TRANSFORMERS 4" has high hopes for the China market and though it won't be released until next June, the coproduction is using a CCTV reality show to cast four minor characters.

There's a casting call for a "cute" girl, a sex goddess, a tech geek and an action hero.

It's the first Hollywood film to use the wildly popular genre of Chinese TV talent/reality shows to cast Chinese actors, thus generating interest and marketing the film in China.

It takes marketing in China to a new level.

Casting Chinese actors in a coproduction is not new, but using a reality TV show is.

Using CCTV, a government-run channel, ensures the film will be shown as part of the annual quota of imported films.

So far, around 800 amateur and professional actors and actresses have applied on a Transformers talent-seeking website launched in April together with M1905.com, a movie portal hosted by CCTV Channel 6, known as the Movie Channel. The site is T4.M1905.com.

The film will also star Li Bingbing and shoot some scenes in iconic locations in China.

Adding new blood

In China, online and TV talent searches are a popular way for films and TV series to recruit new actors. They add new blood to the productions and generate public interest and viewers.

"In general, talent searches are meant for marketing purposes and there aren't too many successful cases that found the exact right people for the roles," says Qu Jun, publicity director at Shanghai Youhug Media.

It remains to be seen if the "Transformers" recruitment will be different.

"A young audience is replacing the older generation, and they like to see their stories on the screen, so they can easily accept such talent searches," Qu tells Shanghai Daily.

He cautions, however, that acting requires skills and experience and that in talent searches "it's easy to find pretty faces but hard to find ones who can really act."

Few major roles are cast through online and TV talent competitions.

The recruiting website is filled with headlines about "fiery lips" and photos of women in bikinis, some of them topless with their back to the camera - they smile over their shoulder.

It's not surprising that many young men are shirtless.

The initial online selection runs through July 15 when the public casts their votes. Contestants upload their photos and a video clip under five minutes in which they introduce themselves in both Chinese and English and explain why they want to play the character.

On July 15, the top 25 contestants for each of the four roles will be announced. Decisions by judges take votes into consideration.

Then the 100 aspiring actors will take part in training and evaluation in further rounds on CCTV 6. Last rounds will be televised.

Dates have not been announced.

The reality show jury panel includes big names: Sid Ganis, the former head of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; "Transformers" casting director Denise Chamian; Paramount's president of marketing and distribution Megan Colligan; producer of "Transformers 4" Lorenzo DiBonaventura; CCTV 6 deputy director Jia Qi, and vice president of portal M1905 Liang Longfei.

In a video message by Ganis posted on M1905, he said, "This (casting) will give actors and would-be actors and actresses the opportunity to appear in a major motion picture.

"It will also give the rest of the world yet another glimpse of Chinese people and Chinese culture and China itself."

Ganis is now the chairman of Jiaflix Enterprises, a Chinese-American joint venture established last year to stream both Chinese and international feature films in China.

Not much is known about director Michael Bay's latest effort in the "Transformers" franchise, with Steven Spielberg as executive producer. Photos of extraordinary vehicles are trickling out.

As for the plot, the Autobot battle to save the human race continues four years after the battle of Chicago.

It will star Mark Wahlberg, Kelsey Grammer and Jack Reynor, among others.

Booming market

"Transformers" is one of Hollywood's most successful blockbuster franchises. The third film "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" in 2011 generated more than US$1 billion and a lot came from China.

Last year, the Chinese box office for all movies, domestic and imported, reached 17 billion yuan (US$2.77 billion), ranking just after the United States as the world's second-biggest film market.

Since US-China coproductions with Chinese actors and Chinese elements are no longer new, producers are looking for new ways to promote films in China and genuinely integrating Chinese elements.

Last year the film "Looper" directed by Rian Johnson starred Chinese actress Xu Qing and "Resident Evil 5" by Paul W. S. Anderson cast Li Bingbing in the role of Ada Wong.

Filmmakers need to avoid the mistake of "Iron Man 3," which made a separate "special cut" for the Chinese market only - offending many Chinese fans. It included some Chinese elements, actors Wang Xueqi and Fan Bingbing, and Chinese product placement.

But in the North American and international version, very few Chinese elements were shown. Wang's character only appeared for a few seconds and Fan was not featured at all. Still special China cut earned more than 600 million yuan.

Launching major talent searches is getting much cheaper in the new media age, when a lot can be done online and more people are encouraged to try out.

Reality TV shows like "American Idol" and "The Voice" can make someone famous, but finding acting talent for films is still difficult.

"In my opinion from the marketing perspective, using actors with good reputations and charisma in a particular region may be better (than reality TV casting) - the Chinese element is obvious," says Qu from Shanghai Youhug Media.

Varied promotions

Another way to boost box office for Western films and coproductions is to launch promotional activities and marketing prior to release.

Films open up Weibo, Chinese microblog accounts, for teasers and updates. They also use other media and often invite leading actors and actresses on promotional trips in China.

For "Iron Man 3," Robert Downey Jr came to China in April, appearing at press conferences, ceremonies and fan meetings, generating huge attention before the film's release.

There is a rare case of using a Chinese TV talent search to cast major roles - the result was not particularly successful in terms of quality but the viewership was huge.

In 2010 director Li Shaohong decided to recreate the classic "Dream of the Red Chamber" (oì?￥??) as a TV series and cast all major roles through a nationwide TV talent show search.

She cast mostly young faces in leading roles. It attracted great attention but also controversy about casting choices and acting ability.

Many viewers said the talent show choices didn't really "match" the characters in the famous novel.