AI summary
Summary of article:
AI is rewriting the film and television production process, allowing smaller teams to quickly complete short films and make commercials. However, whether the work can be successfully verified by the audience and business is still a significant challenge.
With three people and about a week, they can complete a short film of about 10 minutes, and they can also rely on AI imaging to get advertising business. As AI is gradually entering film and television production,Sugar Industry insiders believe that even creators with limited funds have the opportunity to film their stories first and then find audiences and income. However, reducing production costs and whether the work can make money are still two different levels.
David Johnson, a prominent cultural and creative executive who has participated in the production of “Rooftop” and “The King”, said that the costs of AI and traditional film and television production can be “a hundred times different”, and the main savings are in special effects, shooting, lighting, props, scenery and photography equipment.
A research summary released by Morgan Stanley in July 2025 estimated that generative AI could reduce costs for film and television production companies by 30%. A report released on July 20 by AI imaging tool provider Runway pointed out that after a home furnishing retailer used AI to redo a visual production project of nearly 800,000 yuan, the expenditure was reduced to less than 10,000 yuan, equivalent to less than one-eighth of the original cost.
Jiang Bingcheng said that the team once produced an AI short film based on the Mayflower voyage. It took three people about a week to complete what took about 10 minutes. He is responsible for writing the script, another person produces the graphics, soundtrack, sound effects and dubbing, and the last person completes editing, special effects and color correction.
On where the revenue comes from, he said that the company’s current AI imaging revenue mainly comes from advertising, and it has produced related works for Luxgen and FamilyMart convenience stores. Using AI to meet customers’ imaging needs has become a business they are truly familiar with.
Can someone without a film background start? Jiang Bingcheng said that he has seen many people create amazing videos of 15 seconds to 30 seconds, and even create masterpieces within 5 minutes. But the longer the content, the more it requires plot layout and rhythm design to make audiences willing to watch.
Hideki Kuo, founder of Acenix and chairman of the Tyrannus Foundation, is engaged in film investments. He observed that many directors spend years writing scripts, but spend a lot of time raising money. Finally, even if someone is willing to buy the script, they will not be able to be guided by the original writer, and may also have to accept that the story is modified.
He believes that the change brought about by AI is that creators do not need to sell their stories at the beginning, but can instead create a pilot film first, let audiences watch it, and then find funding. Investors also have the opportunity to see the finished product and audience reaction before deciding to invest.
The Ascenix platform he is developing hopes to allow creators to first gain audiences and income. He explained that one way to plan is to let viewers pay to unlock later content; The second is to ensure continuity of support for fans. For example, the producer completes the first three episodes, and the audience wants to continue watching, and then raises money for the fourth to 10th episodes.
In his view, creators do not need to enter a major studio, but can also live on the platform to attract audiences. If you want to win investment from film companies, you can submit data such as viewership, revenue, and audience composition so investors know who the work attracts and whether there is a paying market.
In addition to attracting audiences, whether the work can be safely commercialized is also a barrier to monetization. He said that when the team accepts ads, customers will be concerned about whether the AI-generated content constitutes infringement and will hopefully have it reviewed by an intellectual property attorney. Therefore, he designed the function of recording the production process into the creative tool so that the decisions made by the producer could be retained when characters, scenes, sounds, and other content were generated for later review reference.
Summary FAQ
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Because AI can significantly reduce the cost of special effects, scenery, lighting, equipment, etc., three people can make a 10-minute short film in about a week, allowing creators with limited funds to film the story first.
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Currently, a more mature source of income is advertising projects, such as the production of video content for brands. The industry said it has indeed received AI imaging needs from customers such as Lucky and FamilyMart convenience stores.
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In the past, producers would often sell the script first and then wait for filming. Now, they can first create pilot films or finished products for audiences to watch, and then prove marketability to investors with viewership, revenue, and audience data.
