Japanese Entertainment: From special effects actor to action superstar

Chapter 504 What are the advantages of new technologies?

afternoon.

As scheduled, the audience and invited guests arrived at the built-in photography studio.

The photography studio wasn't big, or rather, it was too small for the tourists who came today. Many people were sitting under the temporary sheds set up outside to get some shade.

Even so, everyone couldn't help but look curiously at the equipment covered by cloth on the stage.

so.

What are these things?!

In the silence, Gu Ming, who had not appeared in public for a long time, finally stepped onto the stage.

"It's been a long time, and I've missed you all very much... I think everyone must be very curious as to why this event in Studio One is so important."

"So, here I want to tell everyone."

"This is not just a fun activity, but also a brand-new technology demonstration!"

Gu Ming's voice echoed throughout the park through the microphone and speakers; his distinctively husky voice, characteristic of an adult male, was audible almost everywhere.

After a brief exchange of whispers, the studio gradually quieted down.

Standing on the stage, Gu Ming looked around and saw that besides the reporters and familiar friends, there were also some people who didn't want to come, such as Wan Gu'ao and his friends.

At this moment, everyone, regardless of who they were, was waiting for Gu Ming to finish his story.

"Some of the audience members here are ticket holders, while others are already insiders in the film and television industry. I believe everyone is quite familiar with the special photography techniques involved, for example—" Gu Ming raised his hand and pointed at Wan Gu'ao.

The decision is yours!

"Wan Gu'ao, the second son of the elder Wan Guying."

Wan Gu'ao's lips twitched, but he still stood up, basking in the gaze of everyone present.

"Mr. Wan Gu'ao is very knowledgeable about special effects technology. I believe you can explain some things very clearly, such as how we used to arrange those scenes, how we drew handmade backgrounds, how we moved airplanes, and how we hand-carved buildings..."

Wan Gu'ao gave a low hum.

“None of these things were easy to do. Some were the result of my father’s hard work, and some came from Toho’s technology, such as that of Mr. Honda Ishiro. In this respect, Toho has always been a leader in special effects technology. To this day, we are still following in my father’s footsteps.”

"Well said." Gu Ming clasped his hands together, making a soft snap that echoed throughout the venue as the microphone vibrated.

"However, that's all in the past! Upholding President Eiji Mangaya's legacy, Mangaya Company has always sought innovation and change in this area! This is a technology that even the Americans have not yet mastered!"

—Actually, it's because the model technology used by Americans is different from that of Japan, but Gu Ming certainly wouldn't say that outright.

He pointed casually.

The staff, who were already prepared, tore off the fabric in one go, revealing neatly arranged computers.

A number of computer studio employees in uniforms took to the stage and waited in front of their computers.

"computer!"

It's the latest style.

"Home computers..."

No one can ignore these devices. Dozens of devices placed together are quite a sight, especially since one of them far exceeds the scope of a home computer.

That's almost half the size of a house.

Several reporters from Toei's subsidiaries, which are affiliated with the Asahi Group, huddled together and whispered among themselves.

The reporters invited by Dongbao, however, raised their heads slightly.

They had already heard about it from Gu Ming. They were naturally very clear about this matter.

"By utilizing the latest computer-generated special effects, we have combined special effects technology with computer-generated special effects, greatly reducing the shooting time to less than one-tenth of what it used to be, while the effect is in no way inferior to the efforts of the past! With the advancement of science and technology, all of this will only get better and better!"

brush! !

Wan Gu'ao clenched his fist instantly.

Gu Ming bowed slightly to the audience.

"Therefore, all visitors are welcome to experience this event and witness firsthand how special effects technology is integrated with computer special effects. All children and their parents are welcome to come and experience it together."

Gu Ming randomly selected two children from those who eagerly raised their hands, and the two children happily went on stage with their parents.

Gu Ming crouched down to get a closer look at one of them.

"What's your name? Ichiro? Hmm, that's an easy name to remember. Ichiro, do you like playing with remote-controlled airplanes?"

Seeing the other party nod, Gu Ming casually pointed. "Then, let's have a unique airplane battle between the two children."

Gu Ming has stepped back from the spotlight, but the lights in the studio remain unchanged.

Wan Gu'ao clenched his fingers, remaining silent.

Instead, several reporters moved closer and lowered their voices.

"What are they trying to do?"

"Isn't it supposed to be new technology? But I don't understand what this new technology is."

"Don't worry, it'll be here soon!"

Under bright lights, the camera is turned on, and two lucky children operate electric remote-controlled airplanes that require strings, engaging in a shaky battle.

Remote control airplanes are fun for kids, but they're so hard to use!

They don't understand those joysticks!

In the end, one of the children, shamelessly, brought in their parents and won the airplane battle.

"The video processing will take a while, so please wait a moment. Is there anyone else who wants to come up and experience the airplane battle?"

Gu Ming gave a call, and more people stepped forward to participate enthusiastically.

It's quite fun to personally control the fighter jets in the game and engage in combat!

Although they didn't really understand how to play, the feeling of interacting with other children was something they couldn't experience when playing alone.

The scene became somewhat lively, but the minds of the many reporters were far from at ease.

They simply couldn't understand what Gu Ming was trying to do.

It wasn't until half an hour later that the staff brought back the printed copies.

Because it only takes less than half a minute to copy, the printing process is exceptionally fast.

"These are two identical copies, one is the original copy, and the other will be adjusted using computer special effects!"

While having the projectionist play the first copy, Gu Ming also began urging the special effects studio to process the footage on-site.

Erase the traces of cables, erase the solid-color background, and replicate everything under the pre-set blue sky.

All of this will certainly take some time.

On the screen, everyone saw the scene that had just been recorded: the fighter jet crashing at an angle and the distorted control method.

Even at this point, no one knew what Gu Ming was going to show.

Wan Gu'ao frowned deeply, unable to understand or comprehend it.

In his understanding, such a scene is not impossible to achieve, but it would require a long period of manual processing and frame-by-frame modification to make the scene as perfect as possible.

This is also a common method used in TV dramas in the past to simulate real battle scenes using models.

"What on earth is going on?"

He glanced at Simbote, but Simbote was equally confused.

As the children finished their playtime, the lights in the photography studio suddenly dimmed.

Everyone instinctively looked up and around, and then their eyes locked onto the movie screen.

"Next... welcome everyone to watch the birth of a new technology."

Gu Ming bowed and then left the stage.

The screen was divided into two halves: one half was the unprocessed image, and the other half was the image that had been edited multiple times.

Under the boundless blue sky, two fighter jets that suddenly appeared engaged in a fierce dogfight.

The somewhat rudimentary sound could not diminish the stunning visuals, and the irregular movements were something that models suspended by threads could not easily simulate in the past.

Gu Ming, sitting in the audience, raised his lips.

Yes.

People don't understand what's so good about this shot, so this exhibition is needed to let people know exactly what's good about it and why.

What makes it so good is that it's more realistic, and it's something that's very difficult for humans to replicate!

(End of this chapter)