Many big tech companies, especially those in the TV hardware business, have dipped their toes into original content. Although its own free, ad-supported TV (FAST) channels have been around for a while, it’s late to the party. Not for long though, as the company is set to release its first special, a short romance film, on TCLtv+ this summer. There’s just one slight hitch: TCL is using generative AI to create original content for its platform, and early signs don’t look good.
The company has released its first trailer. Next stop Paris, which it’s calling “the first AI-powered love story.” TCL used human writers as well as actors for motion capture and voice performance. While it has artists from the US, Canada, UK and Poland working on the project, it relies heavily on generative AI.
“I’m excited about this opportunity to differentiate ourselves with original programming. AIGC [artificial intelligence generated content] This is just the beginning for us,” said TCL Chief Content Officer Chris Regina . “It’s a new approach and it makes sense coming from a tech and hardware company that this is where we’re going to start.”
The plot of Next stop ParisAs it is, sees a young woman on her honeymoon to Paris alone after her fiance runs off with someone at the wedding party. She meets a stranger on the train and the pair explore the French capital together.
TCL is hoping that original content can help attract viewers to TCLtv+ and build brand recognition for the company. Although it is not entirely fair to judge a film based on its trailer. Next stop Paris The clip makes a terrible first impression for both the project and TCLtv+.
The look of the characters changes, from a moderately realistic style to the hyper-realism we often see from the likes of the Midgerians, and they convey all the emotions of a couple of dead fish. The lip-syncing is almost non-existent and the characters move in a very unnatural manner.
The trailer feels like the worst kind of fever dream. That seems like an insult to trash. If “content is king” as Regina said, Next stop Paris Looks like a poor.
Hallmark Channel gets a lot of flak for its romantic movies and romcoms, but at least there’s a sincerity and high level of care behind the network’s output, which fills the gaps in its theatrical slate. does a lot to fill TCL is trying to muscle in this space as well.
“There’s an audience out there looking for our service and we see a hole in the market that doesn’t have theatrical rom-coms,” Regina said. “He’s a guilty pleasure. You sit under a blanket and watch in front of your TV set. So he’s the driver.” On top of that, TCL plans to make its original content shoppable and have AI-generated “characters in our shows that can be brand ambassadors and influencers for advertisers.”
Thankfully, TCL isn’t just working on AI-generated gifs. “We are looking at doing traditional content. So movies, scripted shows, unscripted content, specials,” Regina wrote. Next stop Paris with Daniel Smith, TCL’s chief creative officer, said. “The next thing we have is not AI at all.” That’s a good thing, because whatever’s ahead can’t look much worse Next stop Paris.