Zhou Yifu: a very real talent in the VR industry

When I asked him where he had got the inspiration and why the lives of insects would become the theme of his directorial debut VR creation, he said since childhood he's never stopped being curious about the micro world of insects which could only be observed by professionals like doctors under microscopic lenses. The motivation for making this movie was more like an assigned homework from Digital Domain, the company that employed him. Starting from the basics for the Maleficent VFX production, Yifu climbed to the position of a team leader, and was eager to prove that he and his mates were capable of making something worthy. Winning an award was a bonus, totally out of his expectation. He celebrated with his team rather quietly since it was a pre-notification that he received before Sundance Film Festival's official release. A dinner together was a must, a typical Chinese preference to mark a happy occasion.

The creation of Micro Giants went through some ups and downs. Once the project was launched, the team started to experience a shortage of hands due to the complexity of the production. Luckily Digital Domain was rich enough to be supportive in both HR policy and funding. The team expanded and production prolonged. The tenacity and passion of these young people eventually made Micro Giants to reach one of the highest altars of independently made experimental and avant-garde movies in the US. The unexpected recognition served as an incentive for the team to get their second movie going. I was told it was a creation based on a Chinese story. No more was disclosed because everything else is still business secrets.

Besides working on their own creations, Yifu and his 150-strong team in Beijing are also providing VR production services for both Hollywood and other clients here in China. Famous Chinese director Jiang Wen's movie "The Hidden Man" was one of them. In the movie, the main actor and actress virtually were running and even dancing on the rooftops of the old time Beijing, which were stunning scenes with aesthetic beauty, a wonderful visual experience to all movie goers. According to Yifu, director Jiang was definitely not "easy going" in terms of holding up to his extremely strict standard of quality of production. In order to create these clusters of meandering VR rooftops, Yifu and his team had to do research and go out into the real world to take pictures of Hutongs (alleyways) and quadrangle courtyard houses, or 四合院 in Chinese, a typical architectural style in northern China. As a native Beijinger himself, Jiang Wen would never allow any substandard projections or flaws in production. He'd call for remakes until it satisfied him. From Jiang Wen, Yifu learned to be meticulously strict in production and learned never to grudge energy on reaching professional excellence.

Zhou Yifu poses for a photo with Stan Lee, father of the Marvel Universe in this undated photo. [File photo: provided to China Plus]

Yifu is a fast leaner and he learnt a great deal from another exceptional person. Yifu considered himself lucky to be able to work for Stan Lee, known to the world as father of Marvel Comics, who passed away recently. Working in close range with him for about one year, Yifu said his idol's greatest legacy and influence on him is that for making movies, no matter what genres or forms they belong to, whatever technology people use, good storytelling or simply the content is always king. The characters of the movie must be attractive. Understanding these characters is very important to film artists. He said underneath their inconceivable power, every superhero Marvel has created is to a certain degree a mortal human being like every one of us. They have emotions, merits, defects, strong points and weaknesses. A flawless (or perfect) superhero would never touch people's heart therefore the fictional figure would be dull and boring. Yifu said he loves Marvel's superhero series and especially adores Thor. I believe what he has learnt from Stan Lee is already and will continue to have a long lasting impact on his career.

Having opportunities to work with people like Jiang Wen and Stan Lee is an enviable thing to many of his peers and competitors. But it's not a coincidence for him to become what he has become today, leading his massive team of VFX artists and shouldering the management of Digital Domain's studio in Beijing.

When he was little, at the age of only four or five, he was already much into the world of painting. With unconditional support from parents, Yifu chose landscape design major, the one, according to him, closest to his painting hobby. He got enrolled by Tsinghua University in 2008, a year that was never a conventional and uneventful one to Chinese people. In that very year, the most devastating earthquake after China opened itself up to the outside world occurred, disrupting the normal lives of people. But Yifu and his peers only stopped schooling for one day, busy preparing for Gaokao, the college entrance examination. Also in that year, China proudly presented onto the world stage its first spectacular Olympic Games which wooed and overwhelmed the whole world, signifying its immense and deeper merging with the rest of the world. Unfortunately, the Beijing Olympics hasn't left much of an impression on Yifu because he said at that time he was busy taking exams and then early waiting for the results.

Zhou Yifu, Digital Domain VFX Supervisor, Vice President and Head of Studio in Beijing. [File photo: provided for China Plus]

Landscape design was the major he had chosen for himself, with the aim of using his special talent to improve environment and beautify his country. But "paintings on landscapes" proved so costly that Yifu decided to switch to the virtual world. He went to the United States and got admitted into USC School of Cinematic Arts and eventually got a Master's degree in animation. This decision was made under the direct influence from his love and passion for imported video games and cartoon films such as Tomb Raider, The Lion King and Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea. The fictional character Captain Nemo in the novel and film Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea was among the most favored by Yifu. Yifu dreamed one day he could become a man like Nemo to be able to go and discover the secret of the ocean. In my humble opinion, I personally believe he is now already embarked on the road of realizing that dream through VR creations.

Landing his first aspired production in Digital Domain and later being sent back to China to assemble a team here in Beijing was by no means sheer luck. When asked "how you stood out amongst your peers?" Yifu answered, rather light-heartedly that of course his CV had to be attractive enough to make his efforts pay off this accurately and at such a young age.

With Digital Domain since 2013, Yifu now serves as Visual Effects Supervisor & VP, Head of Studio in Beijing. I searched on the Internet the profiles of leading figures of his company and noticed that most of them were gray haired, mid–age, and in sharp contrast against several young Asian or Chinese faces there, still pretty much wet behind the ears, including Zhou Yifu. Hearing I marveled at his age, he twice said being born in the year 1990 he was already the oldest of the post 90s generation.