Black technology: a super empire spanning two worlds

Chapter 378 [A consensus has been reached that only actors and entertainers are being hit hard]

That very evening, the stock price of Netflix, the US streaming video website giant, surged by 16.28%, breaking the $1000 mark for the first time that day, reaching $1011, and its total market capitalization reached a record high of $4300 billion, equivalent to a staggering 3 trillion yuan.

The direct cause of Netflix's soaring stock price was clearly driven by the release of an AI video productivity tool by Lingjing Technology.

Moreover, Aiqiyi, which is listed on the US stock market, also saw a surge, rising by 32.63% on the same day.

It has to be said that the capital market reacts very quickly.

Those quick-thinking and astute investors have clearly realized that Lingjing Technology's AI video productivity tool is a huge boon to online streaming platform companies like Netflix.

The production of film and television content will inevitably experience an exponential explosion in the future, but not every single one of these films will be shown in theaters. The competition for theatrical release will be incredibly fierce.

The actual number of films that actually make it to the cinemas is probably less than 1% of the total revenue, because no matter what, if a film is confirmed to be released on the big screen, it should at least have a one-day premiere.
But with such a large output in the future, even if each film is only shown in theaters once, it won't be enough for screenings. Each screening would take at least two hours, or at least 90 minutes or 1 hours.
So here's the question: what about the remaining 99% of the movies?
The answer is simple: skip theatrical releases and premiere directly on online streaming platforms. This eliminates the need for scheduling; users can simply search for the movie they want to watch.

It's even possible that in the future, a scenario of "reversing the natural order" could occur, where a movie becomes a hit on online streaming platforms and then goes on to be shown in theaters.

After all, the viewing experience of visual effects blockbusters on the big screen and the audiovisual experience in the cinema are different.

Moreover, due to the significant reduction in production costs, producers can accept a lower percentage of box office revenue, while theaters can receive a higher share. Coupled with the popularity of streaming services, the revenue is much more secure than a new film premiere.

The surge in the number of films is not entirely a good thing for cinemas, as time becomes their most precious resource.

Before a movie premieres, no one knows which movie will be a hit. With so many movies, if the attendance isn't good, most of them will only have a one-day run. Even if theaters frequently change the movies, they still lose time, and losing time means losing money.

This shows that while the number of movies released has increased dramatically, it doesn't mean that cinemas can just sit back and count their money.

The new challenge that follows is how to discern the best films from the vast sea of ​​movies, films that will be box office hits, audiences will buy tickets to watch them, and films with high attendance rates.

In this new situation, a movie that has a huge success on online streaming platforms has already been tested by the market and can quickly be released in theaters while the hype is still going strong.

Clearly, in the eyes of cinema owners, it's already a huge hit. They should take advantage of the hype and schedule more screenings, even if it only lasts a week, as that would ensure a higher occupancy rate.

This is much safer than those massive amounts of movies that are still unreleased and sold through blind boxes. Plus, with the production company willing to give up a certain percentage of box office revenue, theater owners will definitely be more willing to give it screenings.

That would be "reversing the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches," wouldn't it?

The current industry structure is that movies are released in theaters, and only after the theatrical run ends can they be streamed on online streaming platforms.

There is no doubt that if the film industry faces a situation in the future where 99% of movies cannot be shown in physical cinemas, they will inevitably have no choice but to go to online streaming platforms, which will be a 100% benefit for streaming platforms.

As a result, Netflix's stock price surged, and the stock prices of other online streaming video platforms' publicly traded companies also rose.

The following day, as soon as it got light in the Eastern Hemisphere, after the A-share market opened, major film and television stocks in the cultural and media sector surged, triggering a wave of limit-up moves.

Tencent, which is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, has also seen a surge in the share price of Fujiko F. Teng. Among the three major online video streaming websites in China, iQiyi, Youku, and Tencent Video, Tencent is not only one of the three, but it has also been developing rapidly in recent years and is backed by Tencent and has plenty of money.

This wave of technological advancements in the film and television industry has hit film and television actors particularly hard. Even if they aren't completely wiped out, they've been severely impacted, essentially losing their voice and bargaining power within the industry. From now on, actors who dream of demanding tens or even hundreds of millions in fees will be dreaming; the ceiling for their salaries will be capped at a few million.

Other professions, such as screenwriters, directors, and special effects artists, will not be eliminated by this technological wave; in fact, their work efficiency and output will be greatly improved.

Because the essence of AI video generation is a productivity tool that greatly improves the efficiency of film and television content production, and tools are for people to use.

Screenwriters and directors who resist this tool and are extremely anxious about it must be because they don't know how to use it, or they simply don't want to use it, refuse to change, or are unwilling to change. Such people will definitely be swept away by the great wave.

His competitive advantage immediately becomes apparent because others will use this tool to help him significantly improve his work efficiency and increase his content output.

Putting everything else aside, he can produce twenty or thirty films a year, while you might only be able to produce one film after two or three years, or even five or six years, and it could even be a box office flop. How are you going to compete with him?

Therefore, right after this tool was launched, some screenwriters, directors, and special effects artists have already learned it at lightning speed and even started deploying it directly.

They know that with the help of this tool, their work efficiency and productivity will increase dramatically.

This tool won't eliminate their professions, but it will certainly intensify competition and lead to a major reshuffle in the industry. Those who can use this tool may not be better off than they are now, but those who can't will definitely be eliminated.

Only the world where actors are hit head-on reaches a consensus.

There's really no other way. Even if Lingjing Technology hadn't launched this productivity tool, many production companies had already started researching and discussing using the Liuguang Xingyu humanoid robot as an extra last year, and even discussed the possibility of using the Liuguang Xingyu robot as the lead actor.

The technology has truly reached this level. The facial micro-expressions of the Flowing Star Language robot are incredibly rich, and its bionic skin is so realistic that it is indistinguishable from a human in every way, except that it is not human.

The price was so cheap that, in the beginning, before Likang Technology was summoned for talks, some production companies saw that each one cost more than 1 yuan and even planned to purchase thousands or tens of thousands to use as extras.

Making 10,000 of them would only cost a little over 100 million yuan, and they can be reused repeatedly, not just for making one movie.

The cost-effectiveness is incredible. When the company starts filming projects in the future, we can have impressive scenes that we can show off. Plus, it's live-action filming, so we don't need expensive special effects. The cost is also very low, and the Flowing Star Language Robot won't even need to eat boxed lunches.

The key advantage is that it's easy to manage. Organizing and coordinating thousands or tens of thousands of people can easily lead to chaos, but organizing and coordinating thousands or tens of thousands of robots can be done on a computer. These are the advantages of robot extras.

Many production companies have seriously studied the possibility of using the Flowing Star Language lifelike robot as the main actor in a movie, including customizing a character image, engaging Likang Technology for high-end customization, and creating robot actor IP brands, character designs, and so on.

To reiterate, with such robot actors, you don't need to worry about them causing trouble or ruining their reputations, nor do you need to pay them thousands or even hundreds of millions in salaries. Everything about these robot actors is an asset of your production company.

With so many advantages, how could a production company, as a business entity, not explore the possibility of robot actors replacing human actors?

Now, Lingjing Technology has launched such a powerful AI video generation tool, which, along with the Liuguang Xingyu simulation robot, addresses the problem at the software level and the hardware level respectively.

This reinforces the advantage of human actors, further diminishing their strengths, which makes it even more important for producers to study this issue.

……

(End of this chapter)