{"id":18113,"date":"2019-02-20T13:59:15","date_gmt":"2019-02-20T21:59:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/?post_type=blog&p=18113"},"modified":"2023-09-06T16:48:31","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T23:48:31","slug":"director-explores-live-streaming-revolution-and-how-technology-affects-human-happiness","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/blog\/director-explores-live-streaming-revolution-and-how-technology-affects-human-happiness\/","title":{"rendered":"Director Explores Live Streaming Revolution and How Technology Affects Human Happiness"},"content":{"rendered":"

Technology executive-turned-filmmaker Hao Wu takes a raw and human approach to storytelling in an era when culture evolves online, and for his very first feature film, People’s Republic of Desire<\/a><\/em> Wu won a SXSW Film Festival Grand Jury Prize–pretty impressive for a self-taught filmmaker. He expertly tells a real-life Black Mirror<\/em>-esque tale that is, wrote David Ehrlich in Indiewire, “tragic and terrifying in equal measure.” The documentary about the wild world of live streaming “showrooms” and celebrities in China is “invariably surprising and never less than compelling,\u201d adds Kenneth Turan in the LA Times<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Wu talked to us at length about the making of this film, what shocked him the most about live streaming culture, the film’s co-star and internet celebrity Shen Man’s interesting reaction to the film, how she and Big Li are doing today, and what China’s “crackdown” on live streaming actually means.<\/p>\n

Why did you want to make <\/b>People’s Republic of Desire<\/i><\/b>?<\/b><\/p>\n

Back in 2014, before live streaming took off in a mainstream way in China, someone told me about this live streaming company called YY. It was already listed on NASDAQ and worth billions, but still relatively unknown among the general population in China. I did some digging and found that YY was very popular among China\u2019s young and lonely diaosi<\/em> (\u201closer\u201d) generation. It also attracted many nouveau-riche types. I was shocked by how blatantly the rich showed off their wealth by spending tens of thousands a night on digital gifts, and how unabashedly the poor \u201closers\u201d worshipped the rich. Even though live streaming was a pure online phenomenon, I sensed that real human desires were powering its growing popularity. I was intrigued and decided to pursue this topic.“Live streaming is a prime example of the hyper-evolution of internet culture.”<\/pullquote><\/span><\/p>\n

As someone who has worked for many years in the internet industry, I wanted to explore with this film how technology affects human relations, and how the seemingly easy riches enabled by technology change our sense of being, of happiness. Having a background in both the east and the west, I\u2019m also lucky to be able to witness, first hand, the many ways that China has leaped ahead of the US in technology adoption.<\/span> Live streaming, being China\u2019s fastest-growing social medium and a growing phenomenon all over the world, is a prime example of the hyper-evolution of internet culture. It allows me to look into technology\u2019s impact on its users, especially the young generation who have come of age with the internet.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is something that shocked or surprised you the most while you were making <\/b>Desire<\/i><\/b>?<\/b><\/p>\n

What has been most shocking, to me, is how straightforward relationships are being transacted in monetary terms in China\u2019s live streaming world. The ways through which internet celebrities produce content and attract fans are quite similar across the east and the west. But here in the west, we usually feel that our relationships with Youtube and Instagram celebrities are more innocent, because they often make money through advertising and sponsorships, in which the money doesn\u2019t originate from us, the fans, but from brands and advertisers.<\/span><\/p>\n

In China, however, the live streaming platforms have designed a digital \u201cgifting\u201d or \u201ctipping\u201d system where fans are encouraged to show their adoration of their idols through money. Even though I am familiar with the contemporary Chinese society\u2019s obsession with wealth making, the degree to which both live streamers and their fans so willingly participate in this game, so wholeheartedly enjoy the spectacle of money, still surprised me.<\/span><\/p>\n

But come to think of it, perhaps this behavior is more direct and honest, because it reveals the true nature of the world we live in — a world dominated by capitalism, technology and the many desires of ours unmet in real life.<\/span><\/p>\n

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced in making this film?<\/b><\/p>\n

Telling an online story visually and successfully has been a big challenge. Our industry has struggled with making the internet world come to life on screen, since so much of people\u2019s lives are taking place on an invisible network, and it\u2019s hard to translate that visually. For this film, it was also difficult to explain live streaming\u2019s intricate ecosystem to audiences not already familiar with that world, while at the same time telling a compelling human story.<\/span><\/p>\n

To solve this visualization problem, I decided early in production to recreate the virtual world with 3D animation. The actual live streaming interface is busy and confusing, and the crazy feel does not translate well across languages. I want the audiences to be able to immerse and experience, perhaps being bewildered at the beginning just like I was, but gradually understanding this bizarre universe more and more. <\/span><\/p>\n

How did you gain the trust of the people in your film, both the celebrities, their families, and the fans?<\/b><\/p>\n

Persistence, patience, and a lot of empathy. During the first year and half of production, I spent close to 40% of that time in China, hanging out and living with my subjects. I viewed them as my little brothers and sisters and tried to understand them, despite the vast difference in our educational background and life experience. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What scene or moment in your film made the most impact on you?<\/b><\/p>\n

I love the scene of Shen Man being interviewed by the TV reporter. She has such complicated relationships with her family, with her fame and fortune online, but she has to hold all that back in front of the camera, until she can\u2019t. I love the way she tells the reporter she\u2019s happy when her eyes are clearly saying the opposite. It\u2019s hard to come up with that even in a fictional screenplay.<\/span><\/p>\n