Hans-Martin Liebing is a writer, producer, director, and academic. He is a lecturer and research scholar at UCLA’s Department of Film, Television and Digital Media, where he’s taught for over a decade. Hans earned Masters and PhD degrees in film production and media studies from the University of Texas at Austin, and an MFA from UCLA’s Producers Program and has produced feature films and documentaries and developed TV series in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. He currently teaches a course at UCLA called Global Film and Television Development that explores how globalization, technology, and streaming services have transformed entertainment industries around the world and guides students in developing films and TV series for the global market.
How are you thinking about incorporating AI in your classroom in this class and beyond?
The course I’m teaching this quarter is called “Global Film and Television Development.” The film industry has of course always been inherently global, but with the rise of streaming services and various emerging technologies, interest in international markets has grown exponentially. With so much production taking place around the world today, the course aims to prepare students for an increasingly interconnected and global film industry.
During the course students develop feature films or TV series concepts, including scripts, pitch decks, and previsualizations for the first 10 minutes of the film or pilot episode. They also create short films as a proof of concept and for festival submissions, based on their feature film or series ideas. The use of AI tools isn’t required, but it’s allowed (and even encouraged). For example, students can generate proof-of-concept shots without leaving the classroom, overcoming many logistical hurdles – especially given the tight timeline of UCLA's quarter system, where 10 weeks is a very short time to create all these materials.
How would you compare the emergence of AI to other moments in the history of film?
AI’s emergence, especially in filmmaking, has been a huge shift - I loosely compare it to the shift we saw from physical film to digital, though I think AI’s impact will ultimately be far greater. Digital introduced non-linear editing and suddenly it became easier to edit and create, which made independent filmmaking more accessible. We’re seeing that artist empowerment again with AI - individual creators can produce impressive work faster without massive studio resources and constraints. It’s helping to give some creative autonomy back to individuals to realize their own visions. At the same time, this shift calls for a careful rethinking of the framework of the entertainment industry, ensuring it evolves to balance innovation with sustainability for all its contributors.
What use cases and benefits are you excited about with AI?
Reimagined workflows in previsualization, VFX, post-production and animation are particularly exciting areas. AI tools enable faster previews, streamline tasks like editing and color grading, and provide filmmakers with greater freedom to refine their vision and experiment with new ideas.
We’re seeing a lot of really useful applications in marketing too - pitch decks, sizzle reels and other presentation materials have become more dynamic and higher quality, which can make it easier for filmmakers to effectively sell their ideas.
What has the reception been from students and from other faculty members? What do you say to those skeptics?
Some students and faculty fully embrace AI, while others are still skeptical. I think understanding AI's capabilities and its limitations requires direct engagement - If you’re unfamiliar with a technology, it’s easy to fear it, which is why I encourage my students to experiment with it. Ultimately, regardless of how you feel personally about AI, it’s a technology that is here to stay, so it's important that students learn about these tools and how to work with them, whether or not they choose to use them for their projects.
What advice would you give to other educators who are looking to bring AI into the classroom?
Start by experimenting alongside your students. You don’t have to be an AI expert to explore its possibilities. Incorporate it into your existing skill sets and see where it can enhance your teaching and creative workflows, but I can’t stress enough the importance of balancing these new and emerging technologies with teaching the classic fundamentals of filmmaking. Understanding cinematic language and learning how to properly tell stories is crucial. AI is a valuable tool, but the core skills of meaningful filmmaking and creativity remain essential – and those are uniquely human skills.
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