BEIJING, Dec. 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The opening ceremony for the 3D epic movie Loulan was officially held in Beijing on December 7.
The 3D epic movie, with Legend Loulan (Beijing) Film & Television Culture Company as the lead production firm and backed by an investment of 300 million yuan (approx US$50 million), will be filmed entirely using digital 3D shooting technology. The Northern and Southern regions of Tianshan in Xinjiang will serve as the movie's backdrop. Post-produced by the world's leading special effects production team, the movie is scheduled to begin shooting in 2014 and to roll out with simultaneous premieres worldwide in 2015. The film's director and roster of actors will be announced after the Chinese New Year.
At the conference hall entrance, two magnificent Akhal-teke horses welcomed guests while they also acted as models for guest photos. Lu Shijun, general manager at Legend Loulan, said the company has signed contracts with China's few equestrian clubs breeding Akhal-teke horses. The clubs will provide more than 100 Akhal-teke horses for filming the epic tale.
Setting foot into the conference hall, the ancient Loulan atmosphere which existed thousands of years ago is all around. The organizer recreated Loulan's legends by carefully designed stage sets, videos and images, illustrating an earlier era. Dancers from Xinjiang's professional art groups emulated the amorous Loulan feelings with beautiful choreography. Super models from China and more than 10 countries worldwide modeled apparel in ancient Silk Road styles, winning cheers from the onlookers.
In early November, members of the initial production team passing the dangerous Lop Nor filmed a documentary at the legendary ancient Loulan country. The video has wowed the crowd during the ceremony.
At the opening ceremony, the director of Legend Loulan announced the plan of spending four million yuan (approx. US$660,000) choosing the theme song for Loulan, including one million yuan (approx. US$165,000) for the composition of the score, one million yuan for the writing of the lyrics, one million yuan for the male vocalist and one million yuan for the female vocalist. The details of the solicitation are available on the company's official website.
Chief producer Gao Jun gave a presentation on the film, explaining the exotic title and unique content of the project as well as how the film will achieve five "firsts" in global movie history: the first epic movie to incorporate the full timeline of Chinese civilization into the story, the first story movie to explain the mystery behind the disappearance of the ancient Loulan country, the first panoramic movie to retell the story of the success behind the historic Silk Road, the first art movie to demonstrate the high level of communication and cooperation that actually existed between the cultures of China and the West in earlier times and the first war movie involving hundreds of Akhal-teke horses.
The film's general producer Yang Rui commented: "China's film industry has entered a golden period of prosperous development. Loulan has all the preconditions and market prospects that are normally associated with an international commercial blockbuster where it combines unusual theme, intricate and interesting plot, grand imagery and universally known stories. Moreover, the derived web and mobile games together with other customized products will be launched in careful time sequence following the movie premieres. While China has yet to produce a world-renowned epic commercial movie, Loulan is on track to be a historic breakthrough and become a window for the world to learn more about Chinese culture in all of its richness.
