Casting into the unknown

Producer gives role in latest film to computer-generated character as movies embrace digital age.

Having an actor or an actress who is constantly available, willing to work tirelessly, and free from any negative news is perhaps a dream scenario for every film or TV show producer.

Sort of realizing this dream, Chen Hongwei, a veteran producer renowned for his involvement in blockbusters such as China's Oscar bid Go Away Mr Tumor and Marvel's superhero movie Venom, has "cast "such an actress in his latest project, My Chinese Chic Boutique.

Consisting of 24 episodes, the online drama, currently streaming on Tencent Video, tells the story of a young woman who, despite growing up in a wealthy family, dreams of making a name for herself in the business world. However, her aspiration is hindered by her tycoon father's opposition. Driven by frustration, she leaves home and stumbles upon a mysterious woman who runs a bar, which surprisingly happens to be a portal to an ancient city teeming with business opportunities.

The mysterious bar owner, a beautiful and slender woman, is played by Guo Guo, a virtual, computer-generated actress.

Despite virtual celebrities like Japan's Hatsune Miku and the United States' Lil Miquela no longer being novel in this rapidly evolving internet era, it's still fresh and intriguing to cast a digital actor in a Chinese drama.

Describing himself as "the first person to eat crab", a Chinese proverb referring to those bravely venturing into an unknown field, Chen, who serves as the chief producer of the series, recalls that he decided to incorporate a virtual actress in the cast after he was introduced to a Beijing-based company specialized in designing and developing virtual roles.

With nearly 20 years of experience in the showbiz industry, as a seasoned veteran, Chen has been closely observing emerging trends, particularly the increasing reliance of both Chinese and foreign studios on artificial intelligence and virtual reality technologies in recent years.

China's film industry, he says, has made an impressive leap by more skillfully employing special effects, exemplified by director Guo Fan's sci-fi franchise The Wandering Earth and ethnic Mongolian director Wuershan's fantastic epic Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms.

"Currently, the production of visual-effect scenes primarily relies on a combination of cinematography on the soundstage and motion capture of the actors' performances," says Chen.

"Nevertheless, virtual actors could potentially take on major roles if their facial expressions and gestures can be developed with sufficient realism and vividness. This prospect could become a reality as digital technology advances to a new level," he adds.

After graduating from Beijing Normal University, Chen consecutively worked as the deputy general manager at Wanda Media, a film and television drama arm of Dalian Wanda Group, and as vice-president of Tencent Pictures, a subsidiary of the internet giant Tencent Holdings.

Interestingly, he says that his career has coincided with the unprecedented expansion of the domestic film industry, particularly during his time at Tencent Pictures. This has provided him with valuable opportunities to engage in collaborations with Hollywood and delve into the dynamics of international cooperation. He was once in charge of the investment or distribution of several Hollywood movies, including Wonder Woman and Bumblebee.

"During the busiest period, I remember having back-to-back meetings throughout the day, meeting with seven Hollywood companies," he says, recalling that he was surprised to find that some American filmmakers have a deep understanding of China's film industry.

When the unexpected outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic hit more than three years ago, causing the Chinese film industry to come to a halt, Chen also had more time to reflect on his own life.

Driven by a fascination with traditional Chinese culture and history, Chen departed from Tencent Pictures and started to pursue a doctoral degree at Beijing Film Academy in 2020.

He believes that for the future of homegrown special effects-studded movies, authentically understanding Chinese culture should be the top priority; otherwise, celestial creatures or demons featured in Chinese fantasy or mythological tales may resemble those created by Western studios.