Neill Blomkamp, best known for directing “District 9,” has released “Nightborn,” his first short film entirely generated by AI. This 13-minute sci-fi horror production was built from the ground up using the Seedance 2.0 video production model, with Blomkamp directing frame by frame through text prompts. Shot in documentary style, the film follows a presumed dead U.S. military pilot and a secret military plan to return fallen soldiers to combat.
The faces and voices of 32 real people were used under licensing agreements, and human artists created the concept art. Director Blomkamp told X that he now plans to shoot a feature film in the same format. It has also established Burley Studios, a new AI film studio that will replace Oates Studios, which produces traditional films.
AI continues to face skepticism in the creative industries due to concerns about training data obtained from non-consensual creative works, potential job losses, copyright issues, and poor quality. Still, it is said to be establishing itself as a production tool.
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