Movies and Tech: How AI Could Impact the Film Industry

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Technology and film go hand in hand, think CGI, animatronics, and green screen. But where does AI fit into film production, and how will it impact the industry?

AI has exploded on the scene recently as many more people are taking to generator tools like ChatGPT and Dall-E. Just a quick Google search finds everyday tools that could help an actor or writer, like headshot generators or grammar assistants.

For example, AI headshot generators allow all working professionals to enjoy the benefits of having a headshot created within hours at a fraction of the price of traditional photography.

But while these tools could help you in your everyday life, what happens when an entire industry starts to experiment with AI? With more and more businesses and production companies starting to integrate AI tech into their everyday practices, it has those in film wondering…how will it affect them?

The recent WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in Hollywood saw actors and writers band together to increase pay and ensure a range of protections. One of the issues that both camps were particularly worried about was the use of AI in film production.

The WGA and studios agreed to terms that allow AI to be used as a writing tool, but it can’t be used to replace a worker. SAG-AFTRA agreed to provisions that required studios to compensate actors when using AI replicas.

Pre-production

Pre-production of a film is all about writing, planning, and logistics. It’s all the stuff that needs to get done before the cameras start rolling. AI can have a massive impact on pre-production by streamlining planning, creating schedules, and even helping to create scripts.

AI is all about data input, which makes it great for pre-production. AI programs can analyze hundreds of scripts at once and identify ones with specific plots or endings that studios might be looking for. It can even create entire scripts.

Production

One impressive development in AI that could be extremely useful on film sets is AI-controlled camera systems. An AI-operated camera can improve precision, efficiency and significantly reduce costs.

Post-production/editing

Where we are most likely to see AI used is in the post-production stage. AI can help directors and editors to sort through and organize footage, produce music to match action requirements, create visual effects and computer graphics, edit out unwanted noise, and color grade.

So where’s the concern?

With all the ways that AI can seemingly improve film production, why are so many people in the industry concerned? While AI does have the potential to streamline production, there is also the risk that it could squeeze some roles out. AI-operated cameras, for example, could leave camera operators out of a job.

There’s also a concern from many in the industry that AI could suck the soul out of film. Giancarlo Esposito (most well-known for playing Gus Fring in the TV show Breaking Bad) summed up concerns in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter recently. “You can’t replace what’s real. You can’t replace the soulfulness of a human being, the soul. You can’t replace humanity. Machines can try, but I’m sorry…”

What’s being done to stop issues?

Leaders within the industry and workers’ unions are very aware of the dangers that AI could pose to job security and the integrity of film. WGA and SAG-AFTRA both included language around AI in their recent strike demands, and it seems that most people are willing to work with AI rather than have AI replace them.

With the right attitude and the right rules in place, AI has the potential to lower film production costs, increase the capabilities of films with lower budgets, and hopefully allow more art to be made.

The first AI-written film

In a breakthrough for AI, the world’s first AI-written film premiered in June of this year. The Last Screenwriter was directed by Swedish filmmaker Peter Luisi and written entirely through ChatGPT. The film itself is centered on AI, with the main actor playing a screenwriter who finds out that AI can write a script better than him.

However, don’t go placing any Oscar bets just yet. The film has been panned by critics, with one review in The Times saying “ChatGPT 4.0 is clearly a moron, and writes with all the verve and attentiveness of the Terminator on Quaaludes.”

So while the film itself may not be a definitive work of art, it proves that AI tools can be used in film production.

VFX and the future of AI in film

One area where AI holds a lot of potential is in the creation of visual effects (VFX), and it seems like the industry agrees. Beeble AI is a VFX startup that recently secured $4.75 million in seed funding. Beeble has created AI tech called SwitchLight Studio that allows users to produce Hollywood-level virtual lighting.

With VFX like virtual lighting way out of the budget for indie filmmakers, products like Beeble AI are making certain film techniques more readily available. The company hopes that this product will allow filmmakers with lower budgets to still produce high-quality films and focus on telling their stories in the way they want to.

The Paste editorial staff was not involved in the creation of this content.