In the immediate vicinity of the historic Sony Pictures lot in Culver City, a notable shift in film production is taking place. As The Guardian reported on August 16, 2026, the newly established AI-first production company Promise has commenced shooting on its first major feature project. The production is an independent horror film titled Touch Grass, operating with a budget in the lower single-digit million range.
Behind the young studio stands a significant coalition of established technology and media giants. Promise is backed by venture capital investors as well as Disney and Google. These strategic investments highlight the mounting interest among entertainment leaders in alternative production paradigms that could significantly lower the cost structure of film projects.
The day-to-day workflow on the set of Touch Grass departs sharply from conventional film sets. Rather than relying on expensive soundstages and months of post-production handled by large visual effects departments, actors such as Tori Thomas perform in front of minimal physical backdrops. The surrounding environment is dynamically shaped and rendered by generative video systems.
On the technological side, Promise does not rely exclusively on domestic software, integrating both US-developed and leading Chinese generative video models into its pipeline. These systems render backgrounds, complex visual effects, and synthetic extras within real-time workflows. This allows directors and actors to evaluate the final visual composition directly during filming.
The production serves as a tangible case study for the adoption of generative algorithms within mainstream filmmaking. While the broader creative industry continues to debate intellectual property and labor implications, Touch Grass illustrates how low-budget productions can merge live-action acting with generative imagery in real time.