Just in time for Valentine’s Day, TCL Studios has unveiled "Next Stop Paris," a romantic AI short film that premiered on February 13, 2025, on the company's streaming platform, TCLtv+. This 12-minute film represents a significant milestone as the first extended project to emerge from TCL's virtual studio and production hub.
We've spent hours testing some of the best AI video generators available, from Luma Labs and Pika to Sora and Showrunner, and none are as sophisticated enough to create a film of this caliber or length.
Director Stuart Acher expressed enthusiasm about the innovative process, stating, "When I was approached to re-envision 'Next Stop Paris,' I saw the opportunity to harness this innovative technology to serve storytelling and found that incredibly empowering as an artist. But as an actor's director, it was also imperative that we preserve the human element. We created two people who fall in love and challenge the world around them, and while you are looking at AI-generated characters, their hair, their bodies, their clothes, and the world — they are grounded in the real, raw performances of talented actors that we filmed. Without that, the tech is just, well, tech."
A look at the future of AI storytelling
Movie studios of all sizes have already begun integrating AI into their films, with two of the most highly nominated productions at the 2025 Oscars incorporating AI into their creation. For “Next Stop Paris,” TCL Studios employed a hybrid approach, blending live-action footage with advanced AI tools to craft the narrative and its Parisian backdrop. The creative team utilized a suite of technologies, including Midjourney, Runway ML, Nuke, Adobe After Effects, and proprietary tools from TCL's R&D division, to achieve this integration.
Most combined practical video was captured with professional cameras and various AI applications. The environments were imagined using AI, with many complex settings based on 3D models treated with exclusive TCL methodologies.
A culmination of an ambitious eight-month production cycle aimed at developing realistic human characters capable of expressing genuine emotion, over 80 professionals contributed to the project, encompassing roles such as directors, writers, actors, producers, designers, VFX experts, engineers, and graphic artists.
How to watch
I watched the short film as a casual viewer and then as an AI expert. I was impressed by the dialogue, the human-like element of the characters, and the natural flow of the story. For me, there wasn't ever a time where I caught a glimpse of "robotic" movements or dialgoue that didn't match the lips moving. The voiceover carried the story, and the AI humor sprinkled throughout the film made it fun to watch. The film delivered in a way that I've never seen before at this type of AI level.
"Next Stop Paris" is now available for streaming on TCLtv+ and YouTube. It will anchor the platform's new Romance O&O Channel just in time for Valentine's Day.
As TCL Studios continues to push the boundaries of technology and storytelling, audiences will surely anticipate more innovative content that blends traditional filmmaking with cutting-edge AI advancements.
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