In the past, when Chinese film and television products went overseas, they sent out one production after another. Today, the way of "going to sea" has changed. From movie screens to vertical screens on mobile phones, from content forms to business models, to the AI tools behind the screens, Chinese film and television is entering deeper into the global film and television industry chain.
During the National Day, the news channel "International News" launched a series of reports "New Wave of Going Overseas" to show you how Chinese stories, Chinese technology and Chinese experience are crossing mountains and seas. In this issue, we will visit the Canadian film and television production base known as the "Hollywood of the North" and witness how China's short drama production model and Chinese AI accelerate global film and television narratives; then we will go to Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, a city awarded the title of "City of Film" by UNESCO, to see the Sino-New Zealand film and television exchanges behind the "going out" of Chinese films.
Short play heading north: from the Vancouver set to the Toronto laboratory
Canada's film and television production base has always been known as the "Hollywood of the North". From the short drama studio in Vancouver to the Netflix Innovation Lab in Toronto that participated in the visual effects of "The Three-Body Problem", China's short drama production model and AI technology have been accepted and recognized by the North American film and television industry, and what followed was a quiet change.
In a theater group in Vancouver, the production model and production experience of Chinese short dramas have taken root here.
Vancouver Short Drama Producer Bai Ziyao: These are the props for the next drama that we just arrived today, and now we are also starting to make some preparations. Today we are going to take some stills.
Vancouver short drama producer Bai Ziyao: The shooting pace of short dramas is definitely faster than that of traditional films. Traditional dramas shoot about 4 to 5 pages of scripts every day, but short dramas need to shoot 10 to 12 pages a day.
Vancouver actor Nathan: Especially when you have just finished shooting a stunt or fighting scene, and then you have to shoot an emotional scene that requires crying in the next scene. At this time, your heart rate is still very fast and your whole person is in a state of excitement. Sometimes I have to change clothes, wear a microphone, and rehearse at the same time, which is very challenging for actors.
Industry organizations predict that the global micro-short drama market may reach US$14 billion by 2026. When micro-short dramas go overseas, they export not only individual stories, but also a complete set of content forms and business logic that have been repeatedly verified by the Chinese market.
Vancouver actor Nathan: Fans of short plays range from those in their twenties to those in their forties and fifties, and the audience span is very wide. You can click on and watch the short drama anytime and anywhere because you can watch it on your mobile phone in your pocket.
Vancouver short drama producer Bai Ziyao: Nowadays, there are more and more fantasy-themed works in North America, such as werewolves, vampires, some zombie horror movies, and fantasy works like "The Odyssey". I think North American audiences really like these themes.
The dimensions of China’s film and television industry’s external exports are constantly expanding. Netflix received the authorization to adapt the Chinese science fiction novel "The Three-Body Problem" into a TV series and received rave reviews. The Netflix Innovation Lab in Toronto, eastern Canada, was involved in the production of visual effects, and it also faced challenges in how to present the original work.
Yang Mengni, Visual Effects Director of Netflix Innovation Lab: The traditional film and visual effects workflow is very time-consuming, highly specialized and requires a lot of manpower. This is especially challenging for a highly conceptual science fiction project like The Three-Body Problem, where many of the ideas are quite abstract.
How to efficiently transform abstract science fiction ideas into visual images? Artificial intelligence plays an important supporting role in this link, and a considerable number of these tools come from China.
Yang Mengni, Visual Effects Director of Netflix Innovation Lab: Based on the models I have tested and my experience in the artificial intelligence-assisted film and television production process, I believe that China’s artificial intelligence video generation technology is already at the top level in the world. China also has a large pool of creators and a wide range of practical applications, which allows new technologies to be quickly tested and iterated. But for me, the next step is no longer just about building better AI tools and models, but how to leverage these powerful tools to tell original stories with true cultural soul and unique perspectives.
From 5 years to 5 months: China’s AI accelerates global film and television storytelling
From Chinese movies to Chinese algorithms, a deeper export is taking place. The Canadian Multimodal Media Laboratory found that Chinese AI video models are entering the global film and television creation process with faster iteration speed, lower overall cost, and a more open open source model. The development of Chinese film and television is extending from the stories on the screen to the toolbox behind the screen.
The Canadian Multimodal Media Laboratory is a cross-border research institution that has evaluated many AI video generation models around the world. Yang Ges, chief creative officer of the laboratory, spoke highly of China’s AI models.
Yang Ges, chief creative officer of the Multimodal Media Lab: The level of artificial intelligence in China is quite high. We believe that China is one of the most important players. Especially in the Multimodal Media Lab, we have studied various engines from all over the world and selected the best engine for the best scenes. The quality level and coherence of the movie are really very high.
