Axue Wei

Within the film and television advertising industry, a legendary“Impossible Triangle” theorem has long prevailed: one cannot simultaneously attain Cost, Speed, and Quality. However, producer Axue Wei refuses to acquiesce to this dogma. As the co-founder of THG Films, a leading production company in China, and an internationally award-winning producer, she has successfully shattered this curse across numerous projects by introducing an original“End-to-End Agile Production System.” We asked Axue Wei to delve into how she infuses industrial thinking into emotional creation and compels the market to embrace her vision.

Tinseltown News (TTN): The outside world, upon learning about the nearly 4-million-yuan production cost of the 3-minute Jade Dynasty Mobile Game Short Film might readily label you as someone associated with blockbuster-scale productions. Yet, after witnessing the creation of Spring Rolls, which was made with a mere production budget of 280,000 yuan, they may also conclude that you excel in crafting small-scale yet exquisitely beautiful works. How would you define such a wide-ranging disparity in your creative endeavors?

Axue Wei (AW): To me, there is essentially no distinction between these projects; they are all equations requiring solutions. The crux of high-budget projects (such as Jade Dynasty Short Film) lies in “entropy”—the intricate art of managing complexity; for low-budget endeavors (like The Spring Roll Episode), the challenge is precision—the relentless pursuit of maximizing resource utilization to its absolute limits; whereas in rapid-deployment projects (as exemplified by The Versatile Dalan Is Here), the pivotal difficulty is velocity—the audacious reengineering of workflows to achieve breakneck speed. I am not confined to serving merely a single category of projects; instead, I offer clients a universally applicable systematic filmmaking solution. My core mission revolves around fine-tuning the parameters within this framework—resources, technological tools, managerial processes, and creative rationale—to seamlessly adapt to any set of boundary conditions specified by clients. Under these constraints, I strive to uncover and deliver the optimal solution tailored precisely to their needs.

TTN: You have consistently emphasized the concept of a “filmmaking system.” How does this system address entirely distinct challenges?

AW: I refer to this system as the “Agile Filmmaking System.” It operates like a finely engineered gearbox, equipped with different gears to navigate varying terrains. When confronted with complexity (Complexity), we activate the “modular locking mechanism” to uphold industrialized standards. In the face of resource constraints (Constraint), we employ “visual reverse-driving” to ensure the explosive impact of core highlights. Under time pressure（Speed）, we adopt “parallel process restructuring” to break free from sequential workflows. When encountering cultural barriers（Culture）, we engage in “audiovisual language translation” to guarantee emotional resonance. No matter how demanding the conditions at the input stage may be, the sole objective of this system remains unwavering: to ensure that the output is a resounding success, of high quality, and aligned with commercial objectives.

TTN: Let’s delve into the practical applications of these dimensions. How did your system operate in the case of the short film Jade Dynasty?

AW: The core challenge of this project was “systemic risk.” With a multinational team, the top-tier celebrity, and a substantial volume of CG, coupled with a tight shooting schedule and post-production spanning the Chinese and Japanese Spring Festivals, any disconnection in any link could trigger a domino effect. Here, my system prioritized “standardized control.” Leveraging the 20 years of big-budget production experience from THG Films, we dissected emotional artistic creation into rational production modules. A high budget does not equate to reckless spending; rather, the higher the budget, the greater the demand for precision. Through rigorous process locking, we eliminated friction in collaboration, ensuring that every cent of the budget was tangibly transformed into visual assets on screen. This project ultimately clinched the Silver Award at the 2025 Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards, generating 2 million APP downloads for the client within just one month of its release. Furthermore, this case was shared within the industry by the China Advertising Association (the largest and most influential organization in China’s advertising sector) in 2025 as a classic example of production process innovation. This stands as a testament to the successful mastery of “high-complexity projects.”

TTN: How did your system adapt for a low-budget project like Ele.me: The Spring Roll Episode?

