Applying AI to Cinema: Excitement and Caution

The controversy never ends

Director James Cameron, who once opposed AI, now believes that this technology can be applied to reduce filmmaking costs without having to lay off staff. In a recent social media post, he emphasized: “To have works that are heavy on graphics, producers have to cut other costs, including personnel. With the support of AI, production speed can be accelerated, production cycles shortened, and human resources are also guaranteed…”.

Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix, is also optimistic that AI will not only help save costs but also improve the quality of films. Netflix has applied AI to set design, preliminary rendering, shooting planning and VFX support. According to him, AI helps small projects access special effects that were previously only available to big-budget films.

“It’s still the same creativity, but thanks to AI, we can do things that were impossible five years ago. However, I don’t think AI will replace humans, new technology will help improve the experience of both viewers and filmmakers,” Sarandos emphasized.

However, the controversy persists. The 2023 American actors and actresses strike was sparked by concerns that AI would replace creative jobs. Actors demanded contracts that would ensure that their images and voices would not be used to train AI without their consent. Films using AI such as Emilia Perez and The Brutalist were nominated for the 2025 Oscar, or Adrian Brody was assisted by AI to express his Hungarian accent - won the Best Actor award (The Brutalist), and Tom Hanks's face was rejuvenated by AI in the film Here... also caused a wave of fierce controversy.

Many Hollywood experts believe that AI is completely meaningless without putting the filmmaker at the center. Technology must ultimately serve the filmmaker. The question is not whether to use AI, but how to use it so that artists and filmmakers are not left out.

Vietnamese cinema is "taking its first steps" with AI

In mid-April, Chanh Phuong Films, the unit behind many famous films: Heroic Blood, Dragon Trap, Let's Wait 2, Teo Em... announced the organization of the first AI short film competition called "Chanh Phuong AI Film Competition".

With the slogan “When technology shapes, people give life to the story”, according to the organizers, the contest received 86 entries and the 12 best entries were selected for the next round. The goal of the contest is not only to find new talents in the field of AI-based films, but also to honor the originality, creativity and emotion in each film.

Images from the 4K AI movie Sac Forest Special Forces by Skyline group

Previously, the application of AI in the production of music videos, TVCs, and short films has also been applied by many young creators in Vietnam. 9X director Pham Vinh Khuong has applied this technology to the production of MVs: Dai Viet Painting, White Party, Storm Eye, Cheo Moi Lai Ra... and is planning to produce a film project. Skyline - a group of young people specializing in restoring photos of martyrs, recently introduced the short film Sac Cong Rung Sac using 4K AI technology. This film, which is more than 3 minutes long, attracted more than 418,000 views, along with thousands of likes and comments when posted on Facebook.

According to director Ba Cuong, filmmakers are benefiting a lot because AI is a diligent, agile and knowledgeable assistant, helping to save a lot of time. According to him, AI can be applied in many stages, from pre-production (script analysis and performance prediction, production planning, script idea development, casting), to production (studio data management, filming and lighting support), post-production (effects, editing, color correction, audio processing, subtitling and dubbing), and even distribution and marketing (audience analysis, trailer creation)...

“Although AI is widely used, in my opinion, AI cannot replace traditional filmmaking. On the contrary, we can utilize AI to optimize human resources, budget and time, while still creating new and innovative works of art,” said director Pham Vinh Khuong, the first person in Vietnam to make a film entirely based on AI. Meanwhile, a representative of Chanh Phuong Films emphasized: “The combination of technology and art is inevitable, but the important thing is that humans still have to master the story. A successful work is not the one with the most beautiful effects, but also the one that moves the audience.”

VAN TUAN

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/ung-dung-ai-vao-dien-anh-hao-hung-va-than-trong-post795271.html