Final Gun

The Encounter

It came from somewhere else. It took what didn’t belong. A cinematic 4K AI video about fear, judgment, and the possibility of change. A quiet farm becomes the stage for an unexpected encounter between the unknown and the stories we project onto it.

Context

The Encounter began as a story Ming Hsiung wrote over 25 years ago while studying traditional cel animation at USC. Built around fear, judgment, and the projections we place onto the unknown, the piece later found its place inside the larger Final Gun universe.

Strategy

What was once only possible as a hand-drawn animated short became achievable through a new AI filmmaking pipeline, including Kling AI’s Native 4K video generation. The film was created as a standalone short, while also opening the door to a larger series of Final Gun fragments with returning characters.

Solution

The film was completed as a 4K AI short and submitted to Kling AI’s 4K Creative Short Film Contest, with winners announced June 17. It also entered select festivals as part of Liberati’s broader push to establish momentum as an AI-driven studio for original cinematic worlds.

Behind the Screens

Meet the Cast

Kling AI Elements helped keep characters recognizable across each variation while allowing the characters to evolve with the story.

Sketch

Original storyboards along with newer sketches were used to generate some of the final 4K images

Final

Figma Weave

AI workflow

The Alien

I wanted to honor the original vision from my younger self while bringing in the experience I have now—using AI to refine, expand, and elevate the moments I could only imagine back then.