People often ask me whether my AI videos are made by one person or a team. As of now, I alone make all of the Computing Universe’s AI videos. I once eagerly hoped to form a team, but it wasn’t successful. So, I convinced myself that working alone has its own approach.
Although working alone means you can’t run very fast, you always fear being left behind.
Working alone means I can’t keep up with technology trends and can’t quickly complete artistic expression. Simply put, I work slowly even if I can keep up technically. Also, many people look down on a one-person team, thinking it’s just someone trying to shake a big tree with their strength.
This fear is real.
But I’ve gradually learned to coexist with it. Working alone has its way, so I’ll slowly create AI films and persist. I have my own technical path and endless stories to tell.
Many people, wave after wave, want me to tell other people’s stories. But now I tell them all that I want to create the Computing Universe, and currently, I only want to focus on it. First, I constantly feel like I’m already old and don’t have time to do things I don’t want to do.
Second, because other people’s teams are not bigger than mine, I need to make AI videos for them. The current stage is the first phase of the Computing Universe’s accumulation—it’s tough, and no one dares invest. No one else can accomplish it if I don’t do it in this phase. Someone might invest in the second round but not the first.
Moreover, we’re now in the AI era – if we still can’t tell the stories we want, there won’t be another era for it. AI promises that everyone can be a director, whether as an individual or a team.
If you ask me now whether I want to form a team, it depends on fate. When the right connections come naturally, we can team up. When it’s not possible, I’ll make short films and series alone. Although I work slowly, I work meticulously. Not forming alliances might risk being left behind by the AI era, and I cannot create top-tier works, but you can see that my work is indeed top-tier.
After reading this article, I hope you’ll have more confidence in creating AI films alone. AI makes everyone a polymath and a creator—this is the most interesting thing about this era. People who couldn’t express themselves before now have the possibility to express themselves; stories that were once invisible have become works.
As a one-person film crew, I need to write novels, scripts, and storyboards, generate images, create videos, and manage social media accounts. I feel satisfyingly exhausted every day, working from morning until night, as I have to write for my public account, write novels, and make videos.
I take breaks in between, catch my breath, and then continue.
Every day is tiring, but every day is fulfilling. I’ve found what I truly love—expressing those stories that must be told. Last year, when I first saw Keling, I fell in love with AI video production and immediately made a Batman video.
For the first time ever, starting this June, I’ve devoted all my time to creation, no longer thinking about anything besides creation. It’s like a semi-retreat, but I still have contact with people—I just no longer let other people’s affairs disrupt my creative rhythm.
Next, the Computing Universe will have many short stories and short films going online, followed by the English version of the novel and long series. I’m the author and director because I only understand the Computing Universe’s stories best. Every character in it, to me, is breathing.
Suppose you’re also persisting in making AI videos alone. In that case, although AI technology might become professionalized and unaffordable for ordinary people, you will be seen as chasing hard and maintaining daily input and output. Currently, AI creation tools are still accessible to ordinary people.
As for big teams and big productions, I’m envious, but envy won’t get me there. Teaming up between people requires fate and a shared vision. If I keep going, I’ll find partners to walk with. So, if you also feel afraid of being an independent creator in the AI era, you’re not alone.
One reason I like Batman is that he conquered fear. He represents the limits of wisdom and will, so he became the prototype for characters in any novel I write. Although he has Robin’s assistance, he fights against all of Gotham’s evil alone.
Batman has a line: “Everyone has limits. They learn their limits and learn not to exceed them. I ignore mine.”
I give this quote to everyone.
Follow me, and let’s explore AI filmmaking together.
