拥抱AI动画:我用一部短片,寻觅初心与热爱

《觅觅》AI 影像创作分享

Mimi AI Image Creation Sharing

我是AI动画短片《觅觅》的导演王子昊，曾是传统二维动画创作者，近期开始探索AI动画和影视的创作方法。

I am Wang Zihao, director of the AI animated short film Seeking. Once a creator of traditional 2D animation, I have recently embarked on exploring creative approaches to AI animation and film production.

深耕传统二维动画的这段时间，我一直坚守着最质朴的动画初心：一笔一画勾勒人物，一帧一秒打磨画面，我享受手绘创作带来的质感，却也深知传统动画行业的痛点：漫长的制作周期、繁杂的制作流程、高昂的时间成本，无数次让创作热情被反复消耗。我始终在思考：有没有一种方式，既能保留动画的温度，又能挣脱繁琐流程的束缚？而AI工具的出现，带给了我新的的解答。

During my years dedicated to traditional 2D animation, I have always upheld the purest original aspiration for animation: portraying characters stroke by stroke, and polishing every frame and every second of the footage. I cherish the unique texture brought by hand-drawn creation, yet I am well aware of the pain points plaguing the traditional animation industry. Prolonged production cycles, cumbersome workflows and exorbitant time costs have repeatedly drained my creative enthusiasm. I kept pondering: is there a way to preserve the warmth of animation while breaking free from the constraints of tedious procedures? The advent of AI tools has furnished me with a new answer.

短片《觅觅》剧照

Still from Seeking

最开始接触AI动画，源于一次偶然的项目合作。在此之前，我固化地认为，AI工具无法替代动画创作的质感与灵魂。但在亲身参与AI动画项目的过程中，我彻底颠覆了以往的认知。AI工具展现出的实用性，让我惊叹竟然在如此短的时间里能做出这样体量的内容，让内心的奇思妙想瞬间的跃然纸上。

My initial exposure to AI animation stemmed from a chance project collaboration. Before that, I held a rigid perception that AI tools could never replace the texture and soul of animation creation. However, my personal participation in AI animation projects completely overturned my previous mindset. I was astonished by the practicality of AI tools, which enable the production of large-volume content in an incredibly short time and bring the whimsies deep in my mind to life instantly.

为了系统掌握AI动画知识，吃透AI生成逻辑，我选择走进北京电影学院，学习如何用AI完成动画全流程创作。

To systematically acquire knowledge of AI animation and thoroughly understand the logic of AI generation, I chose to study at the Beijing Film Academy, learning to complete the entire animation production workflow with AI technology.

元旦课堂合影

Class photo on New Year’s Day

从零基础梳理逻辑，到全面熟知市面各类AI创作工具；从参数调试、画面生成，到一次次点评，优化效果，我跳出传统动画的固有思维，从零开始深耕全新领域。这段学习旅程，不仅让我摸清了AI动画的底层逻辑，更让我打开了影视创作的全新世界。

From sorting out foundational logic from scratch and gaining full familiarity with various mainstream AI creation tools on the market, to parameter adjustment, image generation, and repeated evaluation and effect optimization, I broke away from the inherent mindset of traditional animation and delved into this brand-new field all over again. This learning journey has not only allowed me to grasp the underlying logic of AI animation but also opened up a brand-new realm of film and television creation for me.

在短短数日的沉浸式创作中，我不断复盘自己的动画之路：最初为什么选择动画？在行业中坚持的意义是什么？我想要做出什么样的作品？带着对自我、对理想、对人生目标的思索，我创作了动画短片《觅觅》。

In just a few days of immersive creation, I constantly reflected on my journey in animation: Why did I choose animation in the first place? What is the meaning of persisting in this industry? What kind of works do I aspire to create? With reflections on selfhood, ideals and life goals, I created the animated short film Seeking.

短片《觅觅》海报

Poster of the film Seeking

创作从来不是一帆风顺，短片最初的风格定调过程就难住了我，彼时的AI工具对角色一致性以及微动作和微表情的控制还不够成熟，在老师的建议和不断试错下，最终选择了以手绘水粉+彩铅融合的画风所产生的间离感来应对视频生成中的失真。

Creation has never been a smooth path. I was confronted with great difficulties at the initial stage of defining the artistic style of the short film. At that time, AI tools were still immature in controlling character consistency, subtle movements and micro-expressions. With the guidance of my tutors and through constant trial and error, I finally adopted the sense of alienation generated by the integrated painting style of hand-painted gouache and colored pencils, to tackle the distortion problem in video generation.

