Huayu 05, our science fiction movie universe

Chapter 694: The Hunger Games Released

boom!
boom!
Amidst the crackling of firecrackers, colorful confetti flew everywhere.

The area in front of a five-story office building inside the Galaxy Cinema was not only crowded with people, but also had two rows of flower baskets extending to both sides, creating a lively scene.

At the main entrance of the building, a metal plaque bearing the name "China Film Industry Association" has been hung up.

Wang Hao, along with leaders from the cultural and industrial departments, as well as chairmen of companies including DJI, Unilumin Technology, and 7D Technology, smiled and clapped in front of reporters.

Today marks the official establishment of the China Film Industry Association.

Unlike associations such as the China Film Association, the China Directors Association, and the China Screenwriters Association, the China Film Industry Association, although it includes the word "film" in its name, actually leans more towards the word "industry" in its name.

Therefore, the association is managed by both the cultural and industrial sectors. Its members include several large film and television companies, large television stations, three art colleges, several colleges that offer film and television equipment-related majors, and numerous film and television equipment companies.

These film and television equipment companies include several major categories such as projection equipment, photography equipment, lighting equipment, recording equipment, and post-production equipment.

Therefore, quite a few people attended the meeting today, the day the China Film Industry Association was established.

Wang Hao and his team are only holding the unveiling ceremony for now. They will move to the large conference room in the park later to hold the official founding meeting of the association.

By the way, as the founder of the association, Wang Hao also got the position of vice president.

In fact, he could have easily taken on the role of exhibition manager, but he was still too young and the company was too busy, so he decided to take on a deputy position instead.

The establishment of the "China Film Association" did cause some noise, but because the association's functions mainly involve the formulation of standards for film industry equipment and the development of film and television technology, it did not attract much public attention. At most, people within the industry knew about it.

However, what many people don't know is that in addition to film and television industry equipment, the core function of the "China Film Industry Association" also includes another function currently led by Xinghe Group: to formulate management and application guidelines for AI-generated film and television content in advance.

After all, AI-generated text, images, and videos are almost an inevitable trend.

Based solely on what Wang Hao knew and had seen in his previous life, the development speed of those AI videos could be described as extremely fast.

However, there is a clear gray area to discuss regarding the copyright and application of such AI-generated content.

Galaxy Group is currently investing heavily in AI systems, and naturally, it needs to consider relevant industry standards and regulations in advance to facilitate the further development of AI-powered film and television production.

Of course, this is just the beginning. Galaxy Group has invested a lot of money in AI research and development and recruited a large number of talents, but so far there are not many results. Only in terms of special effects production, there has been a slight improvement.

Time passed amidst all the commotion and arrived in May. During the Labor Day holiday, after several years of adjustment and the complete elimination of the impact of the flu pandemic, [Galaxy Cinema] finally ushered in its first major peak season since its opening.

On May 1st alone, the number of visitors to Galaxy Cinema exceeded 50,000, surpassing Shanghai Disneyland to become the most popular theme park in China with the highest daily visitor count.

Among the attractions in [Galaxy Park], the most popular area is the [Chinese Style Animation Theme Zone], because it features Nezha, a character that many children love.

Unfortunately, the second phase of the [Galaxy Park] project is still under construction, and the Chentang Pass and Dragon Palace on the riverside of the [Chinese Style Animation Theme Area] have not yet been built.

Even so, the children were very happy.

After the Labor Day holiday, on May 14th, Galaxy Pictures' "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" was finally released globally.

As a well-known young adult literature work in Europe and America, coupled with the fame of the StarCraft cinematic universe, The Hunger Games attracted a lot of attention from the very beginning, especially from book fans who were eagerly anticipating it.

The movie is finally going to be released, and in North America alone, the pre-sale box office has already exceeded $8 million.

In China, Wang Hao, despite his busy schedule, attended the premiere of "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" with his family, which attracted considerable attention from the media.

Because his previous speech at the Beijing Film Academy still had an impact, and after his speech, several film critics and some lesser-known directors chose to ride his coattails, openly and subtly criticizing his approach as unorthodox and arguing that film creation should prioritize human emotions and that the so-called film industry should only be a supplement.

Furthermore, many bloggers have expressed doubts about the artificial intelligence (AI) technology he mentioned in his speech.

On the one hand, there are no remarkable achievements in AI video production so far, and on the other hand, people still have doubts about whether AI can truly participate in film and television production.

In fact, the concepts of "digital human" and "virtual actor" appeared earlier abroad than in China. The protagonist of Avatar was not a real human, but an alien.

Even Avatar still requires motion capture technology; pure AI creation remains unrealistic.

"Technology cannot replace human performance; it has no emotion."

This statement has been frequently mentioned by many film and television critics and some directors, such as Lu Tailang, whose film "749 Bureau" was also released during the summer season, but the release date was in August.

So he seized the opportunity to start marketing and ride on Wang Hao's popularity.

Of course, he has learned his lesson now and is no longer foolish enough to directly confront Wang Hao on social media. Instead, he uses sarcastic remarks and focuses mainly on the issue of "performing emotions."

"Director Wang, what are your thoughts on the current online criticisms regarding the development of AI in the film and television industry?"

On the red carpet for "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," a reporter waited patiently until Wang Hao stopped walking before reaching out with a microphone to ask him a question.

Wang Hao maintained his smile even when faced with reporters' questions.

"This question shouldn't be my responsibility to answer. Just look at the box office of 'Ne Zha 2: The Demon Child Conquers the Dragon King,' and it's already quite clear." After answering the question, Wang Hao and Jing Tian walked into the premiere venue together.

