"To secure 'K-artificial intelligence (AI)' competitiveness in a rapidly changing global market, we will build a field-centered ecosystem based on cooperation among industry, government, and academia."
This was the vision presented by Baek Hyun-jung, head of content innovation at CJ ENM (035760), at the 'CJ ENM Culture TALK' held Tuesday at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. At the event, held under the theme "Synergy of Innovation: The Film 'Apartment' Crafted with AI," the feature-length film "Apartment"—in which every scene except the actors' performances was shot using AI—was unveiled for the first time.
"The 'Apartment' project is part of these efforts and serves as an innovative case study validating the combination of content and AI technology," Baek said. "For such attempts to translate into tangible outcomes, institutional and environmental foundations that expand diverse empirical trials across the industry are becoming increasingly important."
The most distinctive feature of the film "Apartment" is that actors performed in a fixed location without moving between sets, while all backgrounds and visual effects were rendered using AI. As AI was applied to every scene except the actors' performances, a range of cutting-edge technologies were employed. Google's AI solutions—including Imagen (image generation), Nano Banana (image correction and optimization), and Veo (video generation model)—were integrated into the content production pipeline, delivering high-quality results.
CJ ENM aims to present a new paradigm for AI content through a feature film applying this hybrid production method combining AI with live action.
"We expanded the production paradigm by filming actual actors' performances in a green-screen environment and rendering all backgrounds and visual effects through AI," said Jung Chang-ik, head of CJ ENM's AI Studio team, who led the production. "By taking a new approach of filming all scenes indoors without location changes, we enhanced efficiency and offered both actors and production staff a creative experience distinct from conventional methods."
The production cost of "Apartment" totaled just 500 million won ($340,000), drawing attention as a new production model for the high-cost video content industry. "The total production cost was 500 million won," Jung said. "If we had carried out production through the conventional process, I roughly estimate it would have cost at least five times more."
