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Tech-driven advances bring lessons from industry to China's film sector

China

China

China

Tech-driven advances bring lessons from industry to China's film sector

2025-10-09 00:39 Last Updated At:04:17

As China marks the 120th anniversary of its film industry this year, the country is bringing lessons from other industries into the sector's development, using the latest tech to streamline all phases of production.

From the first black-and-white silent film made in China in 1905 to today's global blockbusters produced using the very latest technology, China's film industry is looking to take the next steps as a global leader in the movie world.

Insiders explain that the "industrialization" of film making is about using technology to increase production efficiency without compromising any of the creative vision of the minds behind the camera.

"120 years ago, China's first silent film, Dingjun Mountain, was shot in a real-world setting with film stock. Today, the Peking Opera film Madam Liang Hongyu can be filmed entirely within an LED virtual studio," said Yang Hongtao, assistant manager of the China Film Group Co., Ltd. Beijing Film Production Company.

The massive, state-of-the art LED screen in the China Film Group studio is a dynamic digital backdrop that adjusts to camera angles in real time to match the camera's movements. Compared to traditional green-screen filming, where effects have to be added in the background in post-production, using the LED studio saves time and cost.

"Lighting angles and shadows on all parts of the scenery, including all the plants, are designed to change dynamically for a more realistic effect. The primary advantage of shooting in an LED virtual studio is that its pre-production capabilities, significantly reduce post-production time,” said Yang.

Virtual preview technology uses special motion suits to capture actors movements in real time and then generate virtual 3D imagery of the movie set as an "instruction manual" for filming. This allows the production team to finalize shot composition, actor positioning, and other elements through animated footage before actual filming begins, significantly boosting production efficiency.

"The emergence of virtual production has truly revolutionized the entire traditional filmmaking workflow. Whereas it was previously a linear process, it has now transformed into a multi-track, parallel workflow, fostering seamless collaboration across departments. This approach streamlines our entire production process and significantly reduces our trial-and-error costs," said Weng Yang, an associate professor from Beijing Film Academy.

This new way of working is also making set design and building more efficient.

A 20-hectare city with more than 200 concrete buildings which was created as a set for Chinese blockbuster film series Detective Chinatown was finished in just seven months thanks to a more industrialized approach to the job.

"Construction planning was scheduled down to the day, with tasks assigned to each individual worker. Our filming and construction proceeded simultaneously. When we established production standards and workflows, we planned all the tasks in advance. This is essentially an industrial process—it operates like a well-oiled machine,” said Fan Xia, chief producer of Detective Chinatown 1900.

Using technology, and a more industrialized approach, means more scenes can be filmed in studios rather than on more challenging and costly location shoots. Studios that are embracing the changes, such as Oriental Movie Metropolis in Qingdao City, in east China's Shandong province, stand to benefit from growth in China's movie business.

It boasts 40 advanced studios and 32 set-building workshops, as well as a world-class underwater studio equipped with water filtration and temperature control systems, capable of simulating oceans and lakes.

With so many more movies being shot in studios like this, these spaces have also become valuable networking hubs, connecting thousands of people in film-related businesses looking to play a leading role in China's blossoming film industry.

Tech-driven advances bring lessons from industry to China's film sector

Tech-driven advances bring lessons from industry to China's film sector

The Global South Media Partners Mechanism Inauguration Meeting and the 13th Global Video Media Forum (VMF) opened Thursday in Xi'an, the provincial capital of Shaanxi in northwest China.

Themed "Building Consensus for Shared Benefits: Media's Role in Global Governance," the two-day event gathers hundreds of government officials, leaders of international organizations, and representatives of major media outlets across the Global South to exchange views on enhancing the voice of developing countries, promoting fairness and equity in international communication, and sharing compelling stories of peace and development.

"[Given] what is going on around the world now, we need to be together -- the developing countries especially. And China, they can do a lot of good things for the humanity, for our people, so we can cooperate together, we can share the success stories," said Abdelrahim Suleiman, director general of the Arab States Broadcasting Union.

The event also marks the official launch of the Global South Media Partners Mechanism, which aims to deepen collaboration among media outlets of the Global South, encouraging practical cooperation, content sharing, professional training and joint productions, as well as fostering dialog and research among participating media partners.

It also aims to amplify the collective voice of the Global South and unite media partners in contributing to building a community with a shared future for mankind.

"The official narrative that we have access to is the North narrative -- in the case of Mexico -- the U.S. narrative. So, to have something that can make balance, that can show a different world, a different history is very, very important," said Luis Hernandez Navarro, an editor of La Jornada, a Mexican newspaper.

A series of key outcomes have been unveiled at the event, including the inauguration of the Global South Media Training Base, the official launch of CGTN's three new FAST channels, and the release of the Blue Book on Global Public Opinion -- "The Global South's View of the World."

"It's a very good opportunity for the Global South media to work together. And they should improve the mechanism and they should have such kind of activity [for the] global media network and platforms to exchange ideas, and also exchange some programs around the globe," said Hamid Hamdard, deputy general manager of Afghanistan's STR News.

The VMF is an annual professional journalism forum launched by the CCTV Video News Agency (CCTV+) in 2011, focusing on the latest video content communication and innovation trends and providing a highly specialized and interactive platform for domestic and foreign media peers.

13th Global Video Media Forum opens in Xi'an

13th Global Video Media Forum opens in Xi'an

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