It is not a wise choice to go to Starbucks in Hengdian during lunch break to buy coffee. Production | Industry | Hengdian

"If you place an order now, you'll have to wait for at least an hour and a half." The reporter pushed the door into the store before opening his mouth. The clerk quickly put down a sentence and turned around to continue with the task at hand. On the counter, there are dozens of freshly made drinks piled up. Another clerk deftly opened one paper bag after another and packed the drinks one by one. On the sofa behind her, paper bags lined up. These drinks, almost without exception, will be sent to various production teams currently filming in Hengdian. The busyness of the coffee shop reflects the busyness of the entire Hengdian; The busyness of Hengdian reflects the busyness of the entire film and television industry. As one of the most important film and television shooting bases in the Yangtze River Delta, Hengdian Town, under the jurisdiction of Dongyang City, Zhejiang Province, has always been regarded as an industry barometer and wind vane. Since the beginning of this year, the domestic film and television industry has accelerated its recovery, and Hengdian has also become visibly busy. According to statistics, the number of reception crews in Hengdian in the first half of this year has reached 76% of the total reception in 2022. After entering August, there are 52 filming crew members and 50 preparatory crew members in Hengdian.

A busy Starbucks store in Hengdian. Yu Liangzhao

The market is also echoing the recovery of industries. In terms of movies, after experiencing the popularity of the Spring Festival season and the general lackluster performance of overseas blockbusters, the summer season led by domestic films performed outstandingly, with box office revenue exceeding 12 billion yuan in July, setting a new historical high. In terms of dramas, not only did "Fury" trigger a nationwide trend of following dramas, but also a number of well received works such as "The Three Body Problem" and "The Long Season" emerged. In the first half of the year, the effective number of main episodes on the entire network reached 150 billion. In the midst of the boom, a series of changes surrounding technology are gradually brewing or have already occurred in this dream making industry: the popularization of new technologies has created new trends, attracted new players, and also brought about new thinking. The once fervent capital has shown a new attitude, making "reducing costs and increasing efficiency" a new keyword in the industry.

How to face and embrace change, the film and television industry in the Yangtze River Delta is trying to find the answer.

Push the "french window"

The No.1 photography studio in Hengdian Film and Television Industry Park is empty. The camera is facing towards a large LED screen that stands up to 10 meters tall. The curved screen suddenly lit up, and then a vast wilderness appeared under the sunset. Under the orange sky, there are trees and grasslands dyed golden. A winding stream seems to extend infinitely to the distant horizon. Zhu Jiming started operating the camera, and the scenery on the screen moved along with the push, pull, and shake of the lens. The studio is still empty, but the images presented in the camera viewfinder are already quite poetic. "This screen is like a french window to a different world," Zhu Jiming said. He is the Technical Director of Hangzhou Time Coordinate Film and Television Media Co., Ltd. He came to Hengdian this time to test the virtual shooting project that the company has recently taken over. The studio used for testing was jointly built by Time Coordinates and Hengdian Film and Television City. Virtual filming has been a hot topic in the domestic film and television industry in recent years. Simply put, this technology involves projecting high-precision prefabricated scene materials onto a giant LED screen, and combining them with live performances by actors and physical scenery to generate the final image completely within the lens. In fact, virtual photography is not strictly a new technology. As early as 1999, the Hollywood science fiction film "The Matrix" attempted to use this technology for the first time. Subsequently, Avatar, which had a profound impact on the global film industry, was widely regarded as a milestone in virtual filming. This year's Chinese New Year holiday season, Guo Fan's domestically produced sci-fi blockbuster "Wandering Earth 2" has become a successful case of virtual filming. Before the official start of filming, the film underwent nearly 90 days of virtual filming in the studio, and finally produced a preview film of about 2.5 hours. After multiple adjustments and modifications, the actors officially started filming. In addition, multiple domestic TV series and variety shows such as "The Beginning" and "Forensic Qin Ming" have also utilized this technology, but the overall penetration rate of the industry is still in its early stages. The current low penetration rate implies future development potential. For the new trends in the industry, "Oriental Hollywood" Hengdian naturally has a perception. In 2018, Hengdian initiated the construction of a film and television cultural industry park project with a total investment of 3 billion yuan. This project covers an area of 1023 acres and will build a total of 29 high-tech photography studios. It is currently being gradually built and put into use. Among them, the single unit area of Studio 3 reaches 12000 square meters, making it the world's largest photography studio. Zhou Fenglai, the person in charge of base operations at Hengdian Film and Television Drama Group Service Co., Ltd., said that in the future, more studios will follow the example of Studio 1 and introduce virtual shooting technology.

Zhou Fenglai frankly stated that shooting inside the shed in Hengdian will be the trend. On the one hand, land resources are not renewable, and even in Hengdian, which is famous for its real-life scenery, the available filming sites cannot be expanded without restrictions; On the other hand, the existing historical costume scenes are increasingly unable to fully meet the new shooting needs, especially in the face of the popular science fiction and fantasy themes in recent years, which are clearly inadequate.

