With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, AI is quickly changing the overall ecology of the content creation industry, which has drawn global attention to the transformative impact of AI technology on the visual field. In the past year, with the launch of large text-to-video models like Sora and Kling, as well as user-friendly filmmaking support tools like Runway and Pika, the production efficiency in creative industries such as film, visual arts, and digital media has significantly improved.
Is AI filmmaking merely a market attention-grabbing gimmick, or is it gradually becoming a reality in commercial cinema?
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) recently hosted the first "AI Film Festival" in Greater China, attracting over 700 AI-generated short films from more than 80 countries and regions. After a rigorous selection by a jury that included Richard Taylor, known for producing "The Lord of the Rings" series and a five-time Oscar winner, and Professor Cao Ting, Dean of Photography at Beijing Film Academy, the Best Film Award was won by Emmy-nominated screenwriter Nik Kleverov for his short film "Memory Maker," which depicts a post-war world where humanity has become subservient to machines, provoking deep reflections on the relationship between humans and machines.
Still lacks stability, requires post-production fixes
At the same time, the university organized an academic forum inviting professionals from various fields to discuss the process of generating AI creative content, the impact of AI on artists and the film industry, the traits of a new generation of creators, and topics related to AI ethics and morality. Guests included Brian Connor, an American visual effects artist who won an Oscar for "Dune," members of Richard Taylor's team, representatives from Weta Workshop Chris Williamson and Jacky Zheng Ziyi, Taiwanese film scholar Peggy Chiao, Hong Kong film producer Charles Heung and actor Jacky Heung, and Tony Ngai, honorary advisor of the Hong Kong Society of Cinematographers with over 50 years of experience in the local film industry, along with Professor Maneesh Agrawala, director of the Brown Institute for Media Innovation at Stanford University.
Weta Workshop, located in Wellington, New Zealand, is a globally renowned company specializing in special effects makeup and model props, achieving great success with films like "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit," and has produced effects for over 80 Hollywood films. Founder Richard Taylor not only served as a judge at the "AI Film Festival" but also brought colleagues Williamson and Zheng from New Zealand to participate in the academic forum.
With extensive experience in visual effects production, Williamson and Zheng provided firsthand observations on AI applications.
"The development of AI in film production is indeed very rapid; however, there are some technical details that remain inadequate for large theatrical films, particularly regarding stability. Currently, AI-generated images often suffer from issues like distortion, requiring post-production fixes. As technology continues to develop, these problems may be resolved, but it requires significant R&D costs. As long as there is a technical team dedicated to ongoing development, the application prospects of AI should be very broad."
They are also well aware of the recent popularity of Chinese films like "Ne Zha" and "The Wandering Earth." "The development of the Chinese film industry is very fast, especially in the fields of science fiction and animation. Weta Workshop has close ties with the director of 'The Wandering Earth' and has consistently collaborated with the production team. We have shared technology and production processes to aid in the advancement of the Chinese film industry's special effects field."
"Weta Workshop has maintained many connections with the Chinese film industry. One major advantage of Chinese cinema is its strong production capability, which other markets lack. Our company, being overseas with a relatively small team, is very willing to collaborate with Chinese companies that have strong production capabilities and share technology." Zheng also specifically mentioned the film "Operation Red Sea" directed by Hong Kong director Dante Lam, noting that "the special effects were excellent."
Filmmakers need to enhance awareness of artistic technology development
Ngai previously served as the general manager of Salon Films and has witnessed the entire evolution of the Hong Kong film industry from the "Hong Kong New Wave" to the present. After retiring, he has focused on researching new film technologies and organizing relevant workshops.
In his presentation, Ngai showcased two AI-produced short films. One was a 6-minute trailer titled "Woman with Red Hair," directed by a Hollywood filmmaker who plans to make a 90-minute film. The other, "Choon," is a 2-minute and 35-second suspense short film directed by Korean Antonia Kim, which is intended to be expanded into a 28-minute AI film.
Before soliciting opinions from professionals, he first posed a question to DeepSeek, who commented that the Hollywood author's short had "excellent production techniques and a Hollywood film style," but did not comment on content creation, stating, "it's just a trailer; we can't see the complete story." In contrast, the commentary on the Korean director's short noted "many technical flaws exist, but the story was well told and resonated." Subsequently, he consulted several seasoned industry professionals, including a VP-level expert in Hollywood visual technology, who expressed strong criticism, believing the short films had not yet reached a level suitable for theatrical release. Another senior cinematographer, who entered the industry in the 1980s, felt the AI-produced content lacked realism.
Based on expert opinions, Ngai concluded that while AI is excellent in improving film production efficiency—24 frames per second means a 100-minute film will require a large number of visually expressive shots—focusing solely on AI's efficiency improvements has limitations. Visual representation is just one part of filmmaking; there must be more artistic creativity involved.
"Currently, creators should not focus on using AI to produce an entire film but rather create parts of the content. For instance, if some scenes are too difficult to shoot in real life, AI can be used in conjunction with live-action to support and enhance efficiency." His conclusion is that AI production has developed to a point where it should be fully utilized, at least participating in the creation of certain content and scenes. However, this requires effective communication between the film industry and technology professionals, and filmmakers need to enhance their understanding of the development of artistic technology.
Ngai also mentioned the impact of AI applications on Hong Kong cinema. He learned that "The Wandering Earth" is set to begin production on its third installment, and due to the high demand for special effects, an AI department may need to be established.
"In contrast, the application of AI in Hong Kong cinema is relatively lagging."
However, Ngai emphasized, "Hong Kong has many excellent filmmakers, good schools, especially with HKUST placing great importance on research in this field. Therefore, all parties should strengthen communication, study demands, and improve the efficiency of film production in Hong Kong. The application of AI in Hong Kong cinema needs to carve out its own path. But we should not set expectations too high; relying solely on AI to complete an entire film is currently not feasible."
(Source: Wen Wei Po)
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