On 12 August, the Turkish company AI Yapım, part of Ay Yapım, released the historical series *Castle Walls* on Prime Video. The project is billed as the first series to make comprehensive use of artificial intelligence in the production of its visuals to be featured on a major international streaming platform. The screenplay, creative decisions, acting and voice-over work were all carried out by people.
Briefly about the main points
- Castle Walls became available on Prime Video on 12 August.
- The series consists of two episodes, each lasting up to 17 minutes.
- The visual elements were created using generative models and digital retouching.
- According to the company, AYDNA was trained using Ay Yapım’s licensed catalogue.
- The script, storyboards, the actors’ performances and the voice-overs were not generated by artificial intelligence.
Two short episodes on an international platform
The producers say that the season consists of two episodes, each lasting around 15 minutes. The project’s page on Prime Video lists each episode as 17 minutes long.
The claim to primacy should be understood within the context of the production model described by the company: generative technologies were used at all stages of creating the visual sequence, but not for the autonomous production of the entire series.
The history of the conflict surrounding the fortress of Alamut
The drama is set in the 11th century. The plot follows Hasan ibn Sabbah as he seizes Alamut and establishes a secret movement that challenges the established order. Nizam al-Mulk, Hassan’s former ally, seeks to protect the empire, whilst Azazil, a warrior released from prison, becomes a loyal supporter of Hassan.
At the heart of the plot lie the struggle for power, betrayal, love and conflict between former friends. Alamut was the historical centre of the Nizari; the fortress also features as a location in the game *Assassin’s Creed Mirage*. The relationships between the characters in the series are an artistic dramatisation of that historical era.
From storyboarding to the final video sequence
For the production, Ay Yapım used its own video-generation model, AYDNA. According to the company, it was trained exclusively on Ay Yapım’s licensed catalogue.
AI was used for visual concepts, storyboarding, character integration and the creation of the visual sequence. The first episode was created frame by frame using digital in-painting technology, whilst during work on the second episode the team switched to newer generative models.
The creative team was responsible for the script and production
The artists prepared hand-drawn sketches of the characters and locations before the generative processing began. The screenplay was written by Kerem Deren and Çiçel Hazal Tenim, and Kerem Çatay served as producer. The creative team was responsible for determining the narrative direction and editorial decisions.
The authors specifically pointed out that the voice performances were not generated by artificial intelligence. The voice-overs in various languages were recorded by professional actors; therefore, the generative tools used in the project complemented human work rather than replacing it.
