The 2025 Baidu Baike Knowledge Gala wanted to present the cultural appeal of famous paintings and relics in a way young audiences could easily get into. These classic figures are widely known, but dropping trendy moves straight onto them risks losing what makes them distinctive. This MV set out to bring them “to life” while keeping each one instantly recognizable.
The film kicks off a rap relay with “Sleeping superstars—time to wake up!” Zhu Yuanzhang, the Mona Lisa, the Girl with a Pearl Earring, a Sanxingdui bronze figure, the Terracotta Warriors and an Eastern Han storyteller figurine each get their own lyrics and scenes, and one song strings together figures from different eras, regions and materials. “Baike Masterpieces Reimagined” and “Baike Trending Relics Showcase” appear in the bridge, introducing the campaign as part of the performance.
The project also expanded the Terracotta Warriors segment into a cultural tourism short of about 30 seconds, built around clay, the battle formation and “a thousand men, a thousand faces”. It uses a different song and shot design from the masterpieces-and-relics ensemble MV; both can be watched on this page.
02 / Creative Highlights
Recognizable first, then performing
01
Finding motion in signature features
As characters step out of paintings into a live performance, the features audiences know must come first. Zhu Yuanzhang holds up another portrait of himself, turning the lyric “meme face or imperial portrait” into an in-shot comparison; the Mona Lisa keeps her smile and dark dress, and the Girl with a Pearl Earring keeps her blue headscarf, earring and backward glance. Microphones, sunglasses and rap gestures create contrast, while the originals' recognizable details give that change a point of origin.
02
Letting relic materials join a modern rhythm
If a bronze figure only changes pose, its identity as a relic can get lost in the movement. The Sanxingdui segment keeps the headdress, bronze patina and geometric patterns, and builds an imaginative stage with the sacred tree and starry sky; raised hands, head tilts and swaying change line by line with the lyrics. Metallic texture and lively movement are visible together, so viewers can still recognize the familiar relic in its new way of performing.
03
From a character relay to a standalone Qin warrior short
The ensemble MV brings every character together with two campaign titles, split screens and an all-cast shot. The Terracotta Warriors extended short focuses on a single relic: clay details, orderly ranks and varied faces build layer by layer, ending with a digital refresh interface that links history and the present—ready to stand alone for cultural tourism promotion.
04
Keeping lyrics legible against rich imagery
Dresses, palaces and bronze textures are all densely detailed; if subtitles blend into the background, viewers miss the knowledge in the rap. So subtitle fonts and colors, the consistency of each figure in group shots, and the large-type graphics in the bridge were all checked item by item. The finished film uses clear lyrics and campaign titles to tie the visuals together, so viewers can enjoy the performance and keep track of who each section is about.
03 / Scene Breakdown
A rap relay of masterpieces and relics
Film · 00:00–00:19
Opening: Zhu Yuanzhang Wakes from His Portrait
One line, “Sleeping superstars—time to wake up!”, wakes the portraits. The first verse goes to Zhu Yuanzhang: he turns from a seated portrait into a real man, picks up a microphone and raps about the debate over his looks in front of the palace walls.
Clip · 00:00–00:05
The portrait wakes and the masterpieces answer
Zhu Yuanzhang stretches in his seated portrait, and in the next shot he walks toward the camera as a real man; the Mona Lisa’s portrait then picks up the line “time to wake up!”
Clip · 00:05–00:10
An emperor with sunglasses and a mic
The dragon robe and official’s hat are unchanged, with a pair of sunglasses and a microphone added. Turned sideways with his head tilted back as he raps, the “emperor” instantly looks like a rapper.
Clip · 00:10–00:14
An overhead shot of the spotlit stage
The camera looks down from above as Zhu Yuanzhang stands in the center of a ring of spotlights, right on the line “Majestic brows hide a commanding aura.”
Clip · 00:14–00:19
Holding up another portrait for comparison
He holds up another portrait that circulates online, putting the man and the painting in the same frame and turning “meme face or imperial portrait” into a visible contrast; then he points at the camera and folds his arms, accepting the battle.
