Unveiling the 30 Billion Total Cost and Vast Outdoors of Movie 'Fengshen'

Two years ago, director Wushan, who was still in post-production for 'Fengshen,' talked about the most perilous project of his career. He stated that if the movie's box office failed, he would spend 10 years paying off the debts. It is reported that the total cost of the movie 'Fengshen' was 3 billion RMB, and here's a summary of how this sum was spent.

1. The crew of 'Fengshen Trilogy' had a dedicated catering service with over 2,000 people eating there at its peak. Different departments had specific food requirements; for instance, actors needed low-oil and low-salt diets, while workers required more. They established a system where food samples were kept for 48 hours to ensure health, safety, and nutrition.

2. The construction of the Longde Palace took 35,000 work hours. It began with clay sculpture sketches by artisans from the Central Academy of Fine Arts, followed by carvings by craftsmen from Anhui's She County and Zhejiang's Dongyang. The final touches included gilding and painting. At its peak, 1,500 crew members worked on the set, including 800 wood carvers. The palace had 3,000 oil lamps that needed dozens of people to light during filming.

3. 'Fengshen Trilogy' had three large outdoor locations, totaling over 970 acres. The set was equipped with a large number of cranes, forklifts, and excavators for setting up blue backdrops and lighting. The crew jokingly mentioned that it looked more like a construction equipment commercial for a technical school than a movie set.

4. The crew of 'Fengshen' built their own lighting system inside the studio, following the standards of Britain's Pinewood Studios. The lights could be controlled from below using a control panel, offering modular control and lighting for any required area without the need to move lights individually, saving a lot of time for the lighting department on set.

5. From the start of production in late August 2018 to the wrap-up in early January 2020, 'Fengshen' took 18 months to shoot, totaling 437 shooting days. The project took 9 years from the initial planning meeting in June 2014 to the release of the first part in 2023. The registered crew members exceeded 8,000, with a peak of 2,600 members working simultaneously.

6. The casting process for 'Fengshen Trilogy' took over a year, with 8 casting teams searching for actors worldwide. Wushan personally reviewed the profiles of 15,000 people, organized nearly 20 interviews in Beijing, and met face-to-face with 1,400 individuals. Finally, more than 30 actors entered the actor training camp, and after 24 weeks of intensive training, 16 of them participated in the movie, with 6 playing significant roles.