The explosive growth of AI in film and television is causing a structural shift in industry talent needs. The demand for roles like AI editors and "card pullers" is continuously expanding.
According to data from June of this year, the number of job openings for AI editors surged by 179% year-on-year, with some positions offering a monthly salary of 20,000 yuan. In the past, producing a film or TV show required a team of writers, directors, cinematographers, artists, editors, and special effects specialists—a crew could range from dozens to hundreds of people. Now, sometimes a single person can do it all.
An old, yellowed photograph can be restored and enhanced by AI, then extended into a dynamic shot to become the opening scene of a story. The entire process requires no studio, no lighting crew, and no props department. Using AI tools, creator Dong Jiaqi can independently complete the entire workflow from script and storyboard to visuals and special effects.
AI is not only making the "one-person crew" possible, but it is also reshaping traditional filmmaking workflows and collaboration models. It has dramatically boosted production efficiency while reducing costs. He Ziqiang, a film director with nearly 20 years of experience, is among the first creators in China to use AI for generating images from text and videos from images. In his latest project, his team has added several entirely new roles: AI storyboard artist, AI image generator, AI "card puller," and AI editor. Many of the people filling these positions do not have a traditional film and television background.
The explosive growth of AI in film and television is causing a structural shift in industry talent needs. The demand for roles like AI editors and "card pullers" is continuously expanding. "What we need most now are composite talents who understand both creative work and the use and operation of AI."
A set of data shows the industry trend: AI has improved the efficiency of special effects, pre-visualization, and other stages by 3 to 10 times, compressing the entire workflow from months to days. For example, a short drama company can now increase its monthly output from a few series to nearly a hundred. In June of this year, job postings for AI editors saw a 179% year-on-year increase, while also driving a 7% growth in traditional editor positions. The monthly salary range for AI-related film and television roles, based on individual ability, is generally between 8,000 yuan and 20,000 yuan.
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