AI is developing at high speed, and many technologies become outdated within a few months. However, creators who persist have gradually received positive feedback. Whether you tend to make short videos, create dramas, or build worldviews, creators who truly want to stay in this field long-term have all found opportunities, big or small.
In a rapidly changing field, discussing long-term thinking may initially require identifying what remains constant. Some say it’s the story, or the way of telling stories, or perhaps there’s no story at all, just a creative idea. But you know what I would say – it’s a unified worldview.
There’s a viewpoint that too many people want to create series universes, while very few can tell a small story well. I oppose this view because people who can tell grand universes well are actually the fewest. Most people are intimidated and retreat before even trying, or they lack this awareness, so they cannot control the universe.
Yes, grand narratives are what’s difficult to write, not small stories from daily life. Most stories, limited by budget, can only tell a small part of the story. Very few people can theoretically pass down the craft of telling a grand story, because there are too few people who have the opportunity to do so.
Despite this era of fleeing from grand narratives, people who can tell a solid, grand story are very rare. There were already a few people attempting it, and those who succeed in their attempts are so few they can be counted on two hands. This is also why China lacks modern major IPs – the industrialization level of storytelling is insufficient. This is precisely an opportunity.
Someone even quoted a famous writer to me, believing that only pretentious writers would write grand narratives, and that they want to write small stories. And my stories are too grand. Of course, I’ve never been a fan of this famous writer. I want to delve deeply into the path I’m walking. I aspire to become an author skilled in crafting grand narratives. Not only do I want to write this way, but I also want to become a master at writing this way.
When writing science fiction, I won’t avoid writing far-future stories just because they require massive funding to be adapted for film. Nor will I avoid writing them because the far future is too distant from modern people, and readers might find it hard to relate. There are plenty of characters readers can relate to – such speculation about readers is also a problem among current science fiction authors.
AI technology may change very quickly, but a world full of stories won’t change.
Due to my childhood love for the Lord of the Rings series and my upbringing playing games, I have developed an obsession with unified worldviews. In games, we piece together the complete picture of the world in our minds through different details. This experience is unique.
I aim to provide audiences with a gaming experience. This doesn’t lower the standard, but rather it introduces a completely new culture brought about by the ninth art form. At least several generations will be profoundly influenced by its rising period. And I enjoy being part of it. As you can see, every story in the computational universe has countless connections with others.
A worldview IP doesn’t initially exist, but when enough stories occur within it, it grows naturally. It can be a predetermined tone, or it can be surprises discovered during the development process. In any case, continuous development is the essence of building a worldview IP.
Another way to maintain long-term thinking is naturally to continuously refine one’s technology and artistry, making each new film a little better than the old ones. This is a form of long-term thinking. Perhaps old films become unwatchable within a few months, but we still persist. A friend said, “Our efforts today are to prove how easy it will be to achieve today’s effects when technology becomes democratized in six months.”
This carries a hint of helplessness, but it’s also reality.
I don’t know where technology will take us in six months either – whether it will become easier, or whether the threshold will become so high that ordinary people can’t reach it. Whether there will be problems that can never be solved, shots that can’t be made, standards that can’t be reached. Or whether there will be completely new solutions, or perfect consistency.
I don’t know; just as I don’t know how long I can continue writing about AI. I have many doubts; one day, I’ll write an article with this as its main theme. However, I still enjoy the process of AI filmmaking, with both the fear of not being able to create something and the joy of carefully deliberating and pushing myself to break through.
So let’s continue. If you’re reading my public account, you’ll find that, compared to technical details, I provide more value in terms of thought and emotion. The main focus is accompaniment. Every day, I deeply contemplate one aspect of AI filmmaking, accompanying you on this journey that may be both lonely and curious.
Follow me and explore AI filmmaking together.