AW: The challenge here shifted entirely to resource scarcity. My system swiftly transitioned into efficiency mode. Under traditional workflows, a budget of just $39,000 would only support a rather mediocre shoot. However, we adopted a “visual reverse-driving” logic: instead of shooting whatever we want, we focused on leveraging available resources to their absolute fullest. We eliminated all mediocre intermediate steps and concentrated all efforts on crafting a single, highly memorable visual symbol. Despite the minimal budget, through systematic resource allocation, we produced a highly shareable film. After its launch in February 2025, the project garnered over 630 million views, 3 million+ interactions, and nearly 2.8 million discussions. It was recognized by industry media as one of the most culturally valuable commercial short films of the year, proving that my system not only excels at managing substantial budgets but also delivers exceptional ROI even when funds are scarce.

TTN: The Versatile Dalan Is Here has garnered numerous prestigious global awards. What was the primary challenge of this project?

AW: It was rooted in the paradox between time and quality. With over 30 co-branded partners involved and the brand audit process alone taking 40 days, the standard 60-day production timeline was compressed to just 20 days. Adhering to the traditional animation TVC workflow would have made it impossible to complete the production task before the launch date. Here, we implemented “process-dimensional innovation.” I dismantled the conventional linear animation workflow into a multi-track parallel mode. This was not merely a matter of adding more personnel or working overtime; it required a completely new SOP (Standard Operating Procedure for Aesthetics and Technical Standardization). Ultimately, we not only delivered on time but also won six authoritative advertising awards, including the Grand Prize at the NYX Awards and the Best Animation Award at the US International Awards, due to the exceptional quality of the film. This underscores the system’s adaptive capability in terms of agility.

TTN: Finally, let’s discuss D-Cal Brand Short Film – The Imperfect Mom, a project focused on localizing an American brand in the Chinese market. What was the obstacle on this project?

AW: The challenge here was subtle yet profound—it was about resonance. The client possessed strong brand equity but faced “cultural misalignment” in the Chinese market. This issue could not be resolved through mere financial investment or accelerated speed; it required meticulous audiovisual translation. My system fulfilled an “emotional calibration” function in this context. In this project, while the agency had an excellent creative concept, my approach went beyond simply selecting skilled storytellers as screenwriters and directors. Crucially, all core creative personnel were parents themselves—either fathers or mothers. Upon the film’s release, its authentic details instantly sparked intense resonance among new mothers, propelling the marketing campaign to far exceed expectations: targeting only approximately 17 million new mothers, the project generated over 87 million social buzz. The film’s first-week viewership surpassed 32 million, and during the dissemination period, D-Cal’s Weibo index soared to 212,000, surpassing competitors by over a thousandfold. This case became a classic industry benchmark in 2019 and was honored with the IAI Awards – Creativity & Marketing | Video – Silver Award. The exceptional communication effectiveness stemmed from the agency’s sound strategy, while our role was to “materialize” this strategy into a high-quality video. Without this high-caliber vehicle, the strategy would have remained unimplemented.

TTN: Looking back, each of your cases represents a typical filmmaking challenge.

AW: Precisely. As a commercial production company, we have no control over how much budget, time, or script a client provides. However, my value lies in the fact that, regardless of the raw materials and constraints given by clients, our filmmaking system can transform them into high-quality finished products through innovative production mechanisms. The success of our clients—whether it be box office hits, viral dissemination, or successful brand localization—is the inevitable outcome of the system’s meticulous operation at the backend. This is precisely why I am committed to continuously constructing a more efficient filmmaking system by integrating AI and other cutting-edge technologies from the industry—to make “success” a replicable industrial standard. Nevertheless, I have consistently emphasized that AI cannot replace aesthetic sensibility; it can only replace repetitive labor. My innovative goal is to build a more efficient “human-machine collaboration” system in the future, enabling technology to truly serve artistic expression.

Interview conducted by special correspondent Luke Mover