On the evening of November 20, 2019, “Internet Night”, the only event of the 28th China Golden Rooster & Hundred Flowers Film Festival themed on the internet and film, was held in Xiamen. It was hosted by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, the China Film Association and the Xiamen Municipal People’s Government, and organized by Tencent Pictures. Leaders and guests attended the event and shared their views on the integration of the internet and the film industry, including Zhang Hong, Secretary of the Leading Party Members’ Group and Resident Vice Chairman of the China Film Association; Yin Hong, Vice Chairman of the China Film Association and professor at the School of Journalism and Communication, Tsinghua University; Cheng Wu, Vice President of Tencent Group and CEO of Tencent Pictures; Wang Chen, General Manager of Chitai Technology; Zheng Zhihao, CEO of Maoyan Entertainment; Zhang Haiyan, Chairman and General Manager of Pearl River Pictures Media Co., Ltd.; Du Yang, Director and Vice President of Beijing Culture; Wu Manfang, Dean, professor and doctoral supervisor of the School of Management, Beijing Film Academy; and Shen Ao, director of the film Lucky Fool.
In recent years, the integration of the internet and film has deepened, reflecting the wider convergence of culture and technology. Moving from “adding elements together” to “becoming one”, from the consumer end to the production end, and gradually covering the entire film industry chain, the integration of the internet and film is expanding the space of the traditional film industry and opening up new possibilities for cinema. In his address, Zhang Hong, Secretary of the Leading Party Members’ Group and Resident Vice Chairman of the China Film Association, said: “Today, holding our phones at home, we can learn through the internet how many people are watching a film, how it is rated and which hall it is screening in. The internet has changed our lives and changed our film ecosystem.” He thanked Tencent Pictures for organizing the event during the festival. “Tencent Pictures has been drawing on Tencent’s technological strengths to promote the integration of technology and culture, and of technology and film and television, supporting the development of the industry. ‘Internet Night’ has enriched the 28th China Golden Rooster & Hundred Flowers Film Festival. The two complement each other, and I think this joint effort will do much to advance Chinese cinema,” Zhang Hong said.
Cheng Wu, Vice President of Tencent Group and CEO of Tencent Pictures, then said: “Tencent has grown from an internet social products company into an internet-based ‘technology + culture’ company. We have seen how much technology can do for culture, and we have also seen the meaning and value that outstanding cultural works bring to society. The internet is an accelerator for every industry, including film and television. We hope to use this occasion to imagine, together with friends and experts in the industry, what new possibilities the internet will bring to the film industry. Virtual technology and virtual screens, for example, may give audiences a different viewing experience.”
Wang Chen, General Manager of Chitai Technology, said: “We are presenting a complete all-scenario membership marketing and operations management solution, driven on two fronts, from a front-end mini program to a back-end management platform. It aims to increase operating revenue and reduce management costs, addressing the pain points of cinemas and cinema chains and supporting the upgrading of the industry. Its consumer-facing product is a cinema membership mini program. Unlike third-party ticketing platforms, Yingguantong is a mini program brand owned entirely by the cinema. The cinema has 100% independent management rights and owns its user data. With WeChat Pay, all transaction funds are settled to the cinema on a T+0 basis. More convenient online ticket purchasing and state-authorized paperless ticket checking give users a better experience, while letting cinemas understand their user data more clearly and tailor services to their users. By linking the industry chain with commercial complexes, it brings value to cinemas along several dimensions and increases their profits. Traffic platforms, advertising platforms, IP resources and commercial tenants can all reach cinemas through Yingguantong, ultimately increasing cinema revenue from ticketing, membership cards and concessions. Yuanxiantong aims to provide internet-based support to cinema chains in managing their franchised cinemas. Through Yuanxiantong, a chain can build its own online management and service platform, solving problems such as the difficulty of passing information to franchised cinemas. As a strategic partner, Tencent has provided support through Lianyingtong, and together we are building an all-scenario membership marketing and operations management solution for cinemas, supporting them in both technology and ecosystem, and jointly upgrading China’s cinemas and cinema chains.”
Du Yang, Director and Vice President of Beijing Culture, spoke about the internet’s influence on film from the perspective of creation and production. “People say Beijing Culture has made many hits, but these did not come from a sudden whim, or from a director simply deciding to do something. Before every project we do a great deal of research, and that research relies on the internet. When we took on the Creation of the Gods trilogy, for example, many people questioned whether such a large investment would work. In fact, before we started, we carried out extensive research, including on the social and economic situation, audience psychology and the number of screens on the distribution side. Film is an art, and that requires the creative team or the investors to look further ahead and anticipate what audiences will want to see in the future.”
At the forum she also revealed that Tencent Pictures had joined Creation of the Gods, the latest collaboration between Tencent Pictures and Beijing Culture after A Cool Fish and The Wandering Earth. Cheng Wu said: “Creation of the Gods is a classic IP with many characters known to every household, such as Nezha, Daji and Jiang Ziya. This IP has built up a very large base of fans and deep emotional attachment. We hope to use the power of the internet, together with Tencent’s strengths and expertise, to work with Beijing Culture to carry that attachment forward and expand it.”
Zhang Haiyan spoke about the changes the internet has brought to film from the perspective of cinema chains. “In the past, cinema chains scheduled screenings mainly by experience and individual judgment. Now scheduling is intelligent.” Internet platforms make it possible to analyze a cinema’s audience composition and the kinds of films its users prefer, and to keep track of the screening schedules and ticket prices of nearby cinemas so that timely adjustments can be made. “The internet is changing the entire exhibition industry.”
