Editor-DN
What do you want to know?
- TCL is releasing an AI-generated movie called Next Stop Paris, and its trailer has just dropped on YouTube.
- The short film features an original script and human voice actors, but creative artificial intelligence is used for the animation.
- Next Stop Paris will appear on TCLtv+, a free streaming service offered by TCL, and is the company’s first foray into original content.
TCL, the company we know for budget Android TVs and cheap Android smartphones, is now diving into original content creation. His new content will appear on his free streaming service, TCLtv+, and will be a short film to begin with. However, it’s not just any movies: the newly formed TCLtv+ studios will create animated movies using creative artificial intelligence.
Generative AI has been used in a number of mainstream applications, including text generation, image generation, and even custom animations. However, the technology is still maturing, and AI has yet to be used by any major company for full-length video animation. That changes with Next Stop Paris, which TCL calls an “AI-generated special.” It is a short romance film written by human writers and voice actors, with contributions from human artists. However, the bulk of the animation is handled by artificial intelligence.
If the trailer for Next Stop Paris is any indication, TCL hasn’t made any major breakthroughs in generative AI animation. It looks like the company used an AI image generator to create the stills and then added some motion to them. It’s very clear that the trailer was created with artificial intelligence, as you can see the abnormalities, especially in the faces of the characters. The soundtrack doesn’t seem quite right with the moving lips, making for a viewing experience that can only be described as awkward.
You can see for yourself what TCL’s animated romance movie will be like. YouTube trailer:
Again, it’s not as bad as past examples of AI animation have been — you’ll remember the viral videos of Will Smith eating spaghetti — but it’s definitely not great either. People led by TCL want to push the boundaries with this AI-generated movie and see if the audience enjoys it. Although it’s not clearly stated, TCL has clear cost advantages to creating original content that leverages AI rather than using human animators or live-action formats.
“Story will be at the heart of everything we do,” says TCL Chief Content Officer Chris Regina. “We’re empowering creators and storytellers to use this new technology to enrich the human experience, and we believe that creatives with unlimited imaginations will drive endless innovation. We’re ‘Next Stop Paris.’ ‘ as an early experience and we are very excited to see it. How has it been received in the town square?”
TCL says Next Stop Paris will be released this summer online and via the TCLtv+ app.
