Korean AI Studio CEO: Token Fees Could Push Film Costs Past 35mm Levels
Executives at Taiwan Creative Content Fest warn that iterative AI rendering and rising token prices threaten to outpace the savings generated by the technology.
By Anthony Shevchenko ·
Kim Kwang-jib, founder and CEO of Studio Meta-K, stated that token fees for AI-generated video could make feature film production more expensive than the era of 35mm film stock. He made the assessment at the Taiwan Creative Content Fest in Taipei on November 8, 2026.
The studio head explained that the most expensive commercial AI tools currently charge over KRW500 million, or $366,000, in token fees for a 100-minute film. He noted that AI companies are currently operating at a loss and keeping prices low as a marketing strategy. If those costs increase by a factor of ten, the token bill alone could reach KRW5 billion, or $3.66 million.
This potential price jump would exceed the typical live-action and VFX budget of KRW3 billion to KRW5 billion, or $2.2 million to $3.66 million, for many Asian features. Kim argued that Hollywood, with budgets around KRW200 billion, or $146.6 million, could absorb such costs, but smaller markets might question the efficiency of AI.
The core issue is the cost of revisions. In digital filmmaking, crews can shoot and cut freely without extra material costs. With AI, every re-render incurs a new charge. Kim detailed that if a client requests 10 changes at once, the studio pays for one re-render. If those same changes arrive one per day for 10 days, the studio pays for 10 separate re-renders. He concluded that preproduction must be solid to avoid spending more than in the celluloid era.
Lee Sang-wook, head of the AI Content Lab at MBC C&I, added that budgeting is difficult because tools change weekly. His lab’s 139-minute feature, Raphael, took about 16 months to complete. A single shot sometimes required 10 artists to work for an entire day. The film, which drew backing from the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, opens in Korean cinemas on November 25, 2026.
The shift is already impacting commercial production. Kim cited a Pizza Hut spot that cost KRW2 billion, or $1.4 million, to produce last year. Studio Meta-K’s in-house version took two weeks and cost roughly KRW30 million, or $22,000, a 90% reduction. However, Kim believes audiences are not yet ready to pay for fully AI-generated dramas and favors a hybrid model with star actors.
Studio Meta-K is testing a pipeline that builds entire films in preproduction using AI, then reshooting only specific live-action elements like emotional close-ups. The company raised about KRW10 billion, or $7.3 million, in a Series B round this month and is preparing for an IPO next year. It is also converting Im Kwon-taek’s 1993 film Seopyeonje into an animated feature for a theatrical release next summer.
The industry is also debating tool choices. Kim uses open-source models for easier shots, while Lee’s team avoids them due to concerns over training data transparency and EU AI Act guidelines. Lee predicted new roles like previsualization artists and continuity supervisors, noting that spatial consistency remains harder to achieve than character consistency.
Regarding labor, Kim stated that crews of hundreds will become rarer and that workers who have learned AI will replace those who have not. Lee compared the transition to the arrival of sound and digital cameras, predicting that actors will remain essential for emotional detail.
The session was moderated by Archin Yen, director and VFX supervisor at WWWIND Studio. Kim argued that while AI tools can be learned in months, film grammar takes years. He noted that most AI videos default to standard bust shots, and he believes the human contribution determines the final quality.
