Journal of Shanghai University (Social Science Edition)

• Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

On the Industrial Logic of Film as Art

LAN Fan   

  1. School of Film & TV Arts and Technology, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200072, China
  • Received:2012-06-09 Revised:2013-01-15 Online:2013-03-15 Published:2013-03-15

Abstract: The general logic of art creation, dissemination and reception is not about commodity but about spirit, because art is a manmade spiritual world unavailable for material exchange. Comparatively speaking, the logic of art marketization and industry has deviated into the logic of paradox. The paradox lies in that human beings create art for spiritual communication rather than for commodity exchange, but such "psychic" art solely serving spiritual exchanges, since human commodity exchange took place, has deviated into a commodity equivalent. Film is a modern spiritual world primarily supported by capital; therefore, the industrial logic of film as art is a special capitaldriven logic about film production, circulation and consumption. Capital control is not only the necessary condition for art industrialization but the characteristic principle of survival that is "inherent" of film. In film researches, the term or concept of film industry fully reflects the dialectical logic of its own. The film industry chain cannot develop without creative ideas. In a certain sense, "creative idea" is a concept "transfer" of "innovation" in cultural industry, which is more about ideology and thus given the new name. Because of its broad market, rapid circulation, rich information and visual display, film is the industry that values creativity most. The difference between film creativity and other art innovation is that the former is more controlled by capital.

Key words: Art industry, film industry, capital control, film creativity

CLC Number: