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Artificial Intelligence and the Film Industry: Benefits & Pitfalls of AI

Artificial intelligence and the film industry are two industries that have certainly collided much like many other industries that have been influenced by AI. Recent years have seen a number of neural language tools and machine learning concepts brought into the film industry to streamline processes and procedures, to influence decision-making, and to save time & money. However, the impact and outcomes of artificial intelligence and the film industry are not all beneficial. There are some pitfalls that come along with too much use of or too much reliance on AI.

Going back in time, as far back as 1975, we saw the use of computer-controlled camera systems being utilized in filmmaking. Today, artificial intelligence is used in the film industry throughout each major stage of the film production process from pre-production planning to post-production editing and film marketing & distribution.

How is Artificial Intelligence Used in the Film Industry?

Artificial intelligence is utilized in the film industry for an array of tasks and processes. The list of potential uses of AI in filmmaking is certainly ever changing, and ever growing. Nearly 10 years ago, AI was used to produce a 10-minute short film script for the film Sunspring. AI has since been used for a variety of script writing and script planning tasks as neural networks continue to be found an effective option for film script generation (in some cases).

AI is also used in script analysis by investors who seek to determine whether or not a film is going to bring back the revenue that is required for production. Often, AI algorithms are used to determine the potential success or failure of a film before it ever reaches production. Tools can be used at this stage to help filmmakers carefully fine tune their scripts until they have a potentially successful project plan that warrants the time & monetary investment of the production company.

We’ve also seen artificial intelligence and the film industry seem to collide on things like research, where AI tools can be used to assist with location scouting, planning, and audience analysis. AI tools are capable of quickly disseminating whether or not a particular audience is likely to behave a particular way or have interest in a particular storyline or plot. 

 

Overall, AI is used in the film industry to save time, to reduce expenses, to boost post-production revenue, and to ensure success in ways that a typical human simply isn’t capable of and in timelines that no human could potentially compare with, but what are the benefits of all this artificial intelligence being used in a creative industry and are there pitfalls?

Benefits of Artificial Intelligence in the Film Industry

Quite possibly the most advantageous outcome of utilizing artificial intelligence in the film industry is not related to creativity but to time. Filmmakers, producers, and those in the film industry are like anyone else – they are limited for time. You cannot create more time, so the best we can do is find ways to improve our use of the time we have to get more done more efficiently and that’s what AI in filmmaking appears to do – most of the time.

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Artificial intelligence can save time across a variety of tasks. By automating things like color correction and color grading or sorting film elements in post-production, and camera movements or lighting on set, artificial intelligence can save filmmakers countless hours. When these hours are then put to use for tasks such as creative outlets, adding more value to a film or feature, or otherwise working on tasks that are important to their individual needs the advantage cannot be overlooked.

AI can also provide the following benefits in the film industry:

  • Increased productivity.
  • Increased success of film outcomes.
  • Increased marketing reach.
  • Stronger audience connections when filmmakers focus here while their AI focuses on other tasks.
  • Improved efficiency of tasks such as subtitling, scriptwriting, or prompting.
  • Faster moderation and streamlining of roles and responsibilities.

Film crews that allow artificial intelligence into their day-to-day life have the ability to save time and improve productivity, but there are some disadvantages to too much AI in film.

Pitfalls of Artificial Intelligence in the Film Industry

Too much artificial intelligence can interfere with the outcome of the film and may even result in poor quality or lower overall connections between the filmmaker and the audience. To avoid the pitfalls of allowing artificial intelligence to negate any benefits that it may provide to your filmmaking process it is very important that you focus on a less is more approach.

Artificial intelligence and the film industry together can be valuable, but only if you’re careful to ensure you’re not allowing AI to take over. Too much of a good thing may not be so good. For example, you don’t want to allow Ai to write an entire script – the outcome will be poor, disconnected, and will certainly lack the empathy and emotional connection with your audience that a film should provide. The same is true of using AI to make all of your film’s creative decisions. 

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As a filmmaker, if you’re going to use AI, you need to do so carefully. Focusing only on allowing artificial intelligence to take on mundane tasks that are repetitive in nature and that a computer or machine learning program can understand. This means, you need to keep the creativity, storytelling, and emotional connections that take place between your film and your audience between you and your audience – and leave the artificial intelligence out of it.

Want more information on how artificial intelligence and the film industry can effectively work together to provide positive outcomes that your audience and you can both be proud of? Give Beverly Boy Productions a call!

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