Film · 00:19–00:41
The Masterpieces: Mona Lisa and the Girl with a Pearl Earring
The two painted heroines each get four lines. Every instantly recognizable feature, from clothing and hairstyle to headscarf, is kept, and the backgrounds are their home cities: a Florentine piazza and a Dutch canal street.
Clip · 00:19–00:25
The Mona Lisa walks into Florence
The dark gown and center-parted long hair are just as in the original painting. She walks across the piazza in sunglasses, flicking her hair as she raps “My smile’s topped the charts for three hundred years.”
Clip · 00:25–00:30
From an overhead view of the piazza to a close-up in sunglasses
First we see her from above, standing in the center of the piazza looking up, then cut to a close-up as she pushes up her sunglasses and raps to camera, “You’ve guessed till your heads are spinning.”
Clip · 00:30–00:35
The Girl with a Pearl Earring sings and looks back
The blue-and-yellow headscarf and pearl earring keep the original painting’s colors. She starts singing in close-up, then turns and waves beside a Dutch canal.
Clip · 00:35–00:41
The painter Vermeer and the girl he painted
On the line “Vermeer’s gentle brushstrokes,” the frame cuts into the studio where the painter is at work; the camera pushes in on his eyes, then turns to the girl looking back in a long corridor, matching “a gaze across time and space.”
Film · 00:41–01:04
The Bridge and the Sanxingdui Bronze Figure
The bridge uses two lines of large text to name Baidu Baike’s two campaigns as the masterpieces hand off to the relics. Next comes the Sanxingdui bronze figure, dancing in front of the sacred tree and a starry sky.
Clip · 00:41–00:46
The “Baike Masterpieces Reimagined” title appears
The Mona Lisa, the Girl with a Pearl Earring and Zhu Yuanzhang walk forward side by side, with “Baike Masterpieces Reimagined” in large text behind them, as they sing “every masterpiece transforms.”
Clip · 00:46–00:48
A Terracotta Warrior takes over for the “Relics Showcase”
The large text turns into “Baike Trending Relics Showcase,” and a Terracotta Warrior holding a microphone raises his fist and calls out, “Next stop: relic superstars, get ready to blow up the stage.”
Clip · 00:48–00:55
The bronze figure opens its eyes and dances
The bronze figure’s long face and huge eyes first loom toward the camera, then it swings its body beside a bronze ding and smoke, rapping “Bronze protruding eyes see right through you.”
Clip · 00:55–00:59
“Getting abstract” in front of the sacred tree
The bronze figure stands on a pedestal with the bronze sacred tree and a starry sky behind it. The headdress, patina and patterns are all clearly visible, while the moves are modern rap gestures.
Clip · 00:59–01:04
“Trendy for three thousand years—and only now you get it”
The bronze figure tilts its head, makes hand signs and bounces to the beat, finishing its verse.
Film · 01:04–01:39
Terracotta Warriors, the Storyteller Figurine and the Full-Cast Chorus
The second half of the relics section goes to the Terracotta Warriors and the Eastern Han storyteller figurine, then the chorus calls each character out in turn before the whole cast shares the stage. The film closes on a wall of relic names and the campaign end card.
Clip · 01:04–01:08
Terracotta Warriors with a thousand faces
A row of Terracotta Warriors raise their hands together, followed by several different faces, some looking down, some smiling, and finally one grinning with his face in his hands, matching “A thousand faces, no persona.”
Clip · 01:08–01:13
The Eastern Han storyteller figurine goes live
The storyteller figurine grins wide and dances with a small drum in a teahouse, while the tea drinkers around him laugh along.
Clip · 01:13–01:18
A Terracotta Warrior under the spotlight
On the first line of the chorus, a beam of top light falls on a Terracotta Warrior in the pit; he sways to the beat with whole rows of figures behind him.
