Chinanews.com, Shanghai News, June 28 (Xu Yin) On June 26, the "Forge Together, Pick the Stars!" hosted by Tencent Video! The "Panoramic Perspective Animation Industry Ecology" seminar was unveiled at the 29th Shanghai TV Festival "Magnolia Dialogue" TV Forum. This event invited animation creators, scholars, industry representatives and platform representatives to discuss the new trends of animation content and industry development.
Cui Chao, Deputy General Manager of Tencent's Online Video Platform Operations Department, Zhu Chenghua, Chief Operating Officer of Riot Games China, Ma Chencheng, President of Shanghai Media Performing Arts (Group) Co., Ltd., and Wei Dong, Chief Financial Officer of Haw Wow Entertainment, attended the seminar and participated in the production and launch ceremony of the immersive music show "League of Legends: Battle of Two Cities", witnessing the diversified exploration of world-class IP and the strong alliance of top teams at home and abroad.
At the same time, Shen Leping, Chairman of Xuanji Technology Co., Ltd., Deng Zhiwei, CEO of Color Pencil Animation and Animation Director of "Dart Man", Guan Minbo, Producer of Shanghai Fine Arts Film Studio's ink animation film "Impala Flying", Dr. Rao Anyi, Postdoctoral Researcher at Stanford University, Shang Linlin, Executive President of Huaqiang Fantawild Culture Technology Group and Chairman of Huaqiang Fantawild (Shenzhen) Animation Co., Ltd., Connor Doyle, Chief Creator of "League of Legends: Battle of Two Cities" Immersive Music Show, Annip (Shanghai) Culture and Art Co., Ltd. Aniplex (Shanghai) Ltd。 Director Jin Shantianqi also shared keynote speeches on two topics: "Symbiosis of Content and Technology, Going to the Wilderness of Animation Creation" and "Diversified Animation IP Creates New Quality Productivity in the Industry".
At the event, Cui Chao, deputy general manager of Tencent's online video platform operation department, made an opening speech, sharing that under the multiple imaginations brought about by the integration of art and technology and the continuous expansion of IP, the animation industry is bound to show more far-reaching value along with the changes in art, technology and business prospects, and Tencent Video will always be committed to exploring the infinite possibilities of the animation industry: "We have also observed that stylized painting works are the first threshold for users to consume animation works, but at the same time, we are increasingly seeing that Reasonable story arrangement, good character arc, good story rhythm, is also a very important key point for our users to continue to consume an animated drama work, so Tencent Video has always responded to the needs of our users, and strives to cooperate with the best animation directors in our country, screenwriters, and artists, and we are also actively expanding cooperation with the world's top animation creators, and there may be such works in the future, so please look forward to it. ”
Combine the advantages of multiple parties to create an immersive music show
League of Legends: Battle of Two Cities opens up a new approach
Based on the animated series of the same name, League of Legends: Battle of Two Cities will be overshadowed by Riot Games, co-produced by Tencent Video, Tencent Games, SMG Performing Arts Group, and Wow Haw Haw Wow, and created by Punchdrunk, the world's top immersive team.
At the launching ceremony, the guests held the "Hex Crystal" that represents the energy in the animated series of "League of Legends: Battle of Two Cities", and put the crystal into the starting device to release the Hex energy in the dynamic background music atmosphere.
At present, Tencent Video and Shanghai Media and Performing Arts have reached an in-depth linkage, and at the same time, they have cooperated with Wow Haw Haw Wow for talent selection, and the casting work has been officially launched in May 2024, and it is planned to meet the audience in Shanghai in 2025.
Content and technology coexist and prosper
奔赴动画行业的Next Level
As a carrier of artistic expression, animation can highlight the creator's unbridled imagination in content creation, narrative expression and picture presentation, based on innovative creation, through the display of content and technology, it can be integrated with a variety of forms of art types, and can create a dream with the style of the creators, and also allow the audience to enter different time and space through animated stories and see different wonderful worlds.
As a leading animation company in the industry, Xuanji Technology has always been known for its solid content creation and excellent technical strength, and its animations such as "Douluo Continent" and "Devouring the Starry Sky" produced and launched are not only the youth companion of a generation of audiences, but also attract many animation creators to enter the industry. At the meeting, Shen Leping, chairman of Xuanji Technology Co., Ltd., said, "From our personal point of view, I think there are five winning factors for the success of Chinese animation companies. The first is productivity, the second is creativity; In addition, there is no doubt about scientific and technological strength and talent strength; The last one is brand power, the brand should be from three aspects, one is IP, the other is the company's production team, and the other is our main creative staff, whether it is a novelist, or a screenwriter, a director, or our main beauty, or even a musician, in fact, it has the opportunity to form its brand effect. At the scene, Shen Leping also shared the "creative way of Xuanji", which consists of five virtual platforms composed of virtual studios, virtual actors, virtual studios, virtual shooting and virtual performances, which will become a new engine for Xuanji Technology to deepen the animation industry and continue to bring high-quality works to the majority of animation audiences.
