It was coming sooner and later and sure enough, iQIYI recently unveiled its first long-form AI web drama starring real actors Shen Yujie and Chen Heyi. It’s a fantasy romance between a man who’s said to be a savior born once in a thousand years and a female demon lord who strikes a deal to share his body. Everyone wants her dead, but he has fallen in love.
The drama, based on the novel Not Envying Mandarin Ducks, Only Envying Immortals (不羡鸳鸯只羡仙) features AI-generated characters based on lead stars Shen Yujie and Chen Heyi who have authorized the use of their likenesses. However, the teaser has drawn criticism with some saying that having real-person AI dramas is “eerie” while others criticized the AI actors for having “empty eyes”, lacking the emotional expression and charm of real human performances. Its director Wei Zheng responds to the backlash.
Director Explains AI Is Meant to Enhance, Not Replace Humans
The director explains that he’s been asked many times why he he has chosen to make a 1000-minute drama, which would come out to be about a twenty-something episode web drama. He explains that he’s seen the barriers to content production significantly lowered due to AI, resulting in content produced through automated generation. He feels it’s weakened human control over creative work, ultimately resulting in homogenized content. For Wei Zheng, new technology should not merely become a production line for “cutting costs and increasing efficiency,” it should also become a new force for creating high-quality works. This is why they chose to create an AI drama featuring real actors.
Director Wei Zheng says the project is to see how AI can enhance, rather than replace, human creativity. While AI is used to expand the possibilities of filming, visuals, and production, the emotions, expressions, intensity, and character arcs are rooted in the performances of real actors, captured through an more than 100 cameras during extensive filming in Shanghai and Hengdian. For Wei Zheng, the director’s aesthetic vision, the actors’ performances, and the dedication of the creative team will always remain the absolute core and soul of a work.
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