制作中最困难的点在于贯穿短片始终的机械蝴蝶道具。由于道具本身的体积很小，AI工具难以分辨它的材质和运动中的大小比例关系，导致在视频中屡次出现蝴蝶变形，并且无法遵循物理规律飞行的问题。为此，我先生成了去除蝴蝶道具的画面，再用Photoshop工具将蝴蝶放置在准确的位置上，像这样制作了首尾帧以及中间关键帧三个画面来约束视频生成，保证了道具的一致性和运动规律，最终达到了理想的画面效果。同时，当特定角色与场景位置关系实在难以匹配时，我也采用了相似的办法，将角色与场景分别生成，再用Photoshop工具进行拼贴组合，最后生成视频。

The most challenging part of the production was the mechanical butterfly prop that runs through the entire short film. Due to the prop’s tiny size, AI tools could hardly distinguish its material texture and proportional scale during movement. As a result, the butterfly suffered repeated shape distortion in the video and failed to fly in accordance with physical laws. To solve this problem, I first generated footage without the butterfly prop, and then placed the butterfly in precise positions via Photoshop. I created three key frames — the opening frame, the middle key frame and the ending frame — to constrain video generation. This ensured the consistency and proper motion rules of the prop, and ultimately achieved the ideal visual effect. Meanwhile, when it became extremely difficult to reconcile the positional relationship between specific characters and scenes, I adopted a similar approach. I generated the characters and scenes separately, then composited and integrated them with Photoshop before producing the final video.

制作流程示意

Working procedure

同时我也经历了很长时间才平衡“AI生成的随机性”和“创作表达的精准性”之间的关系。精准表达是很多艺术创作者的追求，而AI生成常常出现场景位置关系穿帮以及机位控制困难等问题，为此我也推翻废弃了数不清的画面。好在老师们及时用导演思维开导了我，让我意识到把握成片的整体氛围和节奏才是AI创作中的重点，当我厘清技术为整体内容服务的核心逻辑后，短片的雏形也慢慢清晰起来。虽然难免在细节上存在漏洞与瑕疵，但我还是成功让这些碎片化的素材蜕变为了一个完整、流畅、有温度成片。

It also took me a long time to balance the relationship between the randomness of AI generation and the accuracy of creative expression. Precise expression is the persistent pursuit of many art creators, while AI generation often leads to problems such as spatial perspective errors in scenes and difficulties in camera angle control. For this reason, I discarded and revised countless versions of images. Fortunately, my tutors enlightened me with professional directorial thinking, making me realize that grasping the overall atmosphere and rhythm of the finished work is the core of AI creation. After I clarified the fundamental logic that technology serves the overall content, the prototype of the short film gradually took shape. Though minor loopholes and imperfections still exist in details, I have successfully transformed these fragmented materials into a complete, fluent and soul-stirring finished piece.

短片创作过程

The process of the film creation

这部短片，是我送给自己的答案。没有复杂的特效，没有宏大的剧情，我将内心的迷茫、探索、坚守与期许全部融进画面里。我想用《觅觅》告诉每一个在路上的创作者：人生本就是一场不断寻觅的旅程，我们寻找方向，寻找热爱，寻找独属于自己的那份初心。

This short film is the answer I give to myself. Devoid of intricate special effects and grand storylines, it integrates all my inner confusion, exploration, perseverance and expectations into every scene. Through Seeking, I intend to tell every creator on the journey of pursuit: life itself is an endless journey of seeking. We seek our direction, our passion, and the original aspiration that uniquely belongs to us.

系统化的学习结束后，我不再为庞大的时间成本焦虑，不用再因为流程繁琐放弃创意构思。现如今，我对动画的热爱不仅没有消减，反而愈发浓烈。AI不是替代创作者的工具，而是助力创作者发光的羽翼，让每一份热爱，都有落地的可能。

After completing my systematic studies, I no longer feel anxious about the enormous time cost, nor do I have to abandon creative ideas due to cumbersome workflows. Today, my passion for animation has not faded in the slightest; instead, it has grown increasingly intense. AI is not a tool to replace creators, but a pair of wings that empowers them to shine, making it possible for every ounce of passion to take tangible shape.

结业合影

Group photo after graduation

我始终相信，行业在迭代，技术在进步，而我们对创作的热爱是不变的。未来，我会继续研究AI技术，坚守创作本心，打磨更多有温度、有思想、有质感的动画作品。

I have always believed that while the industry iterates and technology advances, our passion for creation remains eternal. In the future, I will continue to delve into AI technology, stay true to my creative heart, and polish more animated works imbued with warmth, profound thoughts and exquisite texture.