Vocational Students Create Viral Shorts with AI, Filmmaking Outsiders Use AI to Change Their Fate

Liu Ziyu, a vocational school student, used AI to create 'Zombie Street Cleaner,' which gained over 100 million views online and earned a Hollywood offer. Meng Ke, born in 2004, won Best Director at the Beijing Film Festival for his AI short 'Mildew.' Neither had traditional film training. AI director Liu Chi's 'Seven Days of Floating Life' won Best Feature Film at the same festival. These shorts cost very little; for example, 'Peony Story' spent only about 2,000 yuan on AI platform membership. Traditional film projects often cost tens of millions and require hundreds of staff, but these AI directors accomplished the same work with one or a few people. Model and application companies are competing for these 'super creators.' Kuaishou Kling and ByteDance's Jimeng offer funding, resources, and even cover competition fees. Bona Film Group has posted over 70% AI-related job openings to push forward AI-native film projects; Tomato Novel is promoting AI animated films for theaters. However, technical limitations remain: AI is not yet fully up to cinema standards in shot composition, character consistency, and clarity. Volcengine's Seedance 2.5 model can output 4K video and is expected to launch in July, potentially lowering barriers further. For the film industry, AI is reshaping production—from script and storyboard to final cut, the cycle shortens significantly, and financial pressure drops. For independent creators and short video teams, this means the opportunity to produce commercial-grade work at ultra-low cost, even entering traditional theaters.