The Future of AI in Photography and Film — We look at the most hot-button topic in the film industry today: to AI or not to AI.
HOW WILL AI RESHAPE THE FUTURE OF THE FILM INDUSTRY?
The robots are coming! Or rather, the robots are here. What does the dawn of the AI age mean for filmmakers? That’s anyone’s guess. But what’s not a question mark is that AI will change filmmaking– it already has. In this video, we look at how it’s changing the industry, and why it’s being met with so much hesitation and derision.
PRE-PRODUCTION AI FILMMAKING
AI can have a hand in many stages of pre-production, streamlining scriptwriting, budgeting, scheduling, and even casting. Screenwriting tools powered by AI, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Sudowrite, can help generate story ideas, suggest dialogue, and refine scripts based on data from successful films. AI also assists in pre-visualization by generating concept art, storyboards, and even entire virtual environments before a single frame is shot.
AI PRODUCTION
AI has yet to play a huge role in production. It can help to quickly create production design elements, like posters and photos, and, of course, it can create its own footage. But AI still has a long way to go with footage creation, often not providing filmmakers much control. But, hey, in the future anything’s possible.
AI POST-PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY
Post-production is where AI truly shines. Editing software powered by AI can analyze hours of footage and help conduct assistant editor duties. AI is also transforming visual effects. It can upscale low-resolution footage, remove backgrounds without green screens, and enhance CGI realism. AI-powered de-aging technology can make actors to appear younger without excessive manual VFX work.
THE DARK SIDE OF AI IN FILMMAKING
But AI isn’t all fun and games– there’s good reason for many creatives to be concerned. One of the biggest of these concerns is the potential loss of human creativity. While AI can assist in writing and editing, many fear that relying too heavily on algorithms will lead to formulaic and uninspired storytelling.
Ultimately, how AI will affect filmmaking is anyone’s guess. Like with any burgeoning technology, it’s possibilities may seem endless now, but they could easily come up short of expectations. Or maybe it will be more powerful than anyone could have foreseen.