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text/wang dong

order a cup of 9.9 yuan coffee on the subway at 8:40, pick up the coffee downstairs at 9:10, arrive at the office on time at 9:20, and then start dealing with endless complaints and emails...

as a customer service supervisor at an internet company, jingyi started like this almost every working day in the past three years.

in 90% of cases, the content he has to deal with is similar, and even the words are fixed: sorry, transferred, please wait...

to put it simply, it is a humanoid repeater.

one time, jingyi came across "npc literature" on the internet, and suddenly she realized: moving in fixed scenes, repeating fixed behaviors, waiting for her mission to be triggered, and then having fixed conversations... the role she plays every day is not just the one in a video game. npc?

jingyi chatted with her friends about her feelings and discovered that this "supporting role" mentality was not an exception. friends around her seemed to have the same troubles.

the best cure for npc syndrome is to get rid of the supporting role mentality and regain a sense of control over life. it just so happened that jingyi could always see in the circle of friends recently that friends or colleagues went to beijing universal studios for team building. when he asked about it, he found out that there was a new themed event being held, and the people he asked about it all enthusiastically said to him, " "amway", saying that "after playing, the whole body feels refreshed, as if the body and brain have received a massage", or "immersed in it for a second, legitimately going crazy".

jingyi was so depressed that she moved to tongzhou for three years. maybe she really wants to go to beijing universal studios this time. after all, there is no place that can help people find the feeling of being the protagonist better than a world full of actors.

young people who have jumped out of the npc mentality

recover the halo of the protagonist at universal studios beijing

compared with the usual joyful atmosphere, the recent universal studios beijing has a more surprising and exciting atmosphere. the annual autumn limited theme event-"amazing" universal is taking over the entire theme park.

jingyi had prepared a strategy before coming. everyone said that mansion 81 was the number one job in this year's "amazing" world tour.

this carefully arranged scare space is a new original ip launched by universal beijing resort. the background is set on a movie set - visiting a movie set at universal studios is novel but reasonable.

jingyi went straight to mansion no. 81 and met a director with a camera at the entrance, who warmly invited jingyi to enter his "movie world".

at this time, the atmosphere was still "joyful and harmonious", but it was soon replaced by a hair-raising experience.

the scenery in the space is exquisitely restored to that of a movie set, but there is always a sense of uneasiness: the red seeping from the murals, the sound of dripping water in the bathroom, and the flickering lights make it feel like being in a suspense movie, making people immersed in it. in an atmosphere of unpredictable tension.

more importantly, at mansion 81, visitors are not just spectators, but immersed in every aspect. for example, when walking through a long and narrow corridor, the picture frame on the wall suddenly disappears, and a "ghost" appears in front of you; a body floats leisurely on the bed... these moments are no longer virtual images on the screen, but are away from you. physical interactions close at hand.

what impressed jingyi the most was the bubble wall that squeezes visitors from both sides in a certain room. the immersive, tense and cramped atmosphere brought about by physical oppression is more powerful than the simple audio-visual effect. immersion.

jingyi considers herself experienced in many battles. while observing the environment, she is thinking about possible tricks in this "adventure", but she is still repeatedly "sneak-attacked" by characters ambushing in the dark.

the companion who shouted "little no. 81, take it down" at the door of the frightened space has now become jingyi's humanoid pendant.

the real turning point occurred when he arrived in the last room of "mansion 81" - the director's control room. when i walked into the room, i found that the surroundings were surrounded by surveillance cameras. what was displayed on the surveillance cameras was the adventures of jingyi and other tourists.

just when he was still confused, a man in a director's costume suddenly appeared and shouted "cut!" before the show started, it was this npc dressed as a director who was soliciting tourists at the entrance.

jingyi suddenly realized that the thrilling journey just now was just a carefully designed "drama", and the tourists were the protagonists of the drama from beginning to end.

still unfinished, jingyi returned to the entrance of no. 81 mansion for the second time. the director just now appeared there again with a camera, and made a tacit face to jingyi: welcome to the "movie world" again.

after the second brush, jingyi had more courage and margin to look at mansion no. 81, and discovered more hidden details and ingenuity. for example, there was a seemingly non-existent smell of food decay in a certain storage room scene, or a curtain of rain flowing backwards on both sides of a certain corridor. these discoveries even allowed him to immerse himself in the story provided by mansion 81 with the mentality of the protagonist.

the experience at jack's circus gave jingyi a completely different feeling. the circus is filled with twisted and absurd elements, weird lights, retro stage equipment, and clowns everywhere... every scene has a sense of weirdness behind the carnival, as if reality has been flipped into a ridiculous dream. there are also the sounds of whips and chainsaws coming from the hidden corners of surprise farm from time to time, which makes people's hair stand on end and can't help but dig deeper.

in this completely unconventional adventure, jingyi's thinking also began to be "restarted".