The photography studio in Hengdian Film and Television Industry Park. Yu Liangzhao

Besides Hengdian, Zhejiang Deqing and Jiangsu Wuxi also opened "french window" this year. In March of this year, taking the landing of the Bocai Media Virtual Digital Production Workshop project as an opportunity, Deqing launched the construction of the Moganshan AI Film and Television City. At present, the Bocai project with a total investment of 100 million US dollars has been completed, and a total of 5 studios with large LED shooting screens will be built in the future.

In June, the largest film grade giant screen LED shooting screen in China was lit up in Wuxi National Digital Film Industry Park. This "super large screen" with an arc length of 44 meters, a height of 10 meters, and a diameter of 23 meters has become the core hardware of the park, providing support for its 5G intelligent virtual photography joint laboratory. It is worth mentioning that collaborating with Hengdian to create a "big screen" time coordinate is also a company that has settled in the Wuxi Digital Film Industry Park.

New technology kills old craftsmanship?

For cities that lack relevant industry accumulation but intend to make a difference in the film and television industry, virtual filming can indeed be a feasible path to achieve overtaking from scratch or even in curves. However, at present, this is not enough to shake Hengdian's leading position in the film and television industry in the Yangtze River Delta region. Chen Peng, the project manager of Zhejiang Bocai Virtual Film Production Co., Ltd., stated that the film and television industry in Hengdian has flourished due to large-scale real-life scenes. However, the key to ensuring that Hengdian can firmly occupy a place in the domestic film and television industry is the high concentration of various elements in the industry chain. At this point, the advantages accumulated by Hengdian over the years are unparalleled. On the other hand, virtual filming can only be considered as an additive technology in the domestic film and television industry at present, and it is not possible to replace traditional live shooting or green screen technology on a large scale. For a long time in the future, these shooting methods will continue to coexist and interweave with each other. "It can only be said that it has brought about some technological changes, but it cannot be called a technological revolution." Chen Peng summarized. Liu Fanming showed reporters several photos of the filming scene, which were recently completed by his team. Among them were both magical palaces and ethereal fairyland: "Both were physical scenery set up in the studio. Recently, two major projects were parallel, and more than 700 construction workers were dispatched here." Liu Fanming works for Dongyang Huixinyi Film and Television Prop Rental Co., Ltd., which is a well-known enterprise in the domestic film and television prop service industry and is also well-known in Hengdian. From small pots and pans to large pavilions and towers, the physical props and scenery that appear in movies and TV dramas are all within Huixinyi's business scope. Liu Fanming said, "As long as it is visible and tangible on the set, we make it." "Virtual shooting also requires physical cooperation, and even a large LED screen cannot solve all problems." In Liu Fanming's view, virtual shooting technology has limited impact on the props and scenery industry. The large-scale application of this technology in the future may indeed reduce the demand for physical props and scenery to some extent, but this industry can never withdraw from the historical stage: "No matter how virtual you are, you don't even have to virtual the chairs where actors sit or the tables in front of you."

In a prop warehouse in Hengdian. Yu Liangzhao

Zhu Jiming believes that virtual photography cannot be simply equated with cost reduction. He pointed out that film and television production is a massive and systematic project, and the calculation of its cost should also be comprehensively considered. Discussing the cost of a single stage is meaningless. From the perspective of the film company, choosing between live or virtual filming is often not a simple multiple-choice question to determine which is cheaper. It also involves multiple factors such as the transition of the filming team and the coordination of actor schedules. "When it comes to the choice of technology in film and television production, there is no such thing as buying new or old. Old skills are not completely useless, and choosing the appropriate filming methods based on actual needs is always the industry's creed," said Zhu Jiming.

When cost reduction and efficiency improvement become high-frequency words

Like the manufacturing industry, the film and television industry also has a natural pursuit of cost and efficiency. This pursuit has also given rise to a series of technological advancements and iterations. In 1927, the American film "Jazz King" was released, marking the beginning of the era of sound. Little did they know that the sound technology was put into use by Warner Bros., the producer of the film at the time, in order to save costs for live music bands. With the gradual decline of capital frenzy and the pain caused by the pandemic in the past three years, the domestic film and television industry is now becoming more cautious. In Hengdian, "reducing costs and increasing efficiency" is a high-frequency term spoken by practitioners in the film and television industry. The key to achieving cost reduction and efficiency improvement once again points to technology. In the workshop of Zhejiang Dongyang Jiuxiao Film Television Culture Communication Co., Ltd., several mechanical arms rotate up and down to carve the foam plastic in front of them. Gong Deying, the person in charge of the enterprise, told the reporter that these large pieces of foam plastic would eventually be carved into pieces of rock rockeries that are chaotic enough to appear in a future film and television play. Gong Deying, who comes from a background in film and art, has been working hard in Hengdian for over 20 years, specializing in the physical setting of films and TV dramas. However, the company founded by this former craftsman now looks more like an automated factory. Sitting on an antique stone stool made using digital carving technology, Gong Deying counted his belongings to the reporter with his fingers: 20 robotic arms, 20 carving machines, 8 3D printers, 2 scanners, 3 UV inkjet printers

In recent years, Gong Deying has been more focused on one thing: replacing people with machines.

