By creating realistic virtual locations, for example, actors and crew would not need to be flown to different locations, and the audience would not be able to tell the difference.
The new technology can work at various stages of filmmaking, from post-production editing to the difficult stage of technical corrections.
Training AI models on vast real-world data sets can save time and resources in creating accurate and immersive environments and productive workflows, he said. “AI can also automate tasks like video editing, color grading and visual effects composting.”
Hollywood filmmakers have already started using AI to fine-tune scripts, select cast members, reduce the time it takes to choose locations and even predict the financial success of their films.
In Hong Kong, some filmmakers have embraced the technology, but others are skeptical that AI can make a difference in the city's stagnant industry, which has struggled to break out of stale formulas and rely on the same pool of aging actors. Struggled for.
Film editor Wong Hui, 56, who has won numerous awards for his work, said he believes AI can improve film production in many ways.
He missed the blockbuster hit editing. protector and killer, which won eight Hong Kong Film Awards including Best Film and Best Director in 2010.
“It was shot in Shanghai, where the production team built a physical set that felt like Hong Kong had been transported there,” he said.
It cost HK$50 million (US$6.4 million) to build the set, which resembled Hong Kong Central in the 1900s, spanning 10 football fields.
“The set was really magical. But now if we use AI and virtual sets, we can achieve the same stunning and detailed results without the need for extensive construction,” said Wong, of the Society of Film Editors in Hong Kong. is the chairman.
He estimated that using AI could at least halve the cost and time required to create film locations.
“Human creativity is the key to all of this and we will not be replaced by AI, but people in the industry and all of Hong Kong must embrace the new to avoid being left behind in the wave of growth,” he said. “
The growing adoption of AI globally has prompted Chinese technology and e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, which owns the Post, to support Hong Kong's creative sector.
Its entertainment and media arm, Alibaba Digital Media and Entertainment Group, announced in March that it would invest at least HK$5 billion in Hong Kong's culture and film industries over the next five years to revive the sector. I got help.
The investment will go towards creating local broadcast series, films and performances and developing young talent, the company said.
Hong Kong wants to make a big breakthrough in 'art tech'. But what is it?
Hong Kong wants to make a big breakthrough in 'art tech'. But what is it?
'Using AI puts the cart before the horse'
Filmmaker Norman Chan Hock Yan, associate director of Baptist University's Film Academy, said AI and technology cannot solve the most pressing problems in Hong Kong's film industry.
“Many big-budget productions often fall into the same genre as crime thrillers. The cast consists of only a few well-known stars the audience is tired of seeing over and over again,” he said.
Chan said the abundant choice offered by online streaming platforms has made it difficult for Hong Kong films to score at the box office.
“People can connect to Netflix to watch any movie, with a wide variety, from just Thailand and Indonesia to Finland, Denmark and Sweden,” he said.
Chen, who produced classics such as An Autumn Tale And the series It's a crazy, crazy, crazy world. Films of the 1980s said that Hong Kong films did not receive international acclaim as major production companies focused on co-productions with mainland China that were primarily targeted at the market there.
“Such multimillion-dollar productions often favor established stars, leaving new actors to continue in smaller roles, creating gaps in the talent pool. But even big stars Even now there is no guarantee of success at the box office,” he said.
Veteran filmmaker John Chong Chung, 65, who produced the classic; Infernal Affairs Trilogy brushed aside AI talk, saying the Hong Kong film industry is more concerned about breaking into mainland and overseas markets.
“No one has time to engage in the use of AI. We are more concerned with our storytelling, presentations, scriptwriting and achieving success with how to attract audiences and tap into different markets. are
“Without good storytelling and thought-provoking content, it doesn't matter what kind of AI you use.”
Chong said some sci-fi blockbusters have used a lot of advanced technology but have received bad reviews and not made much profit.
“Many industry players will not put the horse before the cart. The script comes first, then we will see if the technology can fulfill the script and provide value for money. We are looking to fulfill a particular technology. Will not write a script for that,” he said.
But James Leung Wah Sang, 64, director of production house Mutual Workshop, said AI and virtual production helped him shoot a music video for singer Jeffrey Ngai Sun Sang's “My Own World Map” in a single day.
The video features a variety of scenes, including an ancient cathedral, a pirate ship, a snow-capped mountain and a vast meadow, all of which were shot by Vision Studios in six hours.
