Huayu special effects started in 97

"Jiang, is your virtual digital technology very expensive?" Sanford Panitch asked curiously in the president's office of Columbia Corporation.

At the just-concluded North American premiere of "Heroes of the Universe", he was overwhelmed by the looks of Queen Kesha, Angel Yan and others in the film.

When I found out that these were not real-life performances but were made using virtual digital technology, I was so surprised that I couldn't close my mouth for a long time.

I must take Jiang Heng with me and find a place to have a good chat.

Jiang Heng said with a smile: "It's definitely not cheap. Think about it, every frame and every second of their images are made with special effects technology. You know how expensive this stuff is!"

Sanford Panitch nodded slightly. He knew how expensive special effects shots were.

"Then, is it possible that the cost will be reduced in the future?"

"That's for sure. With the continuous development of technology, price reduction is an inevitable trend. I estimate that within ten or twenty years, this technology will be used by more and more film companies!"

Sanford Panitch sighed, "That's really great. Jiang, you don't know how much Hollywood's top stars are paid. It's more than 20 million US dollars. Converted into your money, it's more than 100 million!"

“It’s definitely not cheap!”

"The problem is, some of them get paid a lot of money and still do this and that. It's really, really bad! Didn't you have those troubles when you were making those angels?"

Jiang Heng shrugged and said with a smile: "Apart from the higher production cost, there is nothing wrong with them!"

"Good! I like this, I can get things done as long as I 'get' the money!"

"Haha, I think so too!"

In addition to discussing the impact of "new technology" on the film industry, the two also talked about the cooperation between the two companies.

Today, the agency fees for distributing Jiang Heng's special effects blockbusters every year have become a fixed income for Columbia Pictures, and it is a considerable income.

Sanford Panitch didn't want the company to lose this income shortly after taking over as president.

Although the two companies have been cooperating for more than ten years, we are still afraid that someone will do something bad.

In order to enhance the friendship between the two sides, Sanford Panitch also invited Jiang Heng to his home to play the role of host.

So, when Jiang Cheng returned to China and got off the plane at the Capital Airport, it was already New Year's Eve.

Looking back on the busy schedule these days, I was really busy.

The rest of the group went home, while Jiang Heng was taken back to his mansion in Beijing by his driver.

This is a newly purchased luxury house located in Chaoyang District. It is very close to the Capital Airport and convenient for travel. I have never brought anyone else here. Only the auntie in charge of hygiene comes to clean from time to time.

Soon after arriving home, the hotel delivered a whole table of New Year's Eve dinner. Jiang Heng ate a little and went back to his bedroom to rest without even watching the Spring Festival Gala.

The next day, it was New Year's Day.

It's the Spring Festival again, and it's time for films like "Heroes Serial" and "Journey to the West: The Three Strikes of the White Bone Demon" to be released.

As soon as major cinemas opened in the morning, many fans of "League of Legends" and "The King's Avatar" flocked in to buy tickets for the first show, and most of them wanted the 3D version.

After all, fans are willing to spend money.

However, there were relatively fewer viewers who came to watch "Journey to the West: The Three Strikes of the White Bone Demon".

At this time, many people are in the atmosphere of greeting each other for the New Year. Those who can rush to the cinema to watch movies early in the morning have already thought about what to watch in advance.

"Journey to the West: Part Two: The White Bone Demon" also made many people want to watch it, but in the dilemma of choosing between it and "Heroes of the West", the audience still chose the latter.

After all, Director Jiang's character is guaranteed, and he has remained the same for more than ten years! As for Director Zheng Baorui, I have never heard of him!
By the afternoon, movie theaters in popular commercial districts in major cities across the country were basically packed, with people lining up in long queues, most of whom were there to watch "The Heroes".

"Hello, I'm a reporter from China Film Report. Can I ask you a few questions?"

"Okay, go ahead!"

"Excuse me, which movie do you want to watch?"

"That's nonsense, of course it's Director Jiang's film!"

"Why did you choose this movie?"

"It must be because it looks good. Is it because it's expensive and takes a long time? You only choose the expensive ones and not the right ones?"

The old man's mouth seems to be rented. For every question the reporter asks, he can reply with several answers.

The female reporter pouted when asked, and the old man was quite proud of it and whispered: "Actually, there are other reasons!"

"What's the reason?"

"I heard that Director Jiang used some kind of virtual technology to make the mannequins more realistic than real people. In one word, beautiful!"

"Okay, thank you for your cooperation, thank you!" said the female reporter helplessly.

In addition to Beijing, many movie studios across the country have similar interviews.

After all, for local TV stations, Jiang Heng's film became a hit after its release, which was also good news. After simply recording and broadcasting, many people still liked to watch it.

At night, the cinemas were even more lively, with people coming to watch movies in an endless stream. The prime time shows at many popular cinemas were packed, and the attendance rate of "Heroes: The Last Airbender" reached 100%.

Films such as "Journey to the West: The Three Strikes of the White Bone Demon", "The Wise One-Hoku", and "Where Are We Going, Dad?" also achieved good box office results.

But in terms of reputation, there is a big gap.

"Heroes Serial" had an opening score of 8.9 on Douban, but by the evening, due to a large number of users flocking in to rate it, it dropped to 8.5, which is still within the normal range of rating fluctuations.

After all, anyone who thinks of rating the film on Douban immediately after watching it is not only a fan of Jiang Heng, but also a movie lover. He has a certain preference for this sequel that was released six years later.

Later on, there will be a large number of passers-by who will come in and their evaluations will be relatively objective.

Generally speaking, the reviews are mostly positive, praising the film's plot and special effects. When talking about Holy Kesha and Angel Yan, they also gave positive comments.

He said that he never thought that film technology could develop to this point, that a character could be created using digital technology without any visible flaws.

If this technology is combined with instant messaging in the future, it will be scary!

The audience's thinking is somewhat divergent. They talk about all sorts of things, and their creative ideas emerge one after another.

Compared with the rave reviews for "Heroes Serial", the public opinion for "Journey to the West: Part Two: The White Bone Demon" is not optimistic.

The film opened with a Douban score of 6.1, but by the evening it had dropped to 5.3, ranking below the passing line.

Looking around, almost all the reviews are negative, and many viewers wrote short comments, thinking that this movie is a blatant scam.

Although both are special effects blockbusters in the Journey to the West genre, the production level of Jiang Heng’s films is far inferior to that of Hollywood.

It would be fine if it was just the special effects that were bad, after all, I still enjoyed watching movies with poor quality in the past.

The problem is that the plot of this movie is awkward, depressing, preachy, and full of flaws! (End of this chapter)