Tencent Holdings is investing in films, using its online games and other assets to gain an edge in the film industry. (Photo : Reuters)
When we think of science fiction (sci-fi) films, we think of Hollywood. But this might change in the near future as China's Tencent Pictures, the film division of Internet company Tencent, starts to venture on low-budget, sci-fi movies.
Tencent Pictures announced on Sept. 17 its list of new TV and film project adaptations. Included in this list of 21 is the "Pathfinder," a sci-fi adventure series which was first published on Tencent's comics channel.
The plan to explore films as China's movie industry moves to a new era, where the audience demands high-quality and original content, was announced at the celebration of Tencent Pictures' first anniversary.
Edward Cheng, Vice President of Tencent and CEO of Tencent Pictures, said that they are excited about collaborations with their partners to build the country's entertainment industry by creating TV series and films with world-class content and based on new business models.
The sci-fi film-to-be has a budget of a few million yuan, just a small chunk of a typical Hollywood sci-fi film's cost. The International Business Times reported that producing "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" cost $200 million, and the Avatar, $230 million.
Well-known film critic Zhiang Xiaobei will be the scriptwriter and director of "Pathfinder," and the challenge for him is to find a Chinese way to make a sci-fi movie given the available technology and budget. He said that exploring a way different from a typical Hollywood film is the solution, and the focus will be on the characters' roles, emotions and humanity.
The script is already on its final revision, digital systems are being set up, and filming is expected to start in early 2017.
Aside from "Pathfinder," another sci-fi film is in the list of Tencent Pictures. Award-winning filmmaker Lu Chuan revealed that he has teamed up with Tencent to work on "20,000 Miles Plan."
Chinese sci-fi film industry has a long way to go, and Tencent has definitely made a bold step on this.