jingyi realizes that whether in a frightened space or in the real world, the real sense of control comes from our redefinition of situations: although the daily work tasks and situations in real life seem unchangeable, the attitudes and reactions to these experiences are. can be changed.

the difference between npc and protagonist is sometimes just a matter of mentality. when we choose to take the initiative to experience and deal with it, those difficulties are just the background of the boat passing through the mountains.

for jingyi, this kind of relief not only comes from the thrill of adrenaline, but also from the long-lost independent experience - he finally plays the leading role in this place full of actors.

at universal studios beijing, countless tourists like jingyi try to escape from real life for a short time, switching from npc roles to protagonists, looking for an immersive adventure, and trying to reactivate their sense of control over life and work. in achieving this, a compelling and immersive world is crucial.

cinematic immersion

how is it made?

in 2023, universal beijing resort brought the debut of "amazing" universal. the original ip "marvel farm" and characters such as the pumpkin grinch were widely praised by tourists. in various universal studios around the world, events like "amazing" universal have been going on for more than 30 years, which have produced many fascinating original and surprising stories and scenes, attracting millions of tourists from around the world to experience them every year.

when "amazing" universal enters its second year, how to continue to provide unique experiences for local tourists while inheriting this tradition has become a challenge before universal studios beijing.

jack’s circus, which landed at universal studios beijing for the first time this year, is the most detailed answer.

this original content, born at universal orlando resort, has a history of more than 20 years. in order to smoothly integrate this image that has been deeply rooted in people's hearts overseas into the atmosphere of "amazing world", the design team not only retained jack's original settings, but also made a series of localized adjustments based on the preferences of chinese audiences. according to john rowe, associate creative director of entertainment at universal beijing resort, these tasks are crucial.

for example, jack the clown, who traveled across the ocean, also spoke chinese at universal studios in beijing. in order to make tourists feel less abrupt, the tone and tone of jack's lines have also been specially adjusted to make them more in line with chinese listening and speaking habits. in jack's classic red and black leather jacket, the design team also added elements of chinese brocade, allowing jack to maintain his iconic look while further fitting in with china's cultural atmosphere.

an binjie, makeup and hair manager of universal beijing resort, said that in addition to jack, the design team has designed more than 50 different clown shapes, such as a fat clown with a body size of more than two meters and a "cute and silly" figure, and a playful and cute balloon clown, which has been praised by netizens as " the organ clown who is too handsome...

on these clowns, the design team used a lot of movie-level special effects makeup. not only the holes for the mouth and eyes on the special effects skin must take into account the actor's facial structure, but even the character's teeth must match the actor's own tooth structure. the design of the star character jack was even more exquisite. just for the nail design, six versions were made.

at universal studios beijing, performance directors and designers adhere to the same concept: "amazing" universal is trying to create not only a space that brings thrilling and stimulating sensory impact, but also a show that contains deep stories and emotional connections. immersive experience.

scott andrew silson, senior performance director of universal beijing resort, mentioned that when designing these clowns with different images, the designers did not just pursue a sense of terror, but gave these characters richer personalities and backgrounds, making them seem like they can "breaking out of the screen" directly hits the audience's senses. based on these settings and under the guidance of the director, the joker actors continue to explore the behavior and motivations of each character, integrate them with the story and scenes, and present them to visitors in a complete way. therefore, every character who appears in "amazing" universal has its own background story and character setting, and all scary spaces have their own narrative logic and scene settings.

scott noticed that a bearded lady in the dressing room in jack's circus was very popular on social media, and some visitors even strongly hoped that this character would be released in the future. the reasons why tourists like this character are often subjective, either because of the joyful appearance or the knowing smile at that moment. however, the emergence of this character and scene is based on the team behind it’s targeted considerations surrounding the circus story and atmosphere. on the one hand, the concept of circus has always been associated with humor, and the team hopes that the locker room scene and the presence of the bearded lady character can amplify this feeling, while also providing visitors with a respite from the intense experience. on the other hand, the bearded lady's dialogue and action design will further strengthen the credibility of the story setting of "accidentally entering the circus backstage" and provide a more realistic atmosphere.

horror master stephen king once said: "the reason why a story is effective is that it is rooted in reality. the more realistic the situation, the more convincing the horror it can bring."

reshaping a real and immersive movie world is the starting point of "amazing" universal's scene design.

the story of jack's circus is set in a traveling circus in the first half of the 20th century. in order to recreate the real scene of the circus of that era, the design team did a lot of research, from the circus tents, performance facilities to the interior decoration 1:1 replica of a retro circus set.

according to wang yikai, artistic director of universal beijing resort, to restore the circus atmosphere, the costumes and props also need to be meticulous. the circus posters have been carefully aged, adding the fading effect caused by sunlight, striving to restore the retro era feel. even some of the props that flash by during the scene experience, such as the washing machine, are all brands and models that actually existed in that era.

in addition to carefully researched details, the scene design also incorporates surreal elements of clown jack's personal spiritual world. through highly saturated colors, exaggerated geometric figures and lighting changes, the circus scene creates a strong sense of dizziness and visual impact.

