Office is 2015 Hong Kong film produced and directed by Johnnie To, adapted from Design for Living (華麗上班族之生活與生存), starred by Sylvia Chang. Office is about Lee Seung as newbie, worked with Kat Ho hided her identity. Ho Chung-ping and Winnie Cheung letting company go public, met global financial crisis. David Wong cheated Sophie for embezzlement for his investments. Production of Office follows value chain of creative industries, manufacturing a musical from content organization and creation, then reproduced TV drama and this film.
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Producers create products targeted to audiences with expected needs to fulfill audiences. With these expectations, market tends to create media texts in particular genre. Office as musical film, followed musical film genre, shows infighting between people in workplace for interests under cruel reality by songs and dance interwoven into narrative. In relation to genre of mass media, stereotypes of office showed in Office. According to Huang (2000), offices full of all kinds of people. Hypocrisy high level, power struggle between middle level are common office culture among all companies. Office follows this genre, explores intrigue between staffs. Transparent office and large clock gear give out ‘gorgeous’ sense without soul. Transparent office represents mutual observation between staffs, emphasized gossip in office. Office atmosphere is arranged deliberately to indifference, alienation. Transparent is a metaphor about seemingly transparent but actually untransparent interpersonal and workplace relations.
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According to Taylor-Jones (2013), directors’ personal experiences and visions is important in their narratives and styles under auteur theory. To stated film as kind of art, should be reflect eras. Office is a film with bloody cautionary meaning, based on reality. Roles in Office is interrelated with each other, shows desires and emotion interleaving among human. Relations between all roles are unclear, reflect real relations among modern offices. Scenes in Office no matter workplace, railway or bedroom seem the same, showing fusion of work and life. Staffs as gear work hard to benefit business family, make us lament society.
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To declared positive values collapsed under power, reflects shifting locus of HongKongers' values, people become pawns. Lee is talented but pure, become black hands inadvertently; Kat is untalented, however background helps her mastered interpersonal context. These reflect facts in reality and give images of past impressions of elder roles, deepen depth of roles. Facing Kat's disguise, Lee lamented frank vanished. 'Lee Seung' means ideal. Newbie enters job market with ideal, but gradually being institutionalized, or becoming unscrupulous. In Office, Lee is similar to past David, Chueng adviced him not forget his ideal, not step David's footsteps. 'love is an investment in workplace' as song lyrics reflects 'love' is used as bargaining chip to exchange for 'success'. Love relationship between Ho and Chueng is work-related. They talked about work even if they are in bedroom. To claimed that workplace in Office is microcosm of real life, dark human nature is more bloody than guns. Because of loss during financial crisis, To understands sadness of people controlled by money. Although financial crisis have passed, however people's fervent heart towards money remains the same, still gambling in stock market. Office reflects modern people with gorgeous appearances lost their soul in workplace.
To conclude, To showed workplace struggle based on simulated city with transparent design, from inconspicuous role's perspective, displays characters' shortcomings, reflecting true face of social reality, let audience rethink.
Word Count: 549
Student Name: Wong Lai Ki
Student Number: 21625542 / 10555923
Reference
Huang, W. (2000). Huo po fen fan de Xianggang wen xue: Yi jiu jiu jiu nian Xianggang wen xue guo ji yan tao hui lun wen ji. Xianggang: Xianggang Zhong wen da xue Xin Ya shu yuan.
Taylor-Jones, K. E. (2013). Rising sun, divided land: Japanese and South Korean filmmakers. Columbia: Columbia University Press.
L. J. (2015, September 11). Sylvia x Johnnie gorgeous FACES. Retrieved April 14, 2016, from http://www.skypost.hk/feature/人物/2/2/張艾嘉x杜琪峯 華麗眾生相/190371
Dear Lai Ki, This is an interesting analysis. You examine the setting, interaction of characters, etc. to discuss the film. What you can further develop is the discussion of the ideologies behind the story which you touch upon. Traditional values and stereotypical representations of workplace, positions of men and women are still in a contemporary film. Beware of the grammatical errors which hinder presentation of your ideas.
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