BAT competes in the film industry, changing not capital, but rules

In fact, BAT's ambitions go far beyond that. Judging from the various plans currently released by BAT Films, what "Internet + Movies" wants to change is the rules of the film industry.

Yu Dong, the boss of Bona Films, said that "all film companies will work for BAT in the future". In 2015, BAT's ambitions for the film industry gradually became a reality.

As of September 17, in just 7 days, Tencent has established two companies, Penguin Pictures and Tencent Pictures. At this point, the film industry layout of China's three major Internet giants BAT has fallen to the last piece of the map.

What is the biggest difference between BAT and other film companies? We can easily see: there is money.

Since 2014, BAT has frequently moved to enter the film industry, and has quickly established multiple companies in the film industry chain in the form of capital entry. In March 2014, Alibaba acquired nearly 60% of the shares of Cultural China Media for HK$6.244 billion, and later established Alibaba Pictures Company and launched the film crowdfunding product "Entertainment Bao"."Alibaba" company Youku Tudou announced the establishment of the film company "Heyi Pictures"; Baidu, on the other hand, uses its iQiyi's "Iqiyi Pictures Company" and the online ticketing channel Nuomi Network to also deploy in the upstream and channel parts of the film industry; Tencent, the last one to arrive, has long built a one-stop online movie ticketing platform with WeChat movie tickets. The newly established two film companies mark the beginning of Tencent's battle to enter the upper reaches of the film industry.

In just one year, BAT quickly deployed its capital in the film industry. However, is all they really doing just "buy, buy"? In fact, BAT's ambitions go far beyond that. Judging from the various plans currently released by BAT Films, what "Internet + Movies" wants to change is the rules of the film industry.

The first thing to change is talent.

The film industry is a highly talent-intensive industry, and talents are the most precious resource of the film industry. However, China films are currently extremely short of talents in film production and film production. The traditional film academy talent training and supply model is far behind the development speed of the film industry today. The Internet uses its open nature to extensively cultivate outstanding talents interested in the film industry across the Internet.

Whether it is the "1985" young filmmaker support program of Heyi Pictures or the "Next Idea Original Film Script Award" and "NextIdea Young Directors Selection" projects launched by Tencent Pictures, they are all aimed at young and talented film talents. Cultivating more professional and market-oriented young film talents from the source has undoubtedly become the most important and most "hidden rule" in the current film industry that should be settled over a long period of time.

The second thing to change is the way of creation.

The traditional film industry is a highly centralized creative system in which "big brother" speaks. It is not uncommon for a famous director to account for hundreds of percent of the box office of China films. The long-term shortcomings caused by this system are self-evident. The Internet is using another of its major characteristics-decentralization and user-orientation to change this rule. The creator of the Internet age is not a person with the highest say, but an online word-of-mouth voted by netizens with their feet.

BAT's film plans all mention "IP incubation." Youku Tudou has consciously cultivated popular IPs for "pure Internet students" since its video website, and five online dramas including "Unexpectedly" have become the first lineup of its film plan. These popular IPs were gradually cultivated in cooperation with many small and medium-sized film and television production companies in the "Internet-based" entertainment method. Compared with the large-scale productions produced by film companies, they are more popular with audiences and have a fan base. Tencent Pictures is also exploring film adaptation resources from game IP and animation IP. This is a way for netizens to create collectively, challenging traditional film creation methods.

A more important change in the way you create is data. BAT has its own advantages in data. Ali is stronger than shopping data, Baidu is stronger than search data, and Tencent is the behavior data of users across the Internet. These data can truly know what users are thinking, and better target different groups of people, transform the upstream and downstream links of a movie from the fields of creation, marketing and other fields to achieve better commercial results.

The third change is the movie ticket distribution channel.

This was the first terminal link to be changed by the Internet. In cinemas in large cities in China, the fiery scene in front of ticket collection machines contrasts sharply with the sparse crowds selling tickets in cinemas. The online ticketing platform with online seat selection as its core meets users 'one-stop ticket purchase and movie viewing and entertainment needs. Today, when users are becoming increasingly lazy by the Internet and occupy channels, the rumor that companies such as Wanda Pictures, which mainly make money through cinemas,"work for BAT" is coming closer and closer.

"Internet-based film companies" inherit the open, decentralized, and user-oriented characteristics of the Internet. When they get closer to users and reshape the film industry from the bottom-level aspects of film production, they are a challenge to the film industry. It is also a greater opportunity. Actively embracing change should be the most unchanging law of this era.

Editor: yvonne