Clip · 01:18–01:22
The storyteller figurine DJs, the Mona Lisa laughs to tears
The storyteller figurine scratches records on a wooden teahouse table, then the next shot cuts back to Florence, where the Mona Lisa throws her head back laughing with a hand over her mouth.
Clip · 01:22–01:30
Sanxingdui center stage and “not an old antique”
The bronze figure spreads its arms center stage in front of the sacred tree; Zhu Yuanzhang smiles with folded arms, and the bronze figure wags a raised finger, rapping “Classics aren’t old antiques.”
Clip · 01:30–01:35
Split screen, then the whole cast on stage
A Terracotta Warrior and the Mona Lisa make an “unboxing” gesture in a top-and-bottom split screen, then every character raises their hands on one stage, singing together “redefine how they look.”
Film · 00:00–00:16
Terracotta Warriors Extended Short: Clay, Faces and Awakening
This extended short focuses solely on the Terracotta Warriors, with a new song. The first half looks closely at the clay and the faces, then brings one figure to life under a spotlight.
Clip · 00:00–00:06
Clay, fingerprints and the army in the pit
A figure stands in the dark; the camera sweeps past a line of spear-bearers, moves in close to the cracked clay surface, then pulls back to reveal a single figure in the pit.
Clip · 00:06–00:11
Every face is different
A figure starts singing into a microphone, a row of figures raise their hands, several faces appear in turn, and the last one breaks into a smile with his face in his hands, matching “A thousand men, a thousand faces true.”
Clip · 00:11–00:16
A figure awakens under the spotlight
A beam of light shines into the pit, and the figure rises in it, sways, and finally raises his hand and shouts “Yo!”
Film · 00:16–00:31
Terracotta Warriors Extended Short: The Army Advances and History Refreshes
The second half starts with the army in the museum, passes through a glowing “history refresh” interface, and ends on a city gate tower at sunset.
Clip · 00:16–00:21
Armor still warm, the army advances
Sunlight slants in through the hall’s skylight, the camera glides along the ranks, then a high view shows the entire army marching forward.
Clip · 00:21–00:25
Eyes like blades
A close-up of a figure’s face as the archway behind him glows gold, and he sings “Eyes like blades cut through the walls of time.”
Clip · 00:25–00:31
History refreshes, back to the gate tower
The figure is surrounded by a ring of glowing interface as the progress bar reaches 100%; the camera then passes through the museum’s army and comes to rest on a figure raising his hand atop a gate tower at sunset.
04 / Storyboards & Final Frames
One Final Shot for Every Line of the Lyrics.
Shown in the order of the finished film: for each shot we first note what it shows, then the final frame used in the film.
01
Opening and Zhu Yuanzhang
Main film 00:00—00:20
Shot 1.1
From seated portrait to real man
The opening is a high-resolution restoration of the seated portrait of the Hongwu Emperor, which then becomes a lifelike Zhu Yuanzhang generated from the portrait, standing in a simple palace, ready to step out of the painting.
From seated portrait to real man · Final 1From seated portrait to real man · Final 2
Shot 1.2
Mic raised, turned sideways
In sunglasses, turned sideways with the mic raised, he raps “Square jaw, broad brow.”
Mic raised, turned sideways · Final 1
Shot 1.3
An overhead shot of the spotlit stage
A high-angle overhead shot with the figure in the center of a ring of spotlights, emphasizing his “aura.”
An overhead shot of the spotlit stage · Final 1
Shot 1.4
Holding up another portrait
Zhu Yuanzhang unrolls another widely circulated portrait, putting the man and the painting in the same frame.
Holding up another portrait · Final 1
Shot 1.5
Battle gesture and folded arms
One hand reaches forward in a “bring it on” gesture; then a low-angle shot as he folds his arms across his chest.
Battle gesture and folded arms · Final 1Battle gesture and folded arms · Final 2
02
Mona Lisa and the Girl with a Pearl Earring
Main film 00:20—00:41
Shot 2.1
A stroll through a Florentine piazza
The gown and hairstyle from the original painting are kept, with sunglasses added, as she walks through a 17th-century Florentine piazza.
