The ongoing 21st China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair has seen a slew of artificial intelligence (AI)-integrated photographic robotic arms and virtual reality (VR) systems brought by Chinese film tech firms.
More than 120,000 cultural products are on display, and over 4,000 investment and financing projects in the cultural industries are showcased and traded at the event.
Industry players at the event highlight AI's penetration across the filmmaking chain, from pre-visualization to post-production.
The AI filmmaking replaces green screens with real-time AI-generated environments visible to actors and directors during filming, and enables elaborate shots without costly rehearsals, according to exhibitors.
A domestically developed robotic camera arm drew attention for enabling precise, synchronized cinematography. The system executes complex shots -- such as a 10-second multi-actor tracking sequence -- with millisecond accuracy while feeding footage directly into AI-generated environments.
"It is through our software that I get to convert the virtual paths and the real-life footage into hardware, so as to achieve the most complex scenes. For example, a one-shot, a long shot or shot-switching between multiple objects and multiple actors. If you use real people you need multiple departments to rehearse. (This robotic arm) can perfectly use the data in AI to reproduce it," said Meng Juntao, an exhibitor.
The fair also debuts what developers claim the world's first XR-powered 'seated VR cinema' system.
Using head-mounted displays with 8K Ultra High-Definition resolution and ultra-wide fields of view, the technology transports viewers into hyper-realistic scenarios, from oceanic depths to interstellar travel, while requiring minimal physical infrastructure.
"The seated VR cinema can be brought into scenic areas and other public place. In the past, our traditional movies always had a picture frame. The audience used to be a bystander of the story, but now by using the VR technology, we can make the audience a witness of the story," said Wang Jixuan, deputy general manager of Xi 'an Film Studio Co., Ltd.
A total of 6,280 government delegations, cultural institutions, and enterprises are participating in the event either online or offline, an increase of 265 over the previous session, welcomed by 3,300 exhibitors at the fair.
AI-powered film technologies highlighted at Cultural Industries Fair