Last year, "Dartman" once again set off a heated discussion among the public about the national style animation, and "Dartman" was also shortlisted for the Magnolia Award for Best Animation/Best Animation Script at this year's Shanghai TV Festival. Deng Zhiwei, CEO of Color Pencil Animation and animation director of "Dart Man", also shared "the dilemma of commercial 2D animation and the application of 3D technology", he bluntly said that he encountered many difficulties in creating 2D animation, and he was also full of expectations for the future: "At present, my biggest dilemma is to gradually improve the smoothness of our 2D animation in the audience's vision, and make the frame rate fuller. Because the hardware will continue to be updated and iterated in the future, the frame rate will be higher and smoother in the future, and we can't be too backward, too backward will really become an 'intangible cultural heritage', which is a pity. Because we still really want the unique aesthetic expression of 2D animation to accompany our audience for a longer time, accompany the growth of our children, and adapt to more cultural creations. ”
With the changes of the times, animation has gradually carried the important role of Chinese aesthetics and Chinese cultural value orientation, Guan Minbo, the producer of the ink animation film "Impala Flying" of Shanghai Fine Arts Film Studio, told the scene about "how to continue to walk the creative road of Shangmeiying", and also brought good wishes to the entire industry: "Shangmei Film is actively embracing the market today, we will continue to explore new Chinese animation school creators, establish an echelon of old, middle-aged and young talents, and embrace new technologies such as AI while inheriting traditions. Adopt a diversified cooperation model,Produce works that are different from many 'Guoman' on the market,At the same time, adhere to the traditional aesthetic style of Shangmeiying,Strive to tell Chinese stories well。 Behind Guan Minbo's words, it is also the insistence of generations of animators who have not forgotten their original intentions.
Dr. Rao Anyi, a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University, interpreted the indissoluble relationship between animators and technology from the perspective of technology application, and shared his creative experience of using generative AI when discussing "building a bridge between humans and computers in animation production", and said: "We hope to build a bridge between humans and computers by designing more transparent tools, and finally through these tools, we can build reliable interactions between humans and artificial intelligence, so as to achieve communicative improvements." Instead of non-stop trial and error. ”
Diversification boosts animation IP and industry
Create new qualitative productivity
From the birth of the first animation a hundred years ago, to the fact that animation has become a content carrier that audiences are accustomed to, industrial innovation is a problem that practitioners in the animation industry must face. How to make animation and animation IP have more vivid and long-term vitality, how to break through barriers, and let animation go from the screen to reality, every practitioner has a different answer in their hearts.
The "Bear Infested" series is undoubtedly one of the strongest national IPs in recent years, and the box office of the 10 "Bear Infested" series of animated films has exceeded 7.7 billion, which is a milestone in both the animation industry and the film and television field. Behind the "Bear Infested" series is the layout of Huaqiang Fantawild in the whole industry chain. At the event, Shang Linlin, Executive President of Huaqiang Fantawild Culture Technology Group and Chairman of Huaqiang Fantawild (Shenzhen) Animation Co., Ltd., faced the challenge of how to achieve the "layout of the whole industry chain and create evergreen IP", she said: "How to build evergreen IP, it is simple to say, complex is also complicated, and simple is four words - 'integrity and innovation'. The first is integrity, all our works, including all derivatives, must 'keep' our brand concept and the positive energy theme we have always adhered to, including family, friendship, dreams, growth, etc. But more importantly, innovation, in addition to the continuous polishing of the content and structure of the story, we are also constantly seeking innovation and keeping pace with the times every year in the theme of the story, and continuous innovation and breakthroughs are one of the biggest challenges for us every year. ”
In addition to focusing on the development of the whole industry chain of animation IP, presenting the core value and culture of animation in a richer and more diverse way has become a topic of concern in the animation industry, Connor Doyle, the creator of the immersive music show "League of Legends: Battle of Two Cities", also expressed his understanding of "stepping into the story narrative: reshaping IP with immersive drama ecology", and for the new journey of creation "League of Legends: Battle of Two Cities" immersive music show, he said, "League of Legends: Battle of Two Cities The immersive music show marks the first time that the audience will experience the live-action version of the animated series, and the novel and popular IP of the Battle of the Two Cities has a unique advantage in expanding and exploring the new immersive ecological model. The IP of "League of Legends: Battle of Two Cities" continues to improve in artistic exploration and integrates with immersive art forms, which will create a new cultural phenomenon, a cultural phenomenon that integrates creative inspiration, technological experimentation, and emotional narrative. Under his description, the audience's expectations for the immersive music show of "League of Legends: Two Cities" continue to rise.
In May this year, Tencent Video confirmed the introduction of another overseas high-scoring animation "Demon Slayer Blade Pillar Training", and behind this popular IP is Aniplex Co., Ltd. The overseas distribution business of the animation "Dragon Family" produced by Tencent Video is in charge of Aniplex, "Dragon Family" is not only launched in Japan 4 mainstream animation TV stations in Japan, but also the Chinese and Japanese versions are broadcast simultaneously in Niconico, Hulu, ABEMA and other 18 streaming media, and "Dragon Family" has also carried out peripheral sales in Japan, social media matrix establishment and other publicity activities, in South Korea, Southeast Asia and other places have also achieved outstanding distribution results, attracting a large number of overseas audiences.
Aniplex (Shanghai) Culture & Arts Co., Ltd. / Aniplex Co., Ltd. Director Jin Shantianqi also came to the scene, he said: "We are also committed to promoting these excellent Chinese works to the world in various forms, so that global audiences can love these works. In fact, we will find that compared to the past, the quality of Chinese animation works is getting higher and higher, and the number of them is also very large, and in the overseas market, the demand for Chinese animation is growing, and we see this demand, so we also have the idea of strengthening these overseas businesses. ”
The animation industry is constantly showing a thriving new atmosphere. Along the way, Chinese animation has had hardships and celebrations. However, Tencent Video and all practitioners in the animation industry believe that no matter how the technology is iterated, how the content is upgraded, and how the IP crosses borders, as long as it is based on innovative creation, insists that art and technology complement each other, and uses creativity to empower productivity, it will inevitably bring more high-quality animation works to the audience. In the second half of this year, Tencent Video will also continue to bring a series of excellent works to the audience, such as "Sword Comes", "Slaying God", "League of Legends: Battle of Two Cities" Season 2. China's animation industry is forging ahead with one heart and one mind, and the future will be as brilliant as a sea of stars. (ENDS)
Editor: Xu Yin