A Singapore AI film, Trace Project, was screened on National Day and got negative reviews online.

As a filmmaker, we should not reject AI in filmmaking because of one bad film.

A bad film is still bad, even with new technology. AI can make production easier, but not necessarily better.

I have worked in film and TV for over 30 years and I am making a short film using AI.

My film is not AI-generated. We will shoot it with real actors in a virtual studio.

In the past, I rarely used complete storyboards. Now, with virtual production, I need to plan more.

With virtual production, many departments are involved, and everyone needs to know the plan.

The virtual environment must be built, and camera positions and lenses must be considered.

My assistant director created storyboards with AI based on my directions.

AI did not take away a storyboard artist's job in this case. I would have done it myself otherwise.

Fears about jobs lost to AI are real, but not every task done by AI means a job is lost.

Some people are uncomfortable with AI in film because of human creativity.

AI can give me ideas, but it cannot make creative decisions.

I used AI to check my screenplay for inconsistencies.

AI pointed out a contradiction, but it did not know the context or my intentions.

I asked AI for help with a creative problem, and it gave me many suggestions.

Some suggestions were ridiculous, and others were not right for the film.

The solution came to me on my own, from my experience as a director.

My decision came from over 30 years of directing and editing.

We call it creativity, but it is really judgment. The filmmaker must choose what is worth pursuing.

I am not afraid of technological change. It has always changed filmmaking.

I started with 16mm film and edited on a flatbed machine.

Now, editing can be done on a laptop or even a phone.

Editing did not disappear, it just changed.

Animation also changed with computer technology.

Toy Story was the first fully computer-animated film, and now it is common.

AI may change many jobs, but it is separate from whether a work is worth watching.

Audiences do not care how something was made if it moves them.

My short film will be shot in a studio with an LED wall.

If audiences only talk about the LED wall, I have failed.

AI will eventually be judged on its ability to connect with an audience.

Instead of judging by technology, we should ask who made the creative decisions.

When anyone can generate content, what becomes valuable is the ability to choose.

Those decisions require taste, experience, and judgment.

Phillip Lim is a veteran Singapore filmmaker with over 30 years of experience.