Chinanews.com, Shanghai, February 18th: Exclusive interview with Yu Song from Shangying Li Xiangguo: How does immersive art "immerse" into the future?
Author Wang Ji
On the afternoon of February 18th, in the manor-style theater group with a total area of more than 10,000 square meters located in Shanghai Film and Television Park, the audience put on the costumes of the Republic of China representing their respective "identities", either from the Intelligence Bureau, from the Chamber of Commerce, or from the Youth Gang , Shuttle through the old Shanghai scenes such as the Mahler Villa and the Shanghai Grand Theater, and follow in the footsteps of the actors to find the behind-the-scenes opponents in the story of "New World".
The immersive theater experience at the movie level made the audience feel "full of time travel".
"The "New World" project is a major attempt and breakthrough we have made in the field of immersive performing arts." Yu Song, the executive deputy general manager of Shangying Li Xiangguo, said in an exclusive interview with a reporter from Chinanews.com. Compared with other immersive dramas, "New World" makes full use of the scarce and precious resources of Shanghai Film and Television Park, and develops 4 sets of main plot lines, 15 main character lines and more than 100 branch plots, for the audience to choose according to their own preferences, and get "watching + acting + games" "Multidimensional experience.
Large-scale immersive theater manor "New World".
Photo courtesy of Shangyingli Xiangguo
From the Shanghai version of "Sleepless Night", which opened the first year of China's immersive performing arts, to the Chinese version of the interactive drama "Money World", to the large-scale original immersive drama estate "New World", Yu Song participated in and witnessed immersive drama development process in China.
In his opinion, "immersing in it" is an important principle of this kind of drama, "walking into the drama from the real world and becoming a part of the drama, we are constantly exploring new models and new breakthroughs."
Yu Song first came into contact with immersive art in 2015.
Prior to this, his work mainly revolved around drama, dance and other types of proscenium theater performances.
"At that time, I saw "Sleepless Night" in New York, and I found it refreshing, and it was very different from the traditional proscenium stage. The actors performed in front of the audience at close range, and the relaxation of the drama and the expressions of the actors were very clear, which attracted me very much. .”
In 2016, the Shanghai version of the immersive drama "Sleepless Night" opened its Asian premiere, and the "McKinnon Hotel" was full of guests, and the popularity has continued to this day.
Since then, many immersive projects have sprung up in the Chinese performing arts market, but they still focus on watching performances, and there is not much interaction between audiences and actors.
In 2019, the Chinese version of "Money World" attracted attention with its bold and cutting-edge new interactive experience. The audience is no longer just "spectators", but completes a series of financial operations with actors and other audiences, and participates in the global capital market.
"New World", which will premiere in 2022, goes a step further, allowing the audience to bring the characters into the drama and truly become an important part of the performance.
"In addition to drama lovers, many fashionable people, corporate white-collar workers, IT men, etc. also like immersive drama." Yu Song believes that compared with traditional performing arts, immersive drama has a wider range of audience portraits and a more avant-garde presentation method It is easier to "break through" and attract people to "early adopters".
"During the "New World" project, we found that many financial companies and IT companies came here to build a team. They can watch plays, act in plays, do tasks, and play games. These rich contents enhance the audience's sense of experience."
Large-scale immersive theater manor "New World".
Photo courtesy of Shangyingli Xiangguo
However, even "New World", which was almost full after the premiere, left regrets, and the follow-up was once in a state of stop and go due to the impact of the epidemic.
"From the perspective of business model, more than 90% of the revenue of immersive drama projects currently comes from the box office. The profit model is too single, and there are certain risks in operation." Yu Song pointed out that the "New World" project has its uniqueness , can be better combined with cultural tourism. If we can dig deeper into the value of IP and try to conduct cross-border cooperation with hotels, catering, tourism and other industries, the profit model can be more diversified.
On the other hand, Yu Song also noticed that the integration of technology has become a major trend of immersive art in the global performing arts market.
For example, the internationally renowned "Magic Light Forest" project presents local stories in the forest through holographic, laser and other technologies to bring the virtual world to life; Austria's "8K Future Theater" project uses high-definition projection, 3D, laser tracking and other technologies to make the virtual world come alive. The audience is fully immersed in the pyramids, the ancient Roman underground palace, the universe and other scenes.
"As Shanghai increases the development of the metaverse, I believe that in the future, more high-end technologies will be involved in artistic creation, bringing audiences a more unique and immersive experience." (End)