The singer's record label gave him two weeks to work.
“In a very compressed time frame, the studio was able to create background scenes that matched my vision. We also shot most of the music video there,” said Leung.
Generative AI took center stage at Hong Kong's twin tech fairs.
Generative AI took center stage at Hong Kong's twin tech fairs.
Describing himself as “old school” after more than four decades in the industry, he said the use of AI has been eye-opening.
“It allows the actors to seamlessly blend in with the virtual imagery. I can monitor the screen in real-time and fine-tune things right away,” said Leung, adding that the lighting and color quality Spent less time adjusting.
“It cut the production time in half compared to shooting on real sets.”
This experience convinced him that the new technology could reduce the cost of filming in various locations around the world for movies and television shows, without compromising the finished product.
For one thing, he said, it would cut down on the cost of transporting film crews to different locations and putting them up in hotels.
'Fusion of art, creativity and technology'
With a combined population of over 80 million and a growing middle class, the region represents an important market for entertainment and media consumption, he said.
Hong Kong, with its established infrastructure, international approach to production quality and global connectivity, competes as an ideal location to attract production projects and meet the needs of local and international content creators. Has an advantage.
“This unique setup enables storytellers to shoot in any location, whether realistic or imagined, within the confines of the studio, using a real-time virtual environment,” he said. said “The combination of art, creativity and technology creates a captivating space where magic truly happens.”
Hong Kong artists play with AI in the Beyond the Singularity exhibition.
Hong Kong artists play with AI in the Beyond the Singularity exhibition.
AI models can be trained using existing films and cinematographic principles, and virtual cameras can be programmed to capture shots that mimic the style and technique of well-known cinematographers, he said.
In February, Microsoft-backed OpenAI introduced Sora, a new tool capable of creating lifelike videos from written text prompts, sparking debate about its potential impact on the film industry.
But Pruis said it has limitations, including “the substantial amount of computing power required for Sura to become mainstream.”
“Similar tools are likely to help augment the filmmaking process, not replace it,” he said.
“While some argue that AI will eventually replace humans, I believe it may struggle to replicate the human creative mind and make critical creative decisions.”
Is AI the killer app for smart glasses? This Singapore-based startup thinks so.
Is AI the killer app for smart glasses? This Singapore-based startup thinks so.
A boon or bane for the industry?
Along with advances in AI, Baptist University has established five art technology startups, including two research projects adopting text-to-prompt technologies.
“MotionGPT” allows users to enter text gestures and convert them into a video for Bovatar, an AI-powered digital avatar, to perform programmed actions and behaviors.
The avatar can be human or animal, and costumes, background settings, framing and camera angles are all flexible.
“You can just ask an avatar to walk for five seconds and then sit and jump for five seconds,” said Dr. Chen Ji, an assistant professor in the university's Department of Computer Science.
He said the two projects complement each other, with MotionGPT specializing in motion generation and Bowwater being used for virtual character creation.
“Combining these offers a low-budget production solution for the film industry and academia,” he said.
Take martial arts movies for example. This technology offers filmmakers more options, allowing actors to quickly demonstrate actions with simple commands to the director, or the actors to demonstrate desired movements.
“This reduces retake time and increases filming efficiency, and potentially saves on the cost of hiring martial arts instructors.”
Movements captured in the campus studio will become valuable data sets for machine learning to train MotionGPT, potentially helping to preserve martial arts techniques from being lost, he added.
The professor, who also founded the university's startup Lumos Arts and Technology, said he hopes to use art tech and collaborate with industry to equip film students with better technical skills and creativity.
Veteran producer and actor Tanki Tin Kaiman, 62, a former chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers, said the local industry's use of AI was still in its infancy, and there was a heavy reliance on the technology for filmmaking. Warned against.
“AI cannot create a formula for success for movies,” he said. “It is difficult to tell the psychology of the audience.
“Sometimes they're drawn to a particular movie just because of a certain actor, certain scenes, lines that connect with them or the sense of reality presented. If they know a movie is full of AI. If so, the audience can be turned off.
While he agreed that AI could help filmmakers, he saw its role as “purely complementary” and didn't think it was the answer to the industry's problems.
He said that films need originality, creativity and human touch.