The 6th Beijing Cultural Creativity Competition Awards Ceremony was held recently. The project Flying to the Moon produced by Fanjian (Beijing) Cultural and Creative Co, a Beijing E-Town enterprise, won third prize in the professional track of the competition. 

As a deep application and new exploration of digital film and television production technology in the field of children's movies, Flying to the Moon created the first digital Best Supporting Actor in China.

The companion-type robot "grandson" Dong Xiaobao [Photo/beijingetown.com.cn]

Flying to the Moon is based on the theme of the relationship between a lonely elderly person and a robot. It tells the story of Dong Dabao, an old man who lives alone and likes to tinker with things, receiving a companion-type robot "grandson" Dong Xiaobao purchased for him by his son, who is thousands of miles away in the year 2050. 

His life suddenly undergoes big changes. By chance, the two of them travel to the moon together. Combining visual elements such as future technology and the wonders of the moon landing, the play forms a unique narrative style.

The production boldly combines live-action and animation that has not been seen in China's film history. There is only one real actor in the entire film, and all other characters are virtual images. 

During the filming, the interactive performance of real actors and digital characters were recorded through the camera, and highly realistic scenes were created through engine rendering, presenting a sense of interaction between virtual and reality.

Departing from traditional science fiction movies, Flying to the Moon applies the cutting-edge software Unreal Engine in the game industry and creatively uses completely virtual scenes in each scene, achieving a breakthrough from semi-digital movies to completely digital movies, and pioneering the use of ultra-small green screen studios for shooting. 

"The total area of the green screen used in the film was only 80 square meters, and the depth of the performance area was only 15 meters," said Ding Zhisheng, founder of Fanjian (Beijing) Cultural and Creative Co.

Since its debut, Flying to the Moon has received many honors. It was shortlisted for the 14th Macau International Film Festival and the 1st Hong Kong Bauhinia International Film Festival in 2022, won the Busan Mayor's Award, and the digital character "Dong Xiaobao" was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor at the 1st Hong Kong Film Bauhinia Awards.

Flying to the Moon will debut at the Beijing International Film Festival and will also meet with audiences in the special recommended unit of the Science Fiction Film Night at this year's China Science Fiction Conference.