Korean drama "Agent Kim reactivated" starring So Ji Sub is creating a fever right from its broadcast.
After only 4 episodes, the film achieved a rating of 21.6% in Korea, and simultaneously rose to number 1 on the global Netflix rankings of non-English TV shows.
However, besides the impressive achievement in viewership ratings, the film also shocked the film industry when it boldly applied advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technology in a 3-minute scene.
According to experts, this is the first scene in the history of Korean commercial dramas to be made entirely by Generative AI, without using any cameras.
Right before each episode, a small message appears on the black screen that many people may have missed. The last line clearly states: "Part of the production process has used artificial intelligence (AI) technology".
This about 3-minute scene recreates the period when the character Kim Bu Jang (So Ji Sub) was still a secret agent.
The series of breathtaking scenes includes scenes of a building exploding, a car chase through a tunnel in a white snow area, a car overturning and then plunging into a black river, and even fierce close-range gunfights between So Ji Sub and his enemy...
However, these spectacular action scenes were not filmed by real-world cameras, not directly performed by So Ji Sub, nor by stunt actors.
All are created using a "digital double" developed by the Korean AI AICRON platform, in collaboration with the Morpheus Studio team of visual effects experts, built right in front of the computer screen.
Previously, videos created by AI were often underestimated in commercial works because of many limitations such as inconsistent character faces, slightly shaky faces when transitioning scenes or distorted bodies.
However, "Agents Kim Reboot" has overcome this barrier. From So Ji Sub's characteristic strong physique, powerful punches to close-up scenes of facial expressions, all are sophisticatedly recreated that they are almost indistinguishable from real scenes.
Experts believe that this is considered an important milestone proving that AI is no longer just supporting background mapping or creating graphic props, but now it is capable of fully capturing an independent scene, even conveying the core emotions of the story.
Difficult scenes such as the 3-minute segment in the movie, if filmed in real life, will force actors to trade off their health, even face life-threatening dangers. Production costs for computer graphics (CG) and post-production visual effects (VFX) are also considered huge.
The production team said that the past events of the character Head of Department Kim are an indispensable element if you want to fully portray the depth of the character.
After considering the budget and image efficiency, the director and screenwriter decided to "bet" by using AI to perform the entire segment, thereby opening up a new direction for the film production industry.
Finally, AI technology has helped reduce production costs by up to 60%, while bringing high-quality action scenes to television viewers.