"Continuity" is a core indicator of film and television production, which means that character appearance, scene space, and physical movement remain logically self-consistent. This is a key technological breakthrough for China's AI model. China's AI can gain a foothold overseas because of three major characteristics: fast iteration speed, low overall cost, and openness and open source.
Multimodal Media Lab Director Gregory: My last documentary took 5 years to complete. It was just a local Vancouver story involving a lot of archives and historical materials. And now we have five months to tell another story, an international story that involves all continents and shows various scenarios of the past, present and future.
Five years are compressed to five months. The "fastness" is reflected in the rapid iteration of the model and the significant shortening of the content production cycle.
Youngers, Chief Creative Officer of the Multimodal Media Lab: Artificial intelligence allows us to think about stories in many ways and to produce demos very quickly for review and revision. Therefore, we can see the production results faster and quickly iterate to polish the ideal effect while maintaining high quality. So AI is changing the way we think about movies and how to tell stories.
Technology ultimately serves narrative. This laboratory uses AI to explore unpopular stories that have been ignored by the mainstream and achieve low-cost, high-fidelity content creation.
Yang Ges, chief creative officer of Multimodal Media Lab: Artificial intelligence has become a powerful tool that allows people to look back on the past and feel the present with extremely high fidelity. And, we make them cheaply but at a very high quality.
Kevin Freer, who has 25 years of visual effects experience, explains the second major advantage from a practical perspective-the overall cost advantage.
Film and television special effects director Kevin Freer: Recently, China has really made great efforts to launch many models, which are very popular in many products from entry-level to professional use. Even higher-cost products like Seedance are priced attractively. In terms of quality, I found that it didn't take much tweaking to achieve the desired results.
The third key attribute is open source. Open source is also another important strategy for China’s AI to achieve global breakthrough. Canadian AI film innovation director Adrian Bodson has a deep understanding of this.
Canadian AI Film Innovation Director Adrian Bodson: China’s attitude towards open source and the way it promotes artificial intelligence are excellent. Most people agree that open source is indeed a way to give creators more power and control. Because you can deploy and run it locally, you can access the model and make customized adjustments as needed. I do believe that open source is the wave of the future.
Light and shadow across mountains and seas: Chinese films enter New Zealand
In recent years, more and more Chinese films have gone abroad and met audiences on overseas screens and online platforms. Chinese stories and Chinese culture cross national borders through light and shadow. In addition to film and television exchanges, they also drive interactions in cultural communication, tourism and other fields. The reporter came to Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, the "capital of film", to explore the Sino-New Zealand film and television exchanges behind the "going global" strategy of Chinese films.
Headquarters reporter Liu Zhimin: This is Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, and also the "City of Film" awarded by UNESCO. The Miramar area where I am now is an important gathering place for Wellington's film and television industry.
Wellington Mayor Andrew Little: I know that Wellington's film and television production companies and filmmakers have always maintained close cooperation with Chinese filmmakers. I know a lot of New Zealand filmmakers working in China for a long time, which is very gratifying.
Fianna, New Director of the Confucius Institute at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand: Chinese films cover a very wide range of film types and artistic styles, and these styles are also very different from New Zealand. I think we can learn more about China through movies and screens.
In the New Zealand film and television industry, Chinese films have received more and more attention in recent years. At the same time, filmmakers from China and New Zealand continue to expand their cooperation space, from film and television production, talent exchanges, to film festivals and joint creations, and the interaction between the two parties continues to deepen.
New Zealand film actor Mark Hydro: I like Chinese movies very much. Chinese movies have their own unique shooting techniques. I also very much hope to have the opportunity to participate in it personally and participate in a Chinese film, preferably in English.
Excellent Chinese films continue to emerge and are becoming a window for overseas audiences to understand Chinese culture. "Eight Immortals!" has recently attracted attention at home and abroad. 》 is an example. The film is based on traditional Chinese cultural elements. Through stories of ordinary people's growth, choices and mutual support, the film allows the audience to find their own shadow in it, and also allows Chinese traditional myths to approach overseas audiences in a more vivid way.
New Zealand film actor Mark Hydro: The Eight Immortals represent the different characteristics of ordinary Chinese people and show the different personalities and traits of the Chinese people. These different characteristics come together to illustrate the importance of believing in yourself. I love that it's a bit like wishes come true, like the title of the film, so it's easy to relate to the film.
The influence of the movie does not stop at the screen. The cities, architecture, history, culture and natural scenery in the movie are also further stimulating their interest in traveling to China to explore the movie scenes in person.
New Zealand soprano Kaye Mitchell: In fact, I originally went to Beijing for this reason, because I most like to watch movies about dynastic history and those showing the Forbidden City. To be there in person, to touch those walls, to feel the spiritual power there, was really amazing and unforgettable for me.
