BEIJING, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- iQIYI, China's leading online entertainment platform, successfully hosted its inaugural Virtual Production Open Day on November 2 in Hengdian, Zhejiang Province, attracting nearly 200 seasoned film and television professionals. Liang ZHU, Vice President of iQIYI and Head of Intelligent Production, shared iQIYI's pragmatic approach to virtual production – developing efficient, user-friendly tools for content creators. The event further underscored iQIYI's pioneering leadership in technological innovation and industrialization.
iQIYI is rapidly transforming China's content production landscape through virtual production technology. In 2025, the company's virtual production projects surged by 125% year-over-year, underscoring its growing influence. Notably, iQIYI achieved its first full-cycle collaboration on a major theatrical film.
iQIYI has significantly reduced production costs – cutting daily studio rates to RMB 35,000 – making advanced virtual production technology more accessible and economically viable across the industry. As the first in China to deploy virtual production for commercial drama series, iQIYI has powered over a dozen projects since 2021, setting new benchmarks through patented innovations like advanced color and lighting matching, virtual depth of field automatic compensation algorithm, and waterproof rotating platforms.
At the Open Day, iQIYI showcased its award-winning IQStage virtual production platform – a sophisticated integration of custom hardware and 20+ patented technologies – recognized for driving immersive and efficient filmmaking in China and beyond.
Accelerating Creativity through Virtual Production
Virtual production is redefining filmmaking by merging technology with artistic imagination. At iQIYI's Open Day, creators from diverse roles – including directors, art directors, and visual effects supervisors – shared how the technology enhances storytelling, boosts creative control, and makes once-impossible scenes achievable.
From expansive fantasy worlds to complex, high-impact scenes, virtual production enables content creators to visualize and adjust shots in real time, turning ideas into reality on set. The discussion underscored how this technology is not just improving efficiency, but fundamentally expanding creative possibilities across genres.
Reflecting on this synergy, Zhu said, "Successful virtual production is built on close collaboration between technology and creative teams." To support creators, iQIYI offers competitively priced studio time and comprehensive production services, bridging artistry with cutting-edge technology.
AI: Fueling the Future of Virtual Production
iQIYI is also pushing the frontier of virtual production through AI integration. From automated concept art generation to advanced 3DGS(3D Gaussian Splatting) scene scanning, AI accelerates every step of the filmmaking process. The upcoming series "Shadow Punisher" exemplifies this synergy, blending AI-generated digital assets with 3D-printed physical props to merge digital and real-world elements seamlessly.
With a proprietary digital asset library exceeding 30,000 items, iQIYI supports not only virtual production and visual effects, but also game development and immersive VR/XR experiences – cementing its role as a cross-industry innovator.
Zhu also stressed the importance of virtual production adoption in early decision-making, urging creators to innovate from the scriptwriting phase and experiment with the technology's possibilities to achieve groundbreaking creativity.
Through an industrialized, intelligent approach, iQIYI remains committed to advancing film and television production in China, partnering with creators to chart new creative horizons.
Contact:
iQIYI Press, press@qiyi.com