these exquisite details all serve the story of jack's circus: jack the clown will reappear in the world every autumn with his crazy circus - and tourists need to find their own in this crazy party. way out.

in this carefully constructed physical space, the crazy and dark story of the circus is like a live-action movie, giving visitors a strong sense of being there. from the moment they enter the circus gate, every audience member has been immersed in a world full of chaos, suspense and danger, and their brain will immediately tell you: "this is not the real world i am familiar with."

a century of film genes

shaping a “amazing” world

this wonderful feeling that spans reality and fantasy not only fascinates tourists, but also attracts the attention of many film and television practitioners. in the view of online drama director hou yi, "amazing" universal's ability to create such a lifelike world of blockbusters is inextricably linked to universal's century-old film genes.

as early as the 1930s, universal pictures laid the cornerstone of the thriller genre with classic films such as "dracula," "frankenstein" and "the mummy." not only that, universal pictures also continues to innovate the boundaries of thrillers and lead new audience trends through the new "the mummy" series, "van helsing" and other works.

at universal beijing resort, these profound movie genes are continuously transformed into frightening spaces and original characters in "amazing" universal, bringing a blockbuster-style experience to countless tourists.

hou yi is a die-hard fan of universal studios. he also participated in the fright night celebration at universal orlando resort when he was studying in the united states. however, when he re-experienced "frightening" universal from the perspective of an industry employee, he gained some new insights. and insights.

movies are first and foremost the art of light and shadow, and for the thriller genre, light and shadow are particularly important: unknown fear is often more threatening than visible fear because it is uncertain and cannot be completely foreseen.

hiding details and creating strong visual impact through light and shadow are the most important means to create a sense of immersion and tension. in this regard, universal studios beijing has drawn extensively on experience from those classic films.

among all the scene designs, hou yi was particularly impressed by the mirror maze in jack's circus.

in the movie, the mirror that confuses the real and the fake is a symbol of illusion and illusion. it just so happens that the entire jack's circus is a show to tease people.

from a professional stage design perspective, the use of mirrors can expand and distort the sense of space to the greatest extent. through repeated reflections and carefully placed light, visitors experience an endless sense of oppression in a small space. this design is often used on movie sets to create an atmosphere of unease and inescapability. when tourists are truly immersed in the scene, the visual impact is much more shocking than in movies: the mirror maze allows tourists to wander between reality and illusion, falling into a maze-like psychological dilemma.

another classic design is the spiral corridor.

in the corridor of jack's circus, a swirl-like pattern wraps the entire space and extends to the end of the corridor, where there are two expressionless "siamese sisters." the spiral is also a visual element used in many classic suspense movies. the whirlpool corridor cleverly uses the visual distortion and repetition of the spiral to enhance the sense of illusion and oppression, making people feel disoriented. this clever use of optical illusions not only pays homage to classic movies, but also further enhances visitors’ immersive experience. according to wang yikai, in order to achieve this instant dizziness effect, the design team behind the scenes made many calculations and adjustments on the concealment of light projections, the color and texture of prop paint, and even the width of each stripe in the spiral pattern. .

from the illusion of a mirror maze to the spatial distortion of a spiral corridor, they are all designed to break the mold and draw visitors directly into the world of the film. here, tourists are not just spectators, but also immersive interactors and participants, and the protagonists of this adventure. designs like this are almost everywhere in the three major frightening spaces.

of course, after nightfall at universal beijing resort, there are not only heart-racing suspense and thrilling experiences, but also joyful parties.

a series of characters from jack’s circus and amazing farm, including jack the clown and chang si, devil rabbit, appeared on the streets of the park, presenting a unique celebration carnival for party lovers.

in the scare zone in the middle of the avenue, surprise actors will have "intimate" interactions with the bravest tourists; if you just want a little love & peace, just go to the non-scare zones on both sides of hollywood boulevard.

from last year’s “farm farm” to this year’s “mansion 81” where reality and fantasy intertwine with the “set tour” and the unique atmosphere of jack’s circus that blends humor and horror, universal studios beijing has used these carefully designed scenes, light and shadow the effect allows tourists to truly become the protagonists and enter the world of blockbuster movies.

countless people have found the secret of "getting rid of the npc smell" here.

jingyi’s experience represents the common aspirations of many young people. in the repetitive daily life, they all felt that life was monotonous and boring. however, it is this desire to find a sense of self-mastery that drives them into the "amazing" world. through extreme attention to detail and carefully designed scenes, universal studios beijing has successfully created an extremely vivid world for tourists. this "amazing" world that appears for a limited time every year not only shocks tourists, but also encourages them to take the initiative to explore and take risks. in those various adventures, some people found new ways to activate inspiration, and some people learned to re-examine their life roles - everyone can be the protagonist in their own life narrative.

on this adventure we temporarily escape from our daily lives and eventually come back with courage and energy.