A stroll through a Florentine piazza · Final 1A stroll through a Florentine piazza · Final 2
Shot 2.2
Overhead view of the piazza
A wide-angle overhead shot of her standing in the center of the piazza, looking up at the camera.
Overhead view of the piazza · Final 1
Shot 2.3
Close-up in sunglasses
A low-angle close-up as she raises a hand to point at her head, matching “You’ve guessed till your heads are spinning.”
Close-up in sunglasses · Final 1
Shot 2.4
Looking back by the canal
The Girl with a Pearl Earring keeps her blue-and-yellow headscarf and pearl earring, turning and waving on a Dutch canal street.
Looking back by the canal · Final 1Looking back by the canal · Final 2
03
The Bridge and the Sanxingdui Bronze Figure
Main film 00:41—01:04
Shot 3.1
Every masterpiece transforms
The Mona Lisa leads with a mic, followed by the Girl with a Pearl Earring and Zhu Yuanzhang, with “Baike Masterpieces Reimagined” in large text behind them.
Every masterpiece transforms · Final 1
Shot 3.2
Relic superstars, ready to blow up the stage
A Terracotta Warrior holds a microphone in one hand and raises a fist overhead with the other.
Relic superstars, ready to blow up the stage · Final 1
Shot 3.3
Close-up of the bronze face
The bronze figure’s long face looms toward the camera, ready to rap.
Close-up of the bronze face · Final 1Close-up of the bronze face · Final 2
Shot 3.4
An OK sign before the sacred tree
The bronze figure stands on a pedestal with the bronze sacred tree and a starry sky behind it, given a pair of movable arms to make an OK sign.
An OK sign before the sacred tree · Final 1An OK sign before the sacred tree · Final 2
Shot 3.5
Rapping to camera
Against the same sacred-tree background, a close-up of the bronze figure’s face as it raps to camera.
Rapping to camera · Final 1
04
Terracotta Warriors, the Storyteller Figurine and the Full-Cast Chorus
Main film 01:02—01:35
Shot 4.1
The old Qin legion stands silent
A Terracotta Warrior raps into a microphone to camera, with the army in the pit behind him.
The old Qin legion stands silent · Final 1
Shot 4.2
The formation raises its hands
A row of Terracotta Warriors raise their hands together, matching “Our death stare already shakes the heavens.”
The formation raises its hands · Final 1
Shot 4.3
A thousand faces
Close-ups of the same group of warriors, each with a different expression: stern, smiling, looking down.
A thousand faces · Final 1A thousand faces · Final 2
Shot 4.4
The storyteller figurine grins
A close-up of the Eastern Han storyteller figurine grinning ear to ear, a drumstick in hand.
The storyteller figurine grins · Final 1
Shot 4.5
Dancing in the teahouse
The storyteller figurine dances on the flagstones of a Han-dynasty teahouse as people around him watch over their tea.
Dancing in the teahouse · Final 1Dancing in the teahouse · Final 2
Shot 4.6
Lined up under the spotlight
Top light falls into the pit, and the warriors sway with the chorus.
Lined up under the spotlight · Final 1
Shot 4.7
The storyteller figurine DJs
The storyteller figurine scratches records on a wooden table like a DJ.
The storyteller figurine DJs · Final 1
Shot 4.8
The Mona Lisa laughs to tears
Back on an Italian street, the Mona Lisa throws her head back laughing.
The Mona Lisa laughs to tears · Final 1
Shot 4.9
Sanxingdui center stage
The bronze figure spreads its arms in the center of the frame, in front of the sacred tree.
Sanxingdui center stage · Final 1
Shot 4.10
Classics aren’t old antiques
The bronze figure raises an index finger and wags it in a “no” gesture.
Classics aren’t old antiques · Final 1
Shot 4.11
AI unboxes time
A Terracotta Warrior and the Mona Lisa each make a two-handed opening gesture, used in the top-and-bottom split screen.
