'12.12: The Day' Director Kim Sung-soo Embraces Hybrid AI Filmmaking at Busan

Speaking at a Kling AI-hosted session at the Busan International Film Festival's Asian Contents & Film Market, Korean director Kim Sung-soo described how generative AI shifted from a perceived industry threat to a core part of his creative process. His eight-minute short "Worm Train" — initially abandoned because AI couldn't render a giant insect colliding with a packed train crowd — became his turning point when the technology caught up months later. Rather than going fully AI, Kim assembled a nine-person hybrid team and plans to apply the same approach to a seven-part drama series, using AI to pre-generate a costly 15-minute expressway chase sequence before determining where actors and traditional VFX are needed.

Panelists at the session reinforced the same theme: AI accelerates iteration but demands directorial judgment. Animation director Li Wei ("Jiang Ziya") said AI now speeds up concept visualization for his 105-minute AI-animated feature "Born of the Tide," while Harry Hyun of AI production company MooAm noted that undirected AI output produces generic results — which is why her studio only hires AI artists with live-action directing experience. MBC C&I's AI Contents Lab producer Lee Sangwook added that keeping pace with rapidly updating models is itself a production challenge, with even one team member falling behind risking overall quality on projects like "Rendering Love," a K-pop romantic comedy developed with "Parasite" producer Barunson E&A.