Social Responsibility and Aesthetics: The Function of Documentary Filmmaking in Contemporary ...

200 Pages·2017·3.83 MB·English

Social Responsibility and Aesthetics: The Function of
Documentary Filmmaking in Contemporary Taiwan
Author
Kuo, Yen-Ting
Published
2013
Thesis Type
Thesis (Professional Doctorate)
School
Queensland College of Art
DOI
https://doi.org/10.25904/1912/571
Copyright Statement
The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise.
Downloaded from
http://hdl.handle.net/10072/367473
Griffith Research Online
https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au
Social Responsibility and Aesthetics:
The Function of Documentary Filmmaking in
Contemporary Taiwan

Yen-Ting Kuo
Master of Arts in Media Production, Griffith University

Queensland College of Art
Arts, Education and Law
Griffith University

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of
Doctor of Visual Arts

November 2012
CONTENTS

Acknowledgements 4
Declaration 5
Acronyms and Abbreviations 6
Abstract 7

Volume 1 Dissertation 9

Chapter1 Introduction 10
The Structure of the Written Work 12
The Structure of the Visual Work 14
Ways of Understanding the Documentary Genre 15
Conclusion 21

Chapter2 Contextulising My Approach to Documentary Filmmaking in
Taiwan 23
A Brief History of Documentary Production Before Liberalisation 23
Literature and Archive Project Review 36
Emphasising the Social Function of Documentary 47

Chapter3 The Documentary Project and Its Social Functions in
Contemporary Taiwan 49
Changes in the Documentary Field in Taiwan 49
Approaches to the Interviews and Interviewees in This Study 53
Brief Introduction of Interviewees 60
Conclusion 66

Chapter4 The Pursuit of the Documentary Project in Contemporary
Taiwan 68
Circumstances of the Interviews 69
Documentary Paths and Personal Experience 73
Impact of Documentary Distribution in Taiwan 82
Conditions of Funding 90

Chapter5 Documentary Functions within Taiwanese Documentary
Filmmakers’ Practical Work 106
2
Individual Perspectives and Documentary Film 106
Documentary Ethics 116
Film Analysis 122
Documentary Functions and Reflection 135

Chapter6 Situating Filmmakers within Contemporary Developments in
Taiwanese Documentary and Conclusion 148
Grierson and Phases of the Documentary in Taiwan 148
The Changing Nature of Documentary Organisation in Taiwan 154
Forms of Recognition and International Impacts 157
Challenges and Prospects 159
Obstacles 161
Limitations and Suggestions 164
Conclusion 166

Bibliography and Filmography 168

Volume 2 Video Documentation 184
Thematically Analysed, Edited and Subtitled Interviews

Volume 3 Appendices Presented on CD 187
Appendix 1 The Edited Transcripts of Nine Interviews with
Independent Filmmakers in Taiwan 188
Appendix 2 Copies of the Release and Consent Forms 227
Appendix 3 DVD Subtitles 230
Appendix 4 Table and Matrix 264

3
Acknowledgements

I would like to express my deep gratitude to the people who offered their support and
assistance during the research process of my Doctor of Visual Arts degree.

I especially acknowledge my principal supervisor Patrick Laughren, who gave me his
continued encouragement and guidance in both video documentation and academic
research. Most importantly, I appreciate his great patience and willingness to give me
wonderful inspiration during my candidature. I would like to thank my associate
supervisors Trish FitzSimons and Doug Smith, for their invaluable feedback on my
research. I am also grateful to postgraduate Art Theory lecturer George Petelin and
research methodologist Bill Metcalf for suggestions.

I am very grateful to all the interviewees who participated during the interview part of
my fieldwork. Further, I would like to thank my friends who assisted my video
production.

I am very grateful to the Ministry of Education in Taiwan for awarding me such an
honourable Studying Abroad Scholarship. I would like to express my sincere
appreciation to the staff of the Queensland College of Art, the Griffith Film School
and the National Taiwan University of Arts for their support through my doctorate
work. In particular, Professor Chang-Fu Hsieh gave me a great assistance.

Finally, I wish to show my appreciation to my parents for their full and selfless
support. Special thanks go to my wife, Ying-Chieh Wang, for giving me continuous
encouragement while I worked my research project in Australia.
4
Declaration

This work has not previously been submitted for a degree or diploma in any university.
To the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously
published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the
thesis itself.

(Signed):_________________
Yen-Ting Kuo

5
Acronyms and Abbreviations

ABC Australian Broadcasting Corporation
CCDF CNEX Chinese Doc Forum
CNEX Chinese Next and See Next
CMPC Central Motion Picture Corporation
CSBC China Ship Building Corporation
CTS Chinese Television System
DPP Democratic Progressive Party
DV Digital Video
Firefly Firefly Image Company
GIO Government Information Office
HWO Hamilton Wright Organisation
KMT Kuomintang
KPS Kuangchi Program Service
NDAP National Digital Archives Program
NT New Taiwan
PTS Public Television Service
Q&A Question and Answer
ROC Republic of China
TIDF Taiwan International Documentary Festival
US United States
YIDFF Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival

6
Abstract
Since the lifting of martial law in 1987, documentary production in contemporary
Taiwan has experienced considerable change. Arguably, the most significant of these
changes — the development of an independent documentary sector — can be
understood as part of wider social, economic, political and cultural developments in
the Republic of China. From 1949 until the late 1980s, most documentary production
in the Republic had reflected the ideologies and didactic nature of the paternalist
Nationalist Party government. During these years, the documentary typically
functioned to glorify the government in the eyes of the population and, while there
were a small number of exceptions, most of these productions were, in essence, little
more than propaganda. While documentary filmmaking in Taiwan is still subject to
social, political and economic constraints, since 1987 it has demonstrably displayed
more diverse approaches in production and aesthetics. Increasingly, the documentary
film has been regarded as an instrument to enlighten the outlook of the people
and to pave the way for dialogue between the officials, filmmakers and citizens.
Arguably, these changes reflect a movement away from bureaucratic insecurity
towards a more dynamic representation of the possibilities of Taiwanese democracy
and social reform.

This research explores the experiences and strategies of nine independent
documentary filmmakers who have operated in Taiwan during this period of
demonstrable change. The research, which combines a written dissertation and a body
of video-documentation, sets out to investigate how these shifts in documentary style,
function and project may be characterised and to consider how these changes have
7
been influenced by and contributed to the development of social critique in
contemporary Taiwan. It has also created a set of audiovisual interviews and
transcripts available for other researchers in the field. The study aims to add to the
growing literature on Chinese independent documentary filmmaking and contributes
to an international literature on the dynamic variety of the documentary project.

8
Volume 1 Dissertation

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirement of the degree of
Doctor of Visual Arts

9