AI unboxes time · Final 1AI unboxes time · Final 2
05
Terracotta Warriors Extended Short
Extended short 00:00—00:26
Shot 5.1
Clay has sealed a thousand years of light
A single figure in the dark, the opening shot.
Clay has sealed a thousand years of light · Final 1
Shot 5.2
Ranks stand like bells in a glorious line
A line of spear-bearing figures, lit from the top of the pit.
Ranks stand like bells in a glorious line · Final 1
Shot 5.3
Fingerprints carve the craftsman’s mark
In close on the cracked clay surface, then pulling back to a figure standing in the pit.
Fingerprints carve the craftsman’s mark · Final 1Fingerprints carve the craftsman’s mark · Final 2
Shot 5.4
Awaken the walls below
A beam of light shines into the pit, and the figure raises his hand and shouts “Yo!”
Awaken the walls below · Final 1Awaken the walls below · Final 2
Shot 5.5
Armor still warm, reboot Qin’s glory
A high overhead shot of the whole army marching forward.
Armor still warm, reboot Qin’s glory · Final 1
Shot 5.6
Eyes like blades
A close-up of the figure’s face, about to sing “cut through the walls of time.”
Eyes like blades · Final 1
05 / Script Excerpts
Voices beyond the frame.
Lyrics excerpt
Trendy for three thousand years—and only now you get it!Project script
Terracotta Warriors extended short lyrics
Clay has sealed a thousand years of light
Ranks stand like bells in a glorious line
Fingerprints carve the craftsman's mark
A hard-core medal of mighty QinScript
Terracotta Warriors extended short lyrics
The old Qin legion stands silent and still
Their stern gaze shakes the land at will
A thousand men, a thousand faces true
The realist glory of Qin shining throughScript
Terracotta Warriors extended short lyrics
Ranks of clay, awaken the walls below
Armor still warm, reboot Qin's glow
Eyes like blades cut through the walls of time
History refreshing, loading this medal for all timeScript
06 / Results
A cultural performance at the Knowledge Gala
Delivered a 1-minute-39-second AI rap MV of masterpieces and relics (1080×1920 vertical), screened live at the 2025 Baidu Baike Knowledge Gala and published on Baidu Baike’s official WeChat Channels account, Shaanxi Culture & Tourism’s official Douyin account and the Miaodong Art Douyin account; we also made a landscape version with an added background for offline screening.
Also delivered a Terracotta Warriors extended short of about 32 seconds for separate release on cultural tourism accounts.
Case Study
Liandan AI Studio × Baidu Baike | Getting Masterpieces and Relics to Rap
Zhu Yuanzhang puts on sunglasses, the Mona Lisa strolls into a Florentine piazza, and a Sanxingdui bronze figure flashes an OK sign in front of the sacred tree.
This is an AI MV we made for the 2025 Baidu Baike Knowledge Gala: both the song and the visuals were AI-generated, and six characters from masterpieces and relics take the stage in turn, introducing themselves in a rap relay.
The film was screened live at the gala and published on Baidu Baike’s official WeChat Channels account and other accounts. We later expanded its Terracotta Warriors segment into a half-minute cultural tourism short.
Client
Baidu Baike
Project Type
AI MV (masterpieces & relics rap short) + Terracotta Warriors cultural tourism short
Timeline
December 2025, completed in about three weeks
Runtime & Specs
Main film 1080×1920 vertical, 01:39; Terracotta Warriors extended short 1080×1920 vertical, 00:32; plus a landscape version with an added background for offline use
Distribution
Screened live at the 2025 Baidu Baike Knowledge Gala; Baidu Baike’s official WeChat Channels account, Shaanxi Culture & Tourism’s official Douyin account, Miaodong Art’s Douyin account
Results
Screened live at the gala and well received by the organizers and audience
Produced by
Shenzhen Alchemy Technology Co., Ltd. (Liandan AI Studio)
01
How do you get people to watch a knowledge film to the end?
