HTV produces AI-generated film

Mr. Pham Viet Phuoc, Director of TFS Film Studio, shares insights on integrating AI into the television production workflow. Photo: Producer

Launched in July 2026, the AI film 'Bãi săn' is adapted from the novel of the same name by Nguyen Dinh Tu, Head of the Creative Department at the Military Literature and Arts Magazine. The sci-fi series consists of 15 episodes, each 3 minutes long, targeting a young audience. The story follows a female student with a talent for deciphering ancient scripts who becomes embroiled in a conflict between 'Beast-Men' and a secret hunters' organization after her best friend transforms into a 'Dragon-Man' due to an accident. Through this narrative, the film explores the choice between good and evil, while highlighting themes of friendship, love, and family.

To address the budget and technical challenges inherent in the sci-fi genre, TFS combined its professional filmmaking expertise with AI tools supported by CapCut, including Seedance 2.5 and EditPilot. AI was utilized to generate settings and visuals according to the director's artistic vision, while also assisting in rough-cut editing to shorten post-production time. Despite the use of technology, creative processes such as script adaptation, editing, directing, voice acting, and final assembly remain handled by the TFS team. According to the production unit, AI serves as a tool to enhance literary adaptation rather than replacing the human role.

Mr. Pham Viet Phuoc, Director of TFS Film Studio, stated that the project helps the organization keep pace with technological trends and gain direct experience in new filmmaking workflows. He emphasized that the goal of HTV and TFS is to create polished cultural products with social value, rather than chasing mass-market entertainment content.

Commenting on the trend of AI-assisted filmmaking, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Thang, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Digital Communications Association, noted that this is an inevitable development for the television and film industry. "AI has been penetrating every aspect of life, especially cinema. This technology provides powerful support for staging, pre-production, post-production, character design, and voice-over work," he said.

'Bãi săn' explores the choice between good and evil, highlighting themes of friendship, love, and family. Photo: Producer

According to Mr. Thang, AI can help reduce costs, especially for historical or period drama projects that typically require significant investment in sets and visual effects. However, the production team remains responsible for the content, quality, and copyright of the work. "Humans use AI, not the other way around," he emphasized.

Regarding future prospects, he believes that films created entirely by AI struggle to meet the emotional needs of a broad audience. The combination of technology and human performance remains a necessary path to ensure authenticity and artistic value.

More than just a technological experiment, 'Bãi săn' serves as a foundation for TFS to research the application of AI in documentaries and historical films. The work is scheduled to premiere during the 2027 Lunar New Year on HTV's multimedia platforms.