Weekend Long Read: With AI, China’s New Hit Dramas Are Virtually Writing Themselves

"The Mirror of Mountains and Seas: Breaking Waves," an ultrashort drama, follows the mortal Li Xingzhou as he confronts the water god Gong Gong on a rugged shore. This key scene displays ominous clouds, ferocious waves, and a shaking earth, featuring a new five-episode format where each episode lasts merely three minutes [para. 1]. Remarkably, AI tools alone produced every script, storyboard, and soundtrack element [para. 2][para. 3].

Chen Kun, the drama’s director, noted AI reduced production time and costs by over 75%, completing in two months what typically takes six [para. 4]. The show's July 13 release on Kuaishou quickly garnered over 52 million views, dominating the platform's charts [para. 5][para. 6]. The rising preference for ultrashorts over traditional films and dramas has propelled AI's role in meeting entertainment demand [para. 7]. For example, short drama app users exceeded 500 million in 2023, nearing a market size of 40 billion yuan ($5.6 billion), 70% the size of traditional films, with forecasts reaching 100 billion yuan in five years [para. 8].

Kuaishou aims to address the shortage of short drama content by both increasing creators and improving productivity, according to Chen Yiyi, head of Kuaishou’s entertainment business [para. 10]. Leading producers like Bona Film Group also use AI; their "Sanxingdui: Revelation of the Future" partnered with Douyin and amassed 140 million views after its July 8 release [para. 11][para. 12]. Jackie Chan's "A Legend" used AI to de-age the actor to 27 [para. 13].

While AI offers substantial benefits, challenges remain. Critics argue that AI-generated content often lacks emotional depth and nuanced details [para. 14][para. 15]. Even with AI, significant human intervention remains necessary, especially in action sequences and character expressions [para. 16][para. 17]. Despite this, creators like Chen are optimistic, choosing stories that AI can render effectively, including "The Mirror of Mountains and Seas" and its culturally resonant narrative [para. 22][para. 23].

Creatives like Mia Fan use AI for efficiency in films such as "The Fairy Tale of Yun Tianming," based on the "The Three-Body Problem" [para. 24]. Although productions are faster, generating animated films still requires human planning and refinement [para. 26]. Meanwhile, tech companies like ByteDance, Tencent, and Kuaishou are developing advanced text-to-video tools, altering the competitive field for AI video production [para. 30][para. 31].

Opportunities and issues coexist. AI increases creative capacity but achieving consistent visuals and character coherence remains tricky, often requiring extensive prompts and iterations [para. 41][para. 42]. Homogeneity and potential copyright concerns arise, with AI manipulating similar styles to create content easily replicated and copied [para. 43][para. 45]. Maintaining authenticity, real actors' performances offer unparalleled emotional connections that AI struggles to replicate [para. 52][para. 54].

Despite the technological prowess, Jackie's recent AI-enhanced film "A Legend" failed to meet revenue expectations, indicating the enduring appeal of authentic action over AI's artificiality [para. 56][para. 57]. Therefore, while AI in film production is groundbreaking, the industry's transition must navigate balancing innovation with retaining human artistry [para. 58].