socially aware / activist
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Structure
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