At JoJo Ventures, we thrive at the intersection of cultural heritage and high-tech storytelling. Recently, we had the distinct honor of collaborating with the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre (HKRep) on a massive visual undertaking: producing 16 promotional films for their upcoming season.
The project covered eight distinct plays, each requiring a cinematic 16:9 widescreen version and a social-first 9:16 vertical version. Today, we’re pulling back the curtain on one of the most visually arresting pieces from this collection: The Diary of Song.
The Creative Spark: A Blank Canvas
Some projects come with a strict, pre-defined storyboard. For The Diary of Song, HKRep gave us complete creative freedom.
Drawing inspiration from the play’s classical roots and historical setting, we moved away from literal live-action and toward a high-concept “Living Ink-Wash” aesthetic. Our goal was to make the audience feel as if a traditional scroll was coming to life—blending the soul of the Song Dynasty with the pulse of 2026 digital media.
Phase 1: Architecting Digital Personalities
To bridge the gap between ancient art and modern animation, we utilized Nano Banana Pro, our state-of-the-art AI design suite.
Character Sculpting
We began by generating the core protagonists: the legendary hero Wu Song and his infamous adversary, the Tiger. Instead of generic designs, we prompted for specific ink-wash textures, ensuring the “brushstrokes” felt intentional, weighted, and authentic to the period.
Motion Anticipation
We didn’t just design static images. We conceptualized the characters’ “Anticipation and Action” poses from the very start. This ensured that every digital ink stroke would follow a logical physical path once animated, maintaining the grace of a martial arts performance.
Phase 2: Bridging the Frames with AI
Traditional hand-drawn animation for 16 films would have taken months. To maintain high-fidelity art while meeting a demanding production schedule, we leveraged AI Motion Interpolation.
By setting the precise start and end points of a movement, we used AI to intelligently bridge the gap. This created a fluid, “dancing” effect where the ink seems to flow across the screen, mimicking the unpredictable and organic nature of water and pigment.
Phase 3: Solving the “Aspect Ratio” Dilemma
In today’s multi-platform world, the biggest technical headache is often the transition between 16:9 (Desktop) and 9:16 (Mobile). If you just “crop” a horizontal video, you lose the composition and the soul of the art.
Our Solution: Dual-Native Workflow
We didn’t treat the vertical version as an afterthought. Our workflow was “dual-native” from day one:
Adaptive Generation: When we generated characters and backgrounds, we created assets that were “aspect-ratio agnostic.”
Synchronized Animation: We animated both versions simultaneously, ensuring that Wu Song’s strike remained the focal point, whether you were watching on a cinema screen or a smartphone.
The Verdict
The final result for The Water Margin Diary is a testament to how AI can amplify (instead of replace) human artistry. By taking the heavy lifting out of the animation process, JoJo Ventures was able to focus on what truly matters: the atmosphere, the story, and the art.
We are incredibly proud to help the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre bring their 2026 season to life, one ink stroke at a time.
About Us
Based in Hong Kong, JoJo Ventures is a specialized production studio blending years of cinematic expertise with the power of CGI and AI. As the AI wave transforms the creative industry, we help businesses break through traditional production bottlenecks. Our mission is to provide more efficient, creative, and scalable ways for companies to communicate their vision.
Our work is trusted by global giants and local icons alike, including
- Pfizer
- Bosch
- Siemens
- Wellcome
- Eu Yan Sang
- SaSa
From premium commercials to the next generation of AI-generated visuals, we are your partners in the AI era.
Let’s build the future of your brand.
📧 Email: business@jojo.ventures
📱 WhatsApp: +852 9853 7469
