In this special guest blog, MNet intern and University of Ottawa Communications MA candidate Anton van Hamel looks at how a desire to appeal to international audiences may affect a movie's setting and storyline.

Why is a movie about a young boy learning kung fu called The Karate Kid? For most of the film’s young audience, Jaden Smith's break-out movie doesn't explain the confusion. Their parents and older siblings, however, may recall the earlier installments in this series which started with a young Ralph Macchio learning karate from Noriyuki “Pat” Morita, a movie which started as the hero's quest to learn karate to overcome his tormentors and evolved by film's end into a coming-of-age story about the bond between mentor and student. The first Karate Kid struck a chord with audiences, becoming the fifth-highest grossing film of 1984.

After two sequels, which did little to alter the formula established by the original and met with dwindling success, the franchise underwent a revamp in 1994 when Daniel was replaced by a new student. The Next Karate Kid, a 1994 sequel, tried to cash in on that decade’s trend towards butt-kicking hero-ines (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Xena: Warrior Princess, etc.) by casting Hilary Swank in the title role, but failed to either reproduce the original’s success or revive the franchise.

A full 26 years after the release of the original, the newest version is once again adding a twist motivated by the changing market. Although this re-imagining of the original story changes up many elements, the most significant one is moving the setting to China. The suggestion to transplant the story overseas was actually the decisive factor which emboldened the producers to green-light the newest chapter despite the lukewarm performance of the last edition. Moving the story to an exotic locale isn't just a case of trying to one-up the original, though: as with the decision to cast a girl in the 90's, the focus on China – and the switch from the hero studying karate, which is of Japanese origin, to learning Chinese kung fu -- in the newest Karate Kid is mostly based on money.

Hollywood has a complicated relationship with China. Composing nearly one-fifth of the world's entire population, and with a growing middle class, China is a market too big to ignore. More importantly, it is a market which appears poised to embrace Western cultural products on a massive scale; for example, Chinese ticket sales for Avatar account for the single biggest chunk of the film's take in foreign box offices, no small feat considering the difference in exchange rates. Despite the massive appetite inside the country's borders for Hollywood films, though, the government officially sanctions only a small trickle of foreign-produced movies, allowing no more than twenty onto screens each year. According to a statement from Dan Glickman, CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA,) “because there are fewer movies available legally, there is more of an appetite for seeing them illegally. You can buy just about every movie in the history of the world in China”. As a result, China is ranked in the top five countries where piracy is a major problem for American producers (so is Canada, incidentally, though for different reasons.)  In some cases the MPAA has filed suit against Chinese sites which stream Hollywood films without permission, yet because most of those films are not legal for distribution in China anyway it's more difficult for the MPAA to claim damages to their profits. The fact that so few foreign films are legal for distribution in China means that unapproved ones exist in a legal grey area. The best the MPAA has achieved so far are promises from the Chinese government to crack down on piracy internally.

As a result, some studios are trying to make inroads into the Chinese movie market by being proactive about securing those few, precious spots allowed for foreign films. Nods to Chinese culture are one strategy to please film committees, but signing on with local companies is a more committed tactic. Co-productions with Chinese studios (such as The Mummy: the Tomb of the Dragon Emperor and The Forbidden Kingdom) are in the fast lane to get onto Chinese screens since they can be vetted by government officers at each stage of production.  The Karate Kid remake is actually the biggest Chinese-American co-production in film history, partnered with a state-owned Chinese studio to make sure of government approval. This latest twist on the franchise may be a shrewd move on the part of the film's distributors to reach a tricky market. If the setting alone isn't enough to convince Chinese audiences, martial arts movie legend Jackie Chan -- a household name in China, even moreso than in the Western world, due to his more than 70 roles in both English and Chinese-language films – seems likely to seal the deal. Some foreign film studios are putting down roots inside China on a permanent basis, no doubt motivated by the possibility of circumventing the cap on foreign films. After an initial success with Mulan and later breaking the record for box office sales in the animated film category for Kung Fu Panda, Disney has set up their own studio in China for a local adaptation of their surprise-hit, High-School Musical. In the case of the latter, Disney is planning to simply take advantage of low production costs in China and probably won't release the final product internationally, clearly betting that there is enough money to be made in the Chinese market alone.

