what you need to know
- TCL is releasing an AI-generated movie called Next Stop Paris , a trailer for which has just been released on YouTube.
- The short features an original script and real voice actors, but is animated using generative artificial intelligence.
- “Paris Next” will appear on TCLtv+, TCL’s free streaming service, marking the company’s first foray into original content.
TCL, a company well known for its budget Android TVs and budget Android smartphones, is now focusing on original content creation. Its new content will appear on its free streaming service TCLtv+ and will begin with a short film. However, these are no ordinary movies: the newly formed TCLtv+ studio will use generative artificial intelligence to create animated films.
Generative AI is already used in many mainstream applications, including text generation, image generation, and even custom animations. However, the technology is still in its mature stages, and AI has yet to be used by a major company for long-form video animation. That changes with Next Stop Paris, which TCL calls an “artificial intelligence-generated special.” It’s a short love story created by human writers and voice actors, with contributions from human artists as well. However, most of the animation is handled by artificial intelligence.
As can be seen from the trailer for Next Stop in Paris, TCL has yet to make any major breakthroughs in generating AI animations. It looks like the company used an AI image generator to create static images and then added some motion to them. It’s obvious that the trailer was made with artificial intelligence and you can see anomalies, especially on the characters’ faces. The soundtrack also doesn’t seem to perfectly match the movements of the lips, creating a viewing experience that can only be described as awkward.
You can see for yourself what TCL’s animated romance movie will look like in this YouTube trailer:
Again, it’s not as bad as past examples of AI animation – you may remember the viral video of Will Smith eating spaghetti – but it’s certainly not good either. The bosses at TCL are hoping to push boundaries with the AI-generated film and see if audiences like it. While not explicitly stated, there are clear cost advantages for TCL to produce original content that leverages artificial intelligence rather than using human animators or live-action formats.
“Stories will be at the core of everything we do,” said Chris Regina, chief content officer at TCL. “We are empowering creators and storytellers to use this new technology to enrich the human experience, and we We believe creatives with boundless imagination will drive endless innovation. We view ‘Next Paris’ as an early experiment and we’re excited to see how the response is in the town square.”
TCL said Next Stop Paris will be released online and on the TCLtv+ app this summer.