Chinese-owned TCL+ is slated to make history this Summer when they debut a brand-new film Next Stop Paris made entirely in AI.
Next Stop Paris is a short romance movie, featuring professional voice actors and an original script, but brought to life with the latest AI animation technology, a leap forward in romance storytelling. Next Stop Paris will make its debut this summer online and on the TCLtv+ streaming app.
Next Stop Paris opens with a young woman on a train, who despite being heartbroken that her fiancé ran off with someone in her wedding party, has decided to go to her Paris honeymoon destination solo. While on board she meets a mysterious stranger, and their love story blossoms as they explore “the city of lights” together.
The special is animated by a global team including artists from the US, Canada, UK, and Poland, and are pushing creative and enhanced storytelling by layering tech and high-quality design animation over traditional narrative.
TCLtv+ Studios is creating custom AI models and employing the latest technology including Stable Diffusion and others in this early exploration. TCL is well positioned to take advantage of this cutting edge technology and is exploring content development in all formats with several series and specials in the development pipeline. That development includes AI and more traditional scripted and unscripted projects. Collaborations on future projects will expand beyond the TCLtv+ Studios teams and will include guild writers and actors as well as key Hollywood talent.
Next Stop Paris is an early experiment bringing tech and creative together in a hybrid entertainment format. The AI technology used to create these characters and fictional world allows the creative teams to push boundaries and invigorate the viewer experience, while also creating new opportunities for marketing partners. The push into originals helps drive a market advantage in a noisy environment filled with content options, and the IP has many applications across the platform from interactive components to sponsorable elements and more.
TCLtv+ Studios boasts a global production team that includes animators, VFX experts and AI engineers, customizing the latest AI technology and empowering producers, writers, and actors to create premium television programs. The original AI special was developed in house and written by Chris Regina, Chief Content Officer and Daniel Smith, Chief Creative Officer. Both executives have a deep background in program development at established media companies and Hollywood studios. The AI enterprise falls under the purview of Haohong Wang, General Manager, TCL Research America.