Of course, Chinese audiences don't uncritically embrace every American production which features some aspect of Chinese culture. Despite financial success, both The Mummy: The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor and Kung Fu Panda hit some speed-bumps due to perceived cultural insensitivity. In the case of the former, some movie-goers were outraged that the villain of the movie was loosely based on a venerated Chinese emperor who (spoiler alert) is dispatched by the film's square-jawed Western hero. As for Kung Fu Panda, its release was unfortunately timed around the Sichuan earthquake. As the panda is the symbol for that province, some critics felt it was in bad taste to show a comedy with a panda as the main character and suggested a boycott. While The Karate Kid remake has already raked in more than half of the original's total gross in North America in its opening weekend alone, the release in China is scheduled for a little later. This version has apparently had a few edits, but it remains to be seen how well audiences will tolerate the story of an American boy learning kung fu and (spoiler alert) besting his Chinese tormentors at one of China's oldest sports. Nevertheless, if it is a success it would be a massive step forward in the globalization of American-produced films. China is attractive not only because of its huge consumer base, but also because it is one of only a few markets which Hollywood films haven't broken into yet. A combination of policies which block entry for foreign films and a thriving black market has so far made the middle kingdom a tough nut for Hollywood to crack. Even India, which has its own well-oiled, homegrown movie-making machine, has started warming up to some American-backed productions and turning out impressive profits. There, too, the key has been adapting and being sensitive to the local market rather than repackaging and dubbing old content, but striking the right balance is still a work in progress.

For Teachers:

• Ask students to debate the character of Hollywood blockbuster movies. Are they distinctly American or are they stripped of national character to appeal to as many countries as possible?
• Canada and America are lumped together into one 'North America' category when tallying box office grosses. What does this say about the market for films in Canada?
• Ask students to make a list of different films they like and know well and order them according to how easily each one could be exported to a completely foreign country where the language, customs, or history are totally different. Discuss what the audience is expected to already know before they enter the theatre. This is the same task faced by many Hollywood executives everyday.
• The topic of this blogpost can be used as a supplement with Media Awareness Network's lesson The Blockbuster Movie

Summer is here again, and for older children and teens that often means more media use: more Web surfing, more video game playing, more music and more TV. For kids who are old enough to be home alone but not yet working, summer is often an opportunity to plunge into leisure activities that are more moderately indulged in during the school year. As well, the lack of structure can make it very easy to fall into bad media use habits, and young people may wind up spending entire days in front of various screens (sometimes more than one at a time.)

How serious an issue is screen time? A study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health found that roughly ten percent of Ontario youth spend at least seven hours per day in front of a computer, TV or game console. According to a 2006 World Health Organization study cited here, Canadian youth engaged in an average of six hours of screen time per day (this rose to seven and a half hours per day on weekends; summer, of course, is essentially a two-month weekend.)

The media activity that probably raises parents’ concern the most is video games. The good news is that your child may be better off playing video games than watching TV: unlike TV viewing, for instance, playing video games is not associated with high blood pressure. As well, a recent study has shown that youth who play certain types of video games – in particular, sports-themed games – are likely to play physical sports as well. Some video game systems, most notably the Nintendo Wii, add a physical dimension to the gameplay itself by requiring the player to move her feet or swing a controller. (Most of Nintendo’s competitors are bringing similar systems to the market.)

That being said, most of the games popular among older children and teens are on systems with standard hands-only controllers (or on computers, such as World of Warcraft,) and there’s no question that long stretches of sedentary game playing are unhealthy. In fact, the negative effects go beyond the game replacing more active pursuits: research has shown that long stretches of being sedentary can cause a variety of health problems even when offset with exercise.

More worrying than the physical effects of excessive game playing are the psychological effects. There has been a lot of talk in the last few years about Internet and video game addiction, but it’s not yet clear if overuse of either genuinely has the characteristics of an addiction. What is clear is that heavy media use can have a variety of negative effects, both on a person’s physical and mental health. Moreover, it may be harder during the summer to notice or recognize the signs of problem media use because of the absence of a normal routine. Generally, video game playing (or Internet use, or nearly any other activity) can be considered problematic when it starts interfering with someone’s normal life, but in summer it can be difficult to define what normal life is – just as someone might spend every waking hour of July and August practicing jump shots or skateboard tricks without it being considered a warning sign, so too might it not be that unusual for someone to devote all their time to mastering a video game or “levelling up” their character in an RPG. Some signs of problem use, though, are still meaningful. For instance, is your child becoming isolated from friends? Are his sleep habits or general health being affected? Does he become depressed and argumentative when unable to play the game? Keep in mind that games, like other hobbies, are supposed to be fun; if a game seems to be making your child unhappy (aside from the occasional frustration over a lost duel or blocked progress) there may well be something wrong.

Even if your child is a social butterfly who’s hardly ever home, though, doesn’t mean that media use isn’t a problem. That’s because for most teens and tweens there is no separation between their online and offline social lives, with physical attendance at dates, parties and get-togethers flowing seamlessly into the online discussion and dissection of them. Checking status updates, tweaking profiles and commenting on photos can be as obsessive as video game playing, with the added problem that it often goes on around the clock. Rather than being isolated from their friends, in this case youth feel like “microcelebrities”  – with everyone in their circle messaging and commenting on everyone else, they may be reluctant to ever turn off the computer or phone.

