Chinese film industry sees rapid growth in visual effects technology

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

By Liu Yang, People's Daily

In recent years, China's film industry has experienced rapid growth, marked by constant breakthroughs in VFX technology. With better technical expertise, a more vibrant artistic vision, and a more substantial contribution to film industrialization, China's VFX sector is showing strong development momentum.

Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2," the first movie to cross $1 billion in a single market, continues to generate steady ticket sales. This sequel features three times the number of characters as its predecessor "Ne Zha," nearly 2,000 special effects shots, and a production team of over 4,000 people. Its closing credits list nearly 140 Chinese animation studios involved in the project.

According to industry insiders, Chinese VFX teams can now bring almost all visual concepts to life by technical means. "The climactic battle between the demon clans and the celestial realm in 'Ne Zha 2' involves over 200 million characters. All visual effects were produced by Chinese teams, proving that China's VFX sector is now at the forefront of the world," said Li Zhen, a researcher with the China Film Art Research Center.

China's VFX advancements are closely linked to the rapid development of the country's film industry. The increasing demand for VFX-enabled productions has provided ample opportunities for Chinese studios to refine their skills through real-world projects. Meanwhile, the vibrant Chinese film market has increased audience expectations for even more stunning visuals, further driving industry progress.

Sources say that AI technology is playing an increasingly significant role in the early stages of VFX design. Once a script is finalized, AI can generate hundreds or even thousands of concept images within a short time, providing valuable visual references for the creation team.

The emergence of the AI video generator Sora in 2024 was a landmark event in the world. Back then, China had yet to develop its own large video generation models.

"Since the second half of 2024, we've been using our domestic models like KLING and DreaminaAI more frequently," said Chen Yi, founder of Timeaxis, one of China's earliest companies dedicated to digital film and television technology, based in east China's Zhejiang province.

"Many of our colleagues have noticed that these domestically developed AI models are increasingly adept at handling Chinese-themed content. With thousands of years of rich cultural heritage, our homeland provides a deep well of artistic inspiration. The more these models learn from our VFX artists, the better they capture Chinese aesthetics and emotional expression. The progress of Chinese video generation models gives us greater confidence in the future of our industry," said Chen.

With the advancement of the film industry, VFX has become an integral part of the entire film production process. Whether for live-action movies, animated films, or science fiction blockbusters, VFX has enabled directors and screenwriters to bring their imaginative ideas to life.

Take "Detective Chinatown 1900," another high-grossing film during this year's Spring Festival holiday, for example. The film includes over 1,100 VFX shots, and the production team built a full-scale replica of old San Francisco at Laoling Film Studio in Dezhou, east China's Shandong province.

According to the film's VFX supervisor Xu Mingjun, the VFX team began script reading even earlier than the actors because they needed to prepare for scanning and modeling. "Throughout the entire process of pre-production, filming, and post-production, we needed to work closely with the cinematography team to ensure that our VFX plans aligned perfectly with their action sequences," said Xu.

The VFX sector is a benchmark of technological strength. Its rapid growth in China over the past few years has boosted the country's film industrialization progress.

The success of "Ne Zha 2" marks another milestone in China's VFX capabilities. Hundreds of Chinese studios collaborated on the film, with some specializing in rain simulation, others in particle effects, and yet more in character animation. The high-level expertise and an increasingly refined industrial chain have provided a solid industrial foundation for more filmmakers in China.