THE HOLLOW

Inspiration

Modern people have, at some point, begun to take it for granted that they are swept along by collective fads or trends rather than seeking their own identity. Everyone in daily life carries a smartphone, watches YouTube, and competes to post content that makes them stand out more on social media. Rather than judging right from wrong, they are submerged in collectivism, gradually losing the purity of the human soul. I wanted to metaphorically express such modern society through the sewer.

What it does

In a society rapidly digitising at an alarming pace, people feel anxious about the breakdown of relationships. Rather than seeking their own individuality and identity, they strive desperately to avoid being marginalised. To keep pace with collective trends or currents, they diligently scour social media and readily accept the information gleaned there. The fear and pressure of isolation compel them to follow the trends. They visit popular eateries like pilgrims, take photos, and competitively post them on social media. In this process, serious judgement about right and wrong becomes unimportant. Hiding within the vast crowd is the safest option. People live like camouflaged chameleons, concealing their own voice and individuality. The sewers, the backdrop of this film, are a metaphor for our modern society. Through the protagonist of this film, I wanted to show the figure of an individual resisting, not swept away by the collective nature and flow of the massive trend.

How we built it

This film was created entirely using AI-based visual and auditory tools. Key images and concepts were primarily generated using Midjourney, with Seedream and Nanobananas mainly employed to process images extracted from Midjourney. Parts of the video and audio were primarily produced using Kling, VIO3, and Hix Field. Voice and sound design were created using ELevenLabs and Suno AI. The planning process utilised ChatGPT, whilst Topaz AI was employed to enhance video resolution.

Challenges we ran into

The greatest difficulty lay in the fact that it proved challenging to translate the storyboard directly into video. After all, AI-generated video cannot escape its inherent element of chance and cannot be directed entirely according to one's own intentions. I was originally a comic artist. The medium of comics offers a very high degree of freedom, allowing the artist to direct the narrative precisely as intended. Unlike comics, with AI video, if a scene cannot be realised, one must shift thinking in another direction to move forward. I struggled until I became accustomed to this thought process. Other challenging elements included the AI's characteristic image blurring, limitations in voice recording, and awkward, contextually mismatched emotional performances. Nevertheless, since first handling AI tools, I believe considerable improvements have been made, and I remain quite hopeful.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Within limited budgetary and environmental constraints, he completed a mystery film that would likely have required substantial funding had it been shot as a conventional feature. Moreover, by completing over 80% of the film according to his own vision and storyboards, he demonstrated that humans utilise AI as a tool, rather than entrusting everything to it.

What we learned

Throughout the AI workflow, I came to appreciate how significantly preparing diverse character angles and backgrounds beforehand impacts reducing production time. I also gained first-hand experience of the distinct strengths, weaknesses, and characteristics inherent to each AI video production platform. Furthermore, I gained insight into the types of images and videos that A1 excels at generating versus those it struggles to produce.

What's next for THE HOLLOW

My fundamental identity as an 'AI film director' will not change. I wish to continue uploading works to my YouTube channel and, if the opportunity arises, to other platforms as well. I also consider the possibility of joining a company or team to work.

Built With

• aftereffect
• chatgpt
• clipstudio
• elevenlabs
• finalcut
• google-drive
• higgsfield
• hitpaw-enhencer
• kling
• korean
• midjourney
• nanobanana
• photoshop
• premierepro
• seedream4.0
• sora2
• suno
• topaz
• veo3