Today we visited Studio 76, a film production company who specializes in entertainment and smart media distribution. I don’t know much about studio production, so it was really interesting to hear from an expert in the field. One aspect of this company visit I found particularly interesting was how their company is working to stay competitive despite advances in technology, particularly in AI. Studio 76 is working to diversify their business through manga, which takes films and turns them into comics. Before AI, a project to turn a film into a comic would take approximately nine months to complete. With AI, it only takes 3-5 days to complete, and cuts nearly 70% of the original cost. This is just one example of how AI is drastically changing the trajectory of many industries, and how companies must adapt in order to remain competitive.
Another part of the presentation I found really interesting was that Studio 76 is required to cut material when they sell their final films to China. The presenter explained that they cut nearly eight minutes of fighting and scenes containing blood for the film, “You Have to Kill Me.” Vietnam and Indonesia have similar restrictions and require thorough censorship before media is distributed. This reflects these countries political system, beliefs, and cultural norms.
After our visit we took a bus ride to the Gold Museum. Although the museum was closed, I really enjoyed the beautiful views we got driving up the mountain.
We then walked through Jiufen, where we shopped and ate at many of the different stores. One thing I noticed was that the store owners aggressively tried to sell their products. I was approached multiple times and offered samples to try and draw me into the store. When I was standing waiting for Kyla to finish buying something, a woman approached Hanna and I and asked us to come into her store to try plum wine. Because we weren’t doing anything else, we agreed, and she gave us a small variety of samples. She asked us to buy them, and when we said no, she immediately lowered the price. I thought it was interesting how assertive the salespeople were in this area, and am curious if it has to do with the number of tourists that come through. Tourists are usually inclined to spend more money than a typical shopper because they want to indulge in and explore a new environment, so they make good targets for people looking to sell their products. Therefore, storeowners are drawn to influence tourists willing to spend money to buy their products which will in turn support their business goals.
