Generative AI for Film Creation: A Survey of Recent Advances

Generative AI (GenAI) is transforming filmmaking, equipping artists with tools like text-to-image and image-to-video diffusion, neural radiance fields, avatar generation, and 3D synthesis. This paper examines the adoption of these technologies in filmmaking, analyzing workflows from recent AI-driven films to understand how GenAI contributes to character creation, aesthetic styling, and narration. We explore key strategies for maintaining character consistency, achieving stylistic coherence, and ensuring motion continuity. Additionally, we highlight emerging trends such as the growing use of 3D generation and the integration of real footage with AI-generated elements.Beyond technical advancements, we examine how GenAI is enabling new artistic expressions, from generating hard-to-shoot footage to dreamlike diffusion-based morphing effects, abstract visuals, and unworldly objects. We also gather artists' feedback on challenges and desired improvements, including consistency, controllability, fine-grained editing, and motion refinement. Our study provides insights into the evolving intersection of AI and filmmaking, offering a roadmap for researchers and artists navigating this rapidly expanding field.
View on arXiv@article{zhang2025_2504.08296, title={ Generative AI for Film Creation: A Survey of Recent Advances }, author={ Ruihan Zhang and Borou Yu and Jiajian Min and Yetong Xin and Zheng Wei and Juncheng Nemo Shi and Mingzhen Huang and Xianghao Kong and Nix Liu Xin and Shanshan Jiang and Praagya Bahuguna and Mark Chan and Khushi Hora and Lijian Yang and Yongqi Liang and Runhe Bian and Yunlei Liu and Isabela Campillo Valencia and Patricia Morales Tredinick and Ilia Kozlov and Sijia Jiang and Peiwen Huang and Na Chen and Xuanxuan Liu and Anyi Rao }, journal={arXiv preprint arXiv:2504.08296}, year={ 2025 } }