Whether it's robotic arm digital carving, 3D printing, or even 3D scanning applied in the early stages, what it replaces is the extensive manual operation in the traditional film and television prop setting industry: "Carving is a skill that tests proficiency and skill; digital carving and 3D printing are skills that test whether there is enough electricity to maintain machine operation." Although robotic arms lack the spirit of craftsmanship, they can operate year-round without eating or drinking. The introduction of a series of new technologies on the props assembly line in Gongdeying is aimed at improving product accuracy and production efficiency while minimizing labor costs. Gong Deying believes that this mechanized large-scale production model is a necessary part of the so-called "cost reduction and efficiency improvement" in the film and television industry, and it is also the future development trend of the industry.

The robot arm is carving foam material. Yu Liangzhao

However, in contrast to cost reduction and efficiency improvement, it is the increasingly picky taste of film and television audiences. Liu Fanming said that after experiencing the rapid development of the film and television industry in the past few years, the audience's aesthetic level has also risen, and they have higher requirements for the production level of film and television dramas. Fake props and scenery are no longer accepted by the audience. On the other hand, technology itself is also driving the industry. Facing photography equipment with increasing clarity, it becomes increasingly difficult to create props that can withstand fine shots. "There has never been a film that disregards costs, and this is even more true today. Investors' understanding of cost reduction and efficiency improvement is to spend 1 yuan to achieve a result of 1.2 yuan." Liu Fanming said that in such a context, the industry is inevitably becoming increasingly "rolled up". How to find a subtle balance between cost reduction and efficiency improvement is a question that everyone in the industry is pondering.

What about replacing people with machines?

What about replacing people with machines?

The last time this issue was widely discussed was when ChatGPT emerged at the end of last year, and the most recent time was in the film and television industry. Just as the domestic film and television market is buzzing with good news, the dual strike of screenwriters and actors in Hollywood has lasted for over a hundred days, leading to the complete shutdown of this "dream factory". One important trigger that ignited this unprecedented large-scale strike was the practical application of artificial intelligence technology in the film and television industry, which made actors perceive the potential survival crisis they may face. One of the demands put forward by the Hollywood Actors Guild is to restrict artificial intelligence from replacing actors. In a statement released by the union, it was mentioned that the Hollywood Production Enterprise Alliance had proposed to pay a day's salary to mass actors to scan their facial expressions, limbs, and movements, in order to turn their digital image into their own digital assets. Due to the general tendency of Hollywood production companies to independently train their digital images, while actors are concerned that their digital avatars may completely replace them on the big screen in the future, conflicts arise. The "horizontal drifters" active in Hengdian also have different opinions on the concerns of their Hollywood counterparts. 65 year old actor Zhang Yongmin came from a professional background and stayed in Hengdian for a full 10 years. In recent years, in addition to filming, he also worked part-time as a teacher for the younger generation, teaching basic acting skills. Although there is not much intersection between the scenes he has taken on and new technologies in the film and television industry such as virtual filming, Zhang Yongmin has always been interested in technology topics: "The worries of Hollywood people are not unreasonable, and technology is advancing too quickly now. If artificial intelligence actors really appear, it can be a blow to real actors." Zhang Yongmin believes that for directors, fully trained artificial intelligence actors are an almost perfect existence. Because they are not only able to execute the director's instructions and intentions without any external interference in their expressions, emotions, and actions, but can also perform without reservation. When evaluating actors, people often praise their strong plasticity. If one day artificial intelligence actors do appear, their "plasticity" will be infinite. Zhang Yongmin said, "On that day, I will definitely raise my hand to surrender and change my career." Deng Yawen, 22, is relatively optimistic. She believes that the "AI face changing" technology, which has been initially applied in domestic film and television dramas in recent years, can be seen as the prototype of the "machine face changing" in the actor industry in a sense. If artificial intelligence technology is introduced on a large scale in the future, it will actually better reflect the value and irreplaceability of celebrity actors. As long as the actor's professional level is strong and can be recognized by the audience, the actor will not be easily replaced. On the contrary, the emergence of artificial intelligence actors may become a "catfish" in the industry, accelerating the survival of the fittest. Zhu Jiming believes that it is still too early to discuss "AI replacement". In recent years, the concept of the metaverse has become very popular, leading to the popularity of digital virtual humans. However, most of these virtual characters have failed to break through technological limitations, let alone compete with real people in film and television dramas. As for Gong Deying, who has always been committed to "machine replacement", he also admits that the prop and scenery industry always requires the participation of people. Even if actual production can be done by machines, design always relies on human inspiration and aesthetics. Liu Fanming's words are most straightforward: "Compared to the pressure brought by repl