1. Reservations have been steadily increasing. Will it become the next “hit product”?

On September 20th, the national security-themed espionage drama “Spy Game” premieres today on iQIYI. Previously, when the drama was officially announced for its release date, it attracted widespread attention from netizens. By the day of its broadcast, the number of online reservations for watching the drama exceeded one million. Therefore, we’re wondering if the steadily increasing popularity and fully heightened expectations will make “Spy Game” another “hit product” for iQIYI this year.

“Spy Game” is directed by the renowned director Zhao Baogang. The cast members, Han Geng, Wei Daxun, Li Yitong, Zhou Fang, are all well-known actors. Previously, Wei Daxun became popular for his role as the ascetic CEO Meng Yanchen and Li Yitong’s performance in “The Knockout” also received high praise in the first half of this year. This shows the superb acting skills of the cast members. Additionally, the series starts with a game called “Spy Game” and conveys the value of counter-espionage and national protection through the thrilling confrontation between national security personnel and spy organizations, which also resonates with the patriotic sentiments of the audience.

However, in recent years, iQIYI, as a representative platform for long-form video content, has been taking the initiative in the competitive film and television industry by relying on high-quality content. It has consistently produced several phenomenally popular and trend-setting dramas, such as “A Lifelong Journey”, “Love Between Fairy and Devil”, and “The Knockout”. This has sparked widespread discussion among netizens and ignited a nationwide frenzy of binge-watching.

1. Why Has iQiyi Become a “Hit Production Camp”?

A “hit” means that a work caters to the aesthetic values and tastes of the general public. It must simultaneously possess high-quality content, well-developed characters, and meanings and values that resonate with a wide audience. For this reason, creating one or even multiple hit works is no easy feat. So what has enabled iQIYI to consistently release hit after hit in such a short period of time?

Obviously, behind the efficient production of high-quality content lies technological and process innovation. As early as 2020, iQIYI had already begun exploring the application of virtual production in the film and television industry. From “Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact” to surprise hit “My Journey to You” — the country’s first virtual production drama to achieve widespread popularity, and the newly premiered “Spy Game”, all were produced using a combination of physical sets and LED displays with virtual production technology. In this process, LED displays have replaced the traditional green screen.

“My Journey to You” stills

In traditional film and television production, the workflow follows a “pre-production → shooting → post-production”. When changing scenes, cinematography, lighting, art direction, and acting must be coordinated simultaneously, making production schedules less controllable, extending the overall timeline, and reducing output efficiency. However, with the gradual advancement of film and television industrialization and the widespread application of 5G, AI, XR, and Web3.0 technologies in the industry, smart production has demonstrated significant advantages.

In the non-linear production process, post-production work is moved forward, allowing different departments such as cinematography, art direction, and visual effects to collaborate before shooting begins. When changing scenes, a simple “one-click switch” projects the new digital background onto the LED display, replacing the physical set. It can save labor, time, and opportunity costs, improve production efficiency, and gradually promote the optimization and standardization of production workflows.

1. Why did iQIYI insist on using LED displays when producing film and TV series?

When LED displays are combined with virtual production across various projects, they enable the effective accumulation of digital assets, which can be reused in the production of films or TV series within the same franchise or customized according to the storyline. Compared to building scenes from scratch, the reusability offered by LED displays holds a distinct advantage.

Following “My Journey to You”, “Spy Game” is another spy drama made with LED displays and virtual production. Apollo series LED displays from Shenzhen EXCO Vision Technology Co., Ltd. played a key role in shaping the parallel real and virtual game worlds. Through seamless splicing and full-angle presentation of the content, they naturally blended the real with the virtual. Performers could easily immerse themselves in the scenes, and the resulting drama is visually stunning and delivers a powerful and breathtaking effect.