Hybrid production estimated 20-50% cheaper; Netflix used generative AI on about 300 titles; Higgsfield's valuation reached $5.4 billion in eight months
Promise, a generative AI studio, has begun shooting the horror feature 'Touch Grass.' The set sits within walking distance of Sony Pictures' Culver City lot.
The Guardian reported from the set on Aug. 16. A corner of the office was hung with white sheets; as actor Tori Thomas ran a chase scene, a field of grass generated by Seedance 2.5 — the video model from China's ByteDance — was composited behind her in real time.
The director's monitor showed actor and background together as the take ran, with seedheads moving where she appeared to brush past. On the next take the field became an underground cavern.
On a Promise hybrid shoot: live-action capture against blue screen, with backgrounds filled in afterward by generative models. Photo: Promise
George Strompolos, CEO of Promise, told The Guardian that hybrid production — human actors combined with AI — runs 20% to 50% cheaper than conventional filmmaking. "We're at the beginning of an era of independent, highly empowered small studios," he said, adding that it would bring more creative risk-taking.
The same month in San Francisco, the AI startup Higgsfield AI published in full the prompts behind its 95-minute feature 'Hell Grind' and opened Higgsfield Academy, a free certification track. TheWrap reported it on Aug. 17. The company closed a $400 million Series B (about 556 billion won) the same day.