Baidu Baike had two campaigns to promote this time: “Baike Masterpieces Reimagined” and “Baike Trending Relics Showcase.”
Everyone has seen these paintings and relics, but precisely because they’re so familiar, a straight introduction won’t make anyone stop and watch.
The client wanted a different approach that young people would actually watch. Our proposal:treat them as sleeping “superstars,” wake them up, and let them take the stage and sing for themselves.
It opens with “Sleeping superstars—time to wake up!”, then each character raps four lines about the most famous thing about them: the debate over Zhu Yuanzhang’s looks, the Mona Lisa’s smile, the Girl with a Pearl Earring’s backward glance, Sanxingdui’s protruding eyes, the Terracotta Warriors’ thousand different faces, and the storyteller figurine’s wide grin.
Clip · 00:00–00:05
The portrait wakes
Zhu Yuanzhang stretches in his seated portrait, then walks toward the camera as a real man; the Mona Lisa’s portrait picks up with “time to wake up!”
02
Write the song first, then storyboard line by line
The song is the backbone of this film.
We wrote several versions of the lyrics and settled the characters and their order with the client: three from the masterpieces, three from the relics, a bridge to hand off in between, and a full-cast chorus at the end.
Once the song was set, the storyboard followed the lyrics line by line: who gets this line, what shot size, what the character does, what the keyframe looks like, and how the video moves.
For example, “Square jaw, broad brow” goes with Zhu Yuanzhang turned sideways with the mic raised, “Majestic brows hide a commanding aura” switches to an overhead spotlit shot, and on “meme face or imperial portrait” he holds another portrait up to the camera.
“Square jaw, broad brow”: turned sideways with the mic raised“Majestic brows hide a commanding aura”: overhead shot of the spotlit stage
Each character’s moves were designed around their own lyrics, rather than giving everyone the same set of rap gestures.
03
Once they move, you still have to recognize them at a glance
When paintings and relics “come alive,” the most common problem is that they move but no longer look like themselves.
So for each character, we first identified what audiences recognize it by, kept those features unchanged, and added new elements only elsewhere.
The Mona Lisa keeps her dark gown and center-parted long hair, with just sunglasses added; the Girl with a Pearl Earring keeps her blue-and-yellow headscarf and pearl earring; the Sanxingdui bronze figure keeps its headdress, patina and patterns, and gains a pair of arms for hand gestures.
Mona Lisa: gown and hairstyle true to the painting, plus sunglassesGirl with a Pearl Earring: headscarf and earring true to the painting, set against a Dutch canal street
The backgrounds follow the characters too: Zhu Yuanzhang in a Ming palace, the Mona Lisa in a Florentine piazza, the Girl with a Pearl Earring by a Dutch canal, the bronze figure before the sacred tree and starry sky, and the storyteller figurine in a Han-dynasty teahouse.
Viewers don’t need captions; the background alone tells them which era and place each segment is about.
Sanxingdui bronze figure: headdress and patina kept intactEastern Han storyteller figurine: dancing in a Han-dynasty teahouse
04
Three rounds of previews, refined until every detail reads clearly
Before the final cut, we showed the client three rounds of previews, adjusting point by point after each round.
The client wanted the characters closer to the original paintings, so we re-checked the Mona Lisa’s and the Girl with a Pearl Earring’s features and clothing against the originals, and made each character look the same across shots.
The client wanted Zhu Yuanzhang to feel more real, so we changed him from a painted style into a real man stepping out of the painting and redid his rap moves.
The client felt the captions blended into the backgrounds, so we changed the font and color so every lyric is legible.
The client wanted the campaign names to stand out more, so in the bridge we placed two lines of large text behind the characters: “Baike Masterpieces Reimagined” and “Baike Trending Relics Showcase.”
Clip · 00:41–00:46
Large bridge titles
The three masterpiece characters walk forward side by side, with “Baike Masterpieces Reimagined” in large text behind them.
