iQIYI's new drama sets benchmark for virtual production

Fangs of Fortune, a hit fantasy period drama starring actor Hou Minghao and actress Chen Duling, premiered in late October on iQIYI, China's leading online entertainment platform.

Presented by iQIYI, Fangs of Fortune was inspired by The Classic of the Mountains and Seas, an ancient Chinese book about mythological creatures. According to the company, the highly-anticipated drama unfolds in a universe filled with Chinese cultural elements, brought to life through state-of-the-art technologies and virtual production.

Reinventing the Chinese fantasy narrative of "demons catching demons", the drama follows demon leader Zhu Yan, who infiltrates the "demon-hunting bureau". Joined by the goddess Wen Xiao and other bureau members, Zhu embarks on a journey to discover the truths about the malicious acts of the demons and beasts that they've encountered.

Through laughter and tears, the demon-hunting squad experiences love and personal growth, healing and redeeming one another in a story enriched by the creative team's bold interpretations and expressions of classical Chinese aesthetics.

As part of iQIYI's "Love On Theater" collection, Fangs of Fortune joins a slate of titles that bring Chinese romance and culture to a global audience, leading in views and revenue across all regions and genres on iQIYI International.

Marking iQIYI's third virtual production following the success of My Journey to You and Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact, Fangs of Fortune is a testament to the company's commitment to pushing the boundaries of virtual production in the Chinese television industry.

According to the production team, the drama achieved precise HDR color management and virtual light matching, natural depth of field transitions, seamless blending of virtual and physical sets, realistic virtual sky and climate simulation system, and 200+ FPS high-speed filming, leading the C-drama (Chinese drama) industry in terms of the amount of virtual production technology used, length of production cycle and scene count.

Compared with traditional filmmaking, virtual production technology greatly enhances efficiency and collaboration by creating virtual sets ahead of on-site filming, the company said.

Since late 2020, iQIYI has led the way in applying and promoting virtual production technology, becoming one of China's first streaming platforms to complete the filming and broadcasting process for virtually produced series. To advance its virtual production capabilities, iQIYI has also built a "Digital Asset Library" and its proprietary AI-powered IQStage virtual production system, amassing numerous accolades, virtual production patents and software copyrights.

Building on the creative partnership behind My Journey to You, the team behind Fangs of Fortune pioneered innovative solutions, including an electric revolving stage that ensures synchronized rotation between physical and virtual sets to reduce conversion time significantly.

With increased virtual production capabilities, iQIYI has also developed a full set of mature hardware selection standards and testing methods, all assembled in IQStage. The company's innovation has resulted in a high degree of integration between software and hardware, setting the standard for the quality and efficiency of virtual production in China.