Film and TV industry embracing VR

Guideline urges application of virtual technology in productions

In an answer to China's call for embracing the digital age, officials in the film and television industry have launched a series of guidelines to promote the application of virtual reality and augmented reality in the production of movies and TV shows in recent months.

Last November, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the National Radio and Television Administration, the Ministry of Education and the General Administration of Sport jointly released a five-year plan to boost the development of VR in various industries. According to the plan, the overall scale of China's VR industry — including hardware, software and applications — should exceed 350 billion yuan ($47.8 billion) by 2026.

The National Radio and Television Administration released a detailed guideline in September specifying 10 types of applications it encourages, including virtual production and digital avatars in filmmaking and TV shows to offer audiences more immersive experiences.