Following the client’s idea, we also added a wall of relic names before the end card: the Four-Goat Square Zun, the Western Zhou Da Ke Ding, the Stone Drums, the Terracotta Warriors… name after name fills the frame before cutting to Baidu Baike’s campaign end card.
05
From one MV to a Terracotta Warriors short
After the main film was finalized, the client asked us to expand the Terracotta Warriors segment into a standalone, longer piece for cultural tourism accounts.
We wrote a new song, “Clay has sealed a thousand years of light, ranks stand like bells in a glorious line,” and laid out 12 shots following the lyrics.
This short focuses on a single relic, so the shots get closer: the cracks in the clay, the ranks of spear-bearers, one distinct face after another, and finally a figure rising to sing under the spotlight.
In close on cracks in the clay surfaceA facial close-up for “Eyes like blades”
The ending surrounds a figure with a glowing “history refresh” interface; the progress bar reaches 100%, and the camera passes through the museum’s army to rest on a gate tower at sunset.
Clip · 00:25–00:31
History refreshes
A glowing interface surrounds the figure, the progress bar fills, and the camera passes through the museum’s army to rest on a gate tower at sunset.
06
What this project achieved
This film doesn’t turn masterpieces and relics into a lecture.
It makes viewers laugh at an image first: Zhu Yuanzhang in sunglasses, the Mona Lisa laughing to tears, a bronze figure flashing an OK sign.
Look again after the laugh, and everything that defines each character is still there: the dragon robe, the headscarf, the earring, the patina, the clay.
From songwriting and storyboarding to generating visuals, revising round by round and spinning off a cultural tourism short, this approach also works for other cultural institutions, museums and cultural tourism projects:first find the one thing audiences recognize, then bring it to life.
FAQ
FAQ
When you use AI to animate paintings and relics, how do you keep them recognizable?
We first identify what makes each character most recognizable and leave it unchanged. The Mona Lisa’s gown and hairstyle, the Girl with a Pearl Earring’s headscarf and earring, and the Sanxingdui bronze figure’s headdress and patina all stay true to the originals, with sunglasses, microphones and gestures added elsewhere; each character’s looks and clothing were also kept consistent across shots.
How long did this AI MV take from kickoff to final cut?
It kicked off in early December 2025 and was finalized in about three weeks, covering lyrics and song, a line-by-line storyboard, image and video generation, and three rounds of preview revisions. The Terracotta Warriors extended short took about four days from setting the direction to final cut.
Can a vertical film be used on large screens at a live event?
Yes. The main film for this project is 1080×1920 vertical for mobile release; for offline screening, we also made a landscape version with an added background.
Was the song made with AI too?
Yes. We wrote the lyrics around each character’s key facts and memes; both the song and the visuals were AI-generated, then edited to the rhythm of the lyrics with captions and packaging added. The Terracotta Warriors extended short has a separate new song.
Approach
Matching lyrics, movement and scenes
During production, every line of the lyrics was mapped to a character, shot size, motion design, keyframes and video, and each character got references from different angles and in different poses. Zhu Yuanzhang's overhead performance and close-up presence, the Girl with a Pearl Earring's earring and backward glance, and the bronze figure's gestures were each designed around their own lyrics, so no two figures share the same set of moves.
The whole song sets one unified rhythm, and each character’s close-ups, full-stage shots and transitions are arranged section by section. The link to the original works, character consistency, transitions, subtitles and the closing layout were each refined one by one; the large-text packaging in the bridge clearly marks the masterpieces section apart from the relics section, and the closing ensemble brings the characters who appeared earlier together again.
We also gathered photographs of the paintings, digitally restored versions and multiple editions as references for each character's look and scene design. The key was to preserve the recognizable features—faces, clothing and relic materials—in moving shots, group shots and close-ups, keeping the whole rap relay centered on these classic figures.
For the Terracotta Warriors extended short, we wrote separate line-by-line lyrics and a 12-shot script, designing shots around clay texture, armor plates, faces, the formation and the digital refresh.
