Editor's note:
On April 23, the "International Image Communication Innovation Dialogue of the Communist Party of China (2024) and the Seminar for Global Political Party Media Affairs Leaders Sino-foreign Exchange Theme Activities" was held in Beijing. In the discussion session on "New Technology Gives New Momentum to the Image Communication of Political Parties", Chen Fang, head of Interpretation China Studio, shared his practical experience and work thoughts on cultivating new productivity of documentary images with innovative technology. The full text is below.
△ Interpretation of the speech of Chen Fang, the head of the Chinese studio
Distinguished guests,
At present, China's documentary imaging industry has entered a stage of high-quality development, with all links and elements of the industrial chain gradually maturing, multiple market entities becoming increasingly active, and innovative technologies constantly cultivating new quality productivity. Here, I would like to share some practical experiences in interpreting the use of documentary images by Chinese studios to report on the ruling philosophy of the Communist Party of China and strengthen the application of innovative technologies with three key words.
The first keyword: authenticity. Since the birth of the 20th century, documentaries have increasingly grown into an important carrier for recording history, disseminating culture and shaping the image of a country. It is often said that truth is the life and essence of documentaries. Creators need to always maintain the aesthetic principle of documenting the real world, which is also a basic criterion for documentary filmmaking.
△ The filming site of the documentary "The Source of Nature".
With the widespread use of innovative technologies, the means and methods of recording real-time real-world scenes have greatly expanded. Interpreting China Studio, Migu Video, and well-known British director Phil Agland are cooperating to shoot the documentary "The Source of Nature", telling the story of the biodiversity of Sanjiangyuan National Park and conveying the concept of ecological civilization construction of the Communist Party of China. In the filming of the program, in addition to conventional cameras, the film crew also actively used innovative scientific and technological means such as infrared detection cameras and satellite positioning tracking devices. We were also pleasantly surprised to find that AI technology has also been widely used in the conservation of snow leopards in the Qilian Mountains, where local government agencies have carried out AI identification and tracking of snow leopard individuals. The wide application of these new technologies has provided a great help for the true and vivid recording of the story of the snow leopard.
△ The staff of the documentary "Nature's Source" checks the infrared camera
The second keyword: three-dimensional. The three-dimensional shaping of the subject is the key to the ultimate success of a documentary. Interpreting China Studio is co-producing a series of documentaries "Beijing Central Axis Across Time and Space" with the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Cultural Heritage, the Beijing Enterprise Central Axis Protection Public Welfare Foundation, and Tencent SSV, which tells the cultural, historical and contemporary values behind the Beijing Central Axis in three dimensions, and deeply explains the cultural construction concept of the Communist Party of China.
△ The GIF is from the pilot film of "Digital Central Axis, Small Universe".
In the documentary, there is a story of innovative technology of "Digital Axis, Small Universe". This technology uses cutting-edge technologies such as high-definition photo scanning, game engine technology, and cloud gaming to vividly reproduce Beijing's central axis in the digital world. Through high-definition digital scanning and combined with a variety of game technologies, the "Digital Central Axis: Small Universe" will not only model the 7.8-kilometer core heritage area, but also finely reproduce the heritage sites such as Xiannongtan, Bell and Drum Tower, and Wanning Bridge, allowing the audience to experience the cultural heritage of Beijing's central axis in a more three-dimensional way.
The third keyword: cooperation. At present, technological innovation has increasingly become a driving force for the recovery and sustainable development of the global documentary imaging industry. A single flower is not spring, a hundred flowers bloom in spring. In recent years, the cooperation between China and foreign documentary films has been deepened, and a tide of all-round and multi-level cooperation has been formed, which has stimulated sparks of innovation in exchanges, achieved technological breakthroughs in cooperation, and built an effective bridge for exchanges and dialogues among civilizations.
Produced by Interpretation China Studios, IMAX of Canada, and Beach House Pictures Co., Ltd. of Singapore, and co-produced by Foreign Languages Publishing House and Yunnan Jincai Vision Film Co., Ltd., the documentary film "The Legend of the Elephant" is currently being filmed in Yunnan Province, China. The film takes the 2021 Yunnan wild Asian elephant "moving north and returning to the south" incident as the starting point and clue of the story, and uses IMAX cameras to shoot the story of the Asian elephant in Yunnan, China, for the first time on the global theater screen, vividly showing the beautiful Chinese picture of the harmonious coexistence of humans and Asian elephants, presenting the remarkable achievements of China's wildlife conservation in three dimensions, and providing Chinese wisdom for promoting biodiversity conservation and building a community of life on earth.
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that it is necessary to actively cultivate future industries, accelerate the formation of new quality productivity, and enhance new momentum for development. Interpreting China Studio will continue to strengthen opening up and cooperation, accelerate the application of digital technology, lead business innovation with scientific and technological innovation, and make positive efforts to develop new quality productivity of documentary images.
Thank you, and wish the foreign friends participating in the conference a fulfilling, pleasant and unforgettable trip to China!