iQIYI Introduces China's First Extended Reality (XR) Virtual Production Series, Further Integrating Technology and Entertainment

BEIJING, Aug. 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- iQIYI, an innovative market-leading online entertainment service in China, announced recently that parts of its drama series Fox Spirit Matchmaker (Yuehong Chapter) will involve Extended Reality (XR) Virtual Production, making the show China's first drama series that adopts the kind of technology in its production. The move marks a further step iQIYI takes to realize its strategic vision of leveraging virtual production to enhance content quality, improve efficiency, and create an immersive viewing experience.

Fox Fairy Little Matchmaker is a drama series adaptation of the eponymous Chinese anime, and its XR virtual production involves a number of LED panels being installed in the series' shooting location in Hengdian, Zhejiang province, where iQIYI constructed a 2,400-square-meter virtual production studio. While shot virtually, the final output conveys a high degree of realism and is almost indistinguishable from those shot in a physical set.  The set-up also enables the production team to move around seamlessly and reuse and adapt to various virtual sets efficiently.

The shooting process of the series is a strong testament to how virtual production brings changes and new room for development in the film and television industry while inspiring the audience to be even more creative in their imagination.

"iQIYI has been building its digital asset library and exploring the integration of film and television production with advanced technology. XR virtual production is a crucial move to further propel the industrialization of Chinese film and television into a new stage," said ZHU Liang, Vice President of iQIYI and Head of Intelligent Production.

iQIYI has long been leveraging technology such as virtual production to enable a better entertainment experience. In January, the company completed the production of two 4K test films in its self-built virtual production studio. The scenes of the films are adopted from iQIYI's hit drama series Luoyang, for which the company 3D-scanned the physical scenes of the drama with high precision. The scans were then turned into "Digital Twin" 3D assets and have been repurposed to create the 4K test films.

"Since the virtual set can be used repeatedly for a variety of productions—such as animation, games, VR, commercial authorization and others—it hugely reduces the cost related to building physical sets and allows for infinite possibilities," added Zhu.

CONTACT: iQIYI Press, press@qiyi.com