100x Engineers
May 22, 2026
Chinese Filmmaker Creates $400 AI-Generated Film That Attracts Hollywood Interest
Key Takeaways
- 1MX Shell, a photographer and real estate worker from rural China, created a short film in just 10 days using AI technology on a $400 budget
- 2His zombie apocalypse film featuring a robot cowboy has been compared by Hollywood to the acclaimed series Love, Death & Robots
- 3AI filmmaking tools and platforms like Seedance enable high-quality production that rivals Netflix-level cinematography at a fraction of traditional costs
- 4Effective storytelling with AI requires understanding how to prompt AI models efficiently and connect technical workflows through video MCPs
- 5The accessibility of AI filmmaking is democratizing content creation, allowing individuals without formal training to produce professional-quality films
Chapters
1. The Filmmaker and His Background
Introduction to MX Shell, a photographer and real estate worker from a small Chinese village with no formal filmmaking experience who caught Hollywood's attention.
2. The Film and Its Production
Details about the short film created in 10 days using AI technology on Seedance platform, featuring a robot cowboy in a zombie apocalypse setting, produced for just $400.
3. Hollywood Recognition
Industry response to the film, with Hollywood directors comparing it to the acclaimed series Love, Death & Robots, demonstrating the quality achieved through AI tools.
4. Masterclass Announcement
Information about a free live masterclass with instructor Varun Maya focused on mastering AI filmmaking, storytelling techniques, and technical workflow optimization.
Glossary
- Seedance
- An AI platform used for generating and rendering visual content, enabling users to create cinematic scenes by prompting AI models
- Video MCPs
- Model Context Protocols for video that facilitate connection and integration between different video processing and editing tools to streamline workflow
- AI Prompting
- The technique of providing detailed text instructions to artificial intelligence models to generate specific visual or creative outputs
- Love, Death & Robots
- An acclaimed Netflix animated anthology series known for its high-quality animation and diverse storytelling