Filmmakers join online heavy-hitters

Novelist turned-filmmaker Guo Jingming.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Attracted by Tencent's huge customer base, Guo said he expects the company's large online plat form will provide a big boost to his movies.

Under the film arm of Tencent Holdings, three sub-studios have been founded to independently develop their own programs.

Chen Yingjie, chief of one studio, said interactive communication with online fans will be an important element in program development.

He gave the example of Destiny Changer, an upcoming series based on the namesake best-selling novel.

Nearly two-thirds of the unfinished novel is still being written and updated on a website. The first season of the series, based on the finished chapters, will be released at the same time.

"We'll keep a close eye on feedback. The story lines and characters can be revised by requests from fans," Chen said.

"In the past, directors and script writers have the final say in a production, but now that right belongs to the audiences."

The second-quarter report from Tencent showed that its social and messaging platform WeChat boasts 600 million registered customers, up 37 percent from the 550 million accumulated as of the previous quarter.

For the world's second-largest movie market, which had nearly 650 million Internet surfers at the close of 2014, it means a dominant percentage of Chinese netizens are using an app developed by Tencent.

"Tencent canuse WeChat to promote any movie it wants to, and also shelve those it's unwilling to highlight," said a joking review from Cui Yongyuan, a TV host and cultural critic.

The remark made ripples during a forum at this year's Shanghai International Film Festival.

Some traditional movie tycoons take their worries further and show them earlier.

During last year's Shanghai festival, Yu Dong, CEO of Bona Film Group, predicted that in the future all the traditional movie giants will be affiliated with Internet behemoths, led by Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent.

"The only part they are unfamiliar with is how to produce a good movie. That requires unique creativity," Yu said during the 2015 Shanghai festival.

Many insiders say that Tencent's move to recruit veteran filmmakers-starting with all three studio chiefs in the movie circle - could revolutionize the industry.

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