In either case, parents can use the same strategies to help their kids moderate their media use in summer (and year-round.) The most important of these is simply to set household rules regarding screen time and media use. While parents (and youth) may be sceptical, there is strong evidence that the existence of rules on media use has a positive effect on behaviour. A recent study showed that having consistent rules makes kids less prone to excessive screen time, a finding which echoes MNet’s research showing the positive effects of household rules on online behaviour. You can also set rules by controlling the physical environment in your home: keeping TVs and Internet-capable computers in public spaces and, if necessary, imposing a “cell phone curfew” after which phones and Web-capable devices need to be handed over to you. More broadly, it’s important to talk to your kids about your expectations and concerns relating to their media use, and to listen to them when they talk about their media experiences. Finally, it’s important to model good media use as well – if your iPhone is on the dining room table every night, the message that sends is going to be louder than anything you can say.

On July 7th 2010 Media Awareness Network submitted its discussion paper, Digital Literacy in Canada: From Inclusion to Transformation, to the federal government’s Digital Economy Consultation process. This paper situates digital literacy skills development for all Canadians as the cornerstone of any national plan for the digital economy and calls on the federal government to take a leadership role in supporting solutions that will create citizens who know how to use digital technologies to their fullest and who can think critically about digital content.

The government’s consultation process has been ongoing since May, but this paper has been in the works here for over a year. Why? Because although there’s been a lot of high-level government-led discussion on what Canada should do to remain competitive in a digital world, little has been said up to now about the skills needed by ordinary Canadians – of all ages – to prepare them for working, learning and living in this promising and challenging digital world. Media Awareness Network, along with stakeholders from both the formal and informal education sectors, technology industries, cultural communities and libraries, believes that a much broader approach is needed to cultivate a digitally literate population which in turn will fuel the digital economy.

Luckily for Canada, we have the advantage of being able to build on the considerable research and precedent that has already been established in government initiatives for the digital economy in countries like the UK (Digital Britain), New Zealand (Digital Strategy 2.0), Australia (Future Directions) and the United States (National Broadband Plan: Connecting America). Each has positioned digital literacy as a crucial component for participation, inclusion and innovation in a knowledge economy; each recognizes the acquisition of digital literacy as an “essential life skill” which represents a process of life-long learning that incorporates K-12 and post-secondary education, vocational training, and public awareness.

In its discussion paper, MNet connects Canada’s declining performance in the digital economy with a failure to develop a national strategy that balances investments in technology and infrastructure with investments in skills and knowledge. Infrastructure is not enough: Canadians need to know how to use ICTs to improve the quality of their lives, increase productivity throughout the private and public sectors, develop innovative products and services, and create new media and digital content: but they cannot do this alone. In its submission, MNet argues that maximizing the potential of a digital Canada demands a comprehensive national plan to ensure citizens have the resources to learn how to access, use, understand and create with digital technology. A national “digital literacy strategy” should not only include job training and skills development, but also support throughout K-12 and post-secondary educational systems and public awareness, so citizens can continue to acquire digital literacy skills throughout their life-spans.

It’s clear that being literate in a digital world entails much more than technological proficiency. No single document can encapsulate the many different aspects of information, ICT, media, and critical literacies that being digitally literate entails – not to mention the wide variety of ethical, social, and reflective practices that are embedded in work, learning, leisure, and daily life. But such a document can certainly establish guidelines and foundational standards that can then be built upon move users beyond participation in the digital economy towards the more transformative areas of innovation, constructive social action, and critical and creative thinking. 

The ultimate goal of this submission is to act as a catalyst for the creation of a national strategy for digital literacy that builds on the knowledge, expertise and perspectives of key stakeholders in order to accurately reflect and meet the needs of Canadians. To this end, the discussion paper makes the following recommendations:

1. Immediately create a digital literacy taskforce comprising key stakeholders at all levels of government (both federal and provincial), as well as those representing business and communities across Canada, to develop a cross-jurisdictional blueprint for a National Digital Literacy Strategy.

2. Support the implementation of a national study of students and teachers, to determine, from each of their perspectives, the digital skills that are needed by Canadian children and youth.

3. Within one year host a Digital Literacy Stakeholder Conference that brings together a broader group of stakeholders from all four spheres of implementation to develop and launch a coordinated national strategy focused on strengthening digital literacy in Canada as a fundamental cornerstone of the digital economy strategy and to highlight government digital literacy initiatives.

Canada has clearly recognized the importance of ICTs – as is evident by the significant investments in broadband and wireless network infrastructure that has been made over the past decade. But building networks is not enough. In order to adapt to the challenge of balancing our old economic and educational systems with the new networked, mediated ways of doing business and educating our citizens, the issue for Canadians is no longer if we use digital technology but how well we use it.

We hope that by making the case for digital literacy as part of the government’s consultation process, we can work together to ensure that all Canadians can thrive in a digital Canada and a digital world.

To download the full version of Digital Literacy in Canada: From Inclusion to Transformation, visit http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/corporate/media_kit/reports-publications.cfm.