After his answer was broadcast live online, the screen was filled with comments saying "final blow".

After all, "Ne Zha 2," which didn't have any live actors, is now ranked third in global box office, and the influence of the digital Ne Zha far exceeds that of those domestic actors.

Wang Hao was unaware of the netizens' opinions, but he could guess some of them, given that the high incomes of entertainment stars had already distanced them from the general public.

They are still happy to see celebrities get their comeuppance.

As for offending people, does Wang Hao need to worry about offending people?
The subsequent movie premiere went smoothly.

As a work integrated into the StarCraft cinematic universe, the adapted version of "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" differs somewhat from the original story in its setting, but the changes in story content and pacing are actually not significant.

Its core plot is simply the story of Katniss, a young girl in a totalitarian society, who is forced to participate in a life-or-death competition to protect her sister, and in the process, she demonstrates a spirit of resistance.

However, this kind of authoritarianism, which is often hidden in real society, becomes a more obvious and cruel game in the movie.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire takes place after the "Cosmic Blink" event, when the United Earth Government is formally established due to the presence of the Trisolarans and the threat of an alien fleet.

Once the united government is established, its first task will be to unite all nations and end wars, so that humanity's strength is not wasted on meaningless civil wars.

Normally, it would be very difficult to avert a global war, but with the Trisolarans posing the greatest threat, many countries and organizations have had to withdraw their tentacles from instigating war.

Although these tentacles have been retracted, the vile nature of some people is difficult to change in a short time.

In particular, some underground dark organizations, violent institutions, and mercenary military groups, under the backdrop of the establishment of a united government and world peace, secretly organized an event called "The Hunger Games".

In fact, the "Hunger Games" event did not appear out of nowhere. There were related events before, but at that time the event was called "Bike Games" (see the movie "Point Break"), which was a semi-official event. However, because the event had certain problems, it was eventually shut down by China's special affairs department in conjunction with the international police.

However, some guys were clearly still up to no good and held similar events again.

However, this time they were smarter and gave a more suitable reason.

For example, screening for superior genes.

Yes, according to the organizers of the Hunger Games, the crisis brought by the Trisolarans is coming soon, and humanity is very likely to face an alien invasion in the future. Therefore, the organizers of the Hunger Games built a refuge deep underground.

However, the space in the shelters was limited, so those who could enter the shelters had to be carefully selected, which naturally led to the creation of the "Hunger Games".

According to their game rules, suitable contestants will be selected from all over the world, mainly young boys and girls.

Then, 24 people were selected from these contestants and thrown into a huge closed arena for a life-or-death battle until only one man and one woman survived. These two were called "Adam" and "Eve" by the organizers. Those who proved their excellence would be qualified to enter the shelter and have a greater chance of survival and leaving behind genetic offspring after the arrival of aliens.

As for the entire competition, it will also be broadcast live online to a limited number of paying viewers. This is partly to recoup the project's operating costs, and partly to provide entertainment for those who admire violence, thereby alleviating the tense and oppressive atmosphere of the world and easing social conflicts.

Because of this, the "Hunger Games" program even received covert support from a certain major power.

That's basically the background of the whole movie, and the story takes place in North America.

Katniss, the protagonist who grew up in a poor community, decides to participate in the "Hunger Games" because her younger sister suddenly falls seriously ill and urgently needs a large sum of money.

During the preliminary rounds, she stood out from the other contestants because of the hunting and gathering skills her father taught her before his death, and successfully qualified for the semi-finals.

At this time, Katniss also met Pete, a boy who was also participating in the competition. The two were sent to the "Hunger Games" training camp, a base located on a huge island.

Here, the event organizers also begin pre-competition training and image building for these contestants participating in the semi-finals. Their training process is broadcast live across the entire network. In addition to their skills, their popularity with the audience will also be one of the criteria for advancing.

In response, the event organizers also arranged a mentor for them, Smith, a biker who had participated in the "Bike Games" but ultimately lost to Xia Feng (the male lead of "Point Break").

This person initially looked down on Katniss and her companion, believing that they came from a poor community, had nothing but their lives, and were no match for certain pay-to-win players.

However, he was eventually moved by Katniss's resilience and gave them serious guidance on how to handle the match.

At the same time, luck smiled upon the two. Stylist Sina specially designed a "Burning Mockingjay" look for them, which amazed the audience during the contestants' parade, earning them the title of "Burning Couple" and helping them initially build popularity.

Furthermore, during training, Katniss demonstrated precise and superb archery skills, while Peeta showcased strength and teamwork. During a television interview, Peeta "confessed" his feelings for Katniss, further reinforcing their "couple" image and attracting more sympathy from the audience.

This series of maneuvers enabled their team to stand out during the semi-finals, and the two successfully advanced to the finals.

In this final, 24 contestants were thrown into the forest arena. As soon as the competition officially began, a brutal battle for survival ensued. Because the center of the arena in front of them was piled with supplies, most of the contestants immediately began killing each other in order to seize weapons and food.

Fortunately, Katniss was very clear-headed. She avoided the melee as planned, and after grabbing the bow and arrow, she immediately hid deep in the forest and brought the pace into her comfort zone.

Meanwhile, the contestants from wealthy areas, after their initial battles, formed an alliance and began hunting down other weaker individuals. On the other side, Katniss in the woods not only successfully reunited with Pete but also met Rue, a girl from a poor community, and successfully gained her trust. The three formed an alliance, and other stragglers who had escaped also began to form teams.

After the initial free-for-all, the "Hunger Games" smoothly transitioned into a team battle phase, and the story became increasingly exciting.

(End of this chapter)