CJ ENM and Google Cloud Debut AI-Hybrid Film The House

CJ ENM has officially introduced a transformative approach to cinema with the premiere of The House, a feature film that utilizes a hybrid production model across every scene. Announced on April 30 at the "CJ ENM Culture TALK" in Seoul, the project was developed in close collaboration with Google Cloud, leveraging cutting-edge tools such as Imagen, Nano Banana 2, and Veo to realize complex visual effects and backgrounds.

The House follows the story of a protagonist capable of seeing the deceased, set within a chilling new apartment. The production's most notable achievement is its technical execution: actors performed entirely in an indoor studio environment, while all backgrounds and VFX were generated via AI. This "Tech-Content Collaboration Model" allowed the production to complete filming in just four days, significantly reducing traditional location costs and timeframes.

Strategic Integration of Google AI
By integrating Google’s AI solutions directly into the production pipeline, CJ ENM ensured that the creative intent remained consistent across generated outputs. Ahn Sung-min, Director of Customer Engineering at Google Cloud Korea, explained that the "Detect and Foundation" method was used to analyze lighting, objects, and composition, ensuring that AI-generated elements blended naturally with human performances.

Jeong Chang-ik, Head of AI Studio at CJ ENM and the film’s lead producer, noted that this paradigm shift "significantly improved efficiency and provided the cast and crew with a creative experience that sets a new bar." Actor Kim Shin-yong added that seeing AI backgrounds in real-time during filming enhanced his immersion compared to traditional green-screen methods.

Expanding the AI Content Ecosystem
The project also served as a validation for the AI Content Alliance, an industry-academic body launched earlier this year. Production houses THEHAN FILM and SOLTMAKERS collaborated on the film, demonstrating a scalable model for public-private cooperation in the "K-AI" sector.

'We are committed to fostering a field-oriented ecosystem to secure K-AI competitiveness', said Baek Hyun-jung, Head of Content Innovation at CJ ENM. She emphasized that The House is a key milestone in validating how AI can be innovatively integrated into high-end storytelling.

The House is scheduled for digital release on May 1 via TVING, South Korea’s leading streaming platform. This follows CJ ENM’s previous success in the space with Cat Biggie, an AI-generated animation series that has amassed nearly 22 million global views on YouTube.

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