In the rapidly evolving landscape of AI and filmmaking, the intersection of creativity and technology is producing groundbreaking results. I had the pleasure of speaking with Jud Willmont, the owner and Producer / Director at Willmountain Films, and Jacky Lin, a founding partner at Creative Fitting, to delve into their recent collaboration on an AI-generated film for the Shanghai Film Festival entitled M.A.D. Some of the topics they covered in detail included: The importance of a hybrid approach in filmmaking. While AI can handle the heavy lifting of creating visual content, the essence of storytelling still relies on human creativity. The suggestion that AI should be treated as an artist rather than just a tool. The astonishing speed at which AI technology is advancing. They noted that the AI models they were using evolved even during the short three-week competition period. The significant challenges in using AI for film production is maintaining consistency, especially with character movements and expressions. As AI-generated content becomes more prevalent, the unique perspectives and creative inputs from humans will continue to be what sets truly exceptional work apart. And... On Friday June 14th, the Global AI Film Marathon held the award ceremony in Shanghai Film Art Center. Jud and Jacky's film, M.A.D, won the Audience Award! This is the official announcement of the winning teams in Chinese:  https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/N1IUAhtK6z4WQPYwEP_McQ