ROUND TABLE
which make you stand out as unique. Choose the tools that you think are most significant for future filmmaking (not just the ones that excite you) and become an expert in creative work with them. MB: As AI becomes more prevalent, understanding the basics of data science and machine learning will become increasingly valuable, as will skills in supervising and integrating AI tools into the creative workflow. Additionally, soft skills such as adaptability, problem-solving and creative thinking will be crucial for working alongside AI effectively. QJ: Return to the basics! It’s absolutely major right now that filmmakers go back to reading their dusty copies of Homer and Shakespeare – they have more to teach you about how to make a film than any AI out there. The more the tools become accessible, the more the need to cultivate yourself so you don’t end up creating a bunch of meaningless and formatted content. AI will never tell you how to create something disruptive. Def: What do you think are the main ways that AI will impact our industry in 2024, and beyond? CN: Right now, streamers and studios have a supply and demand problem. People are binging movies and shows faster than they can make them. And right now, the prices for these shows can reach $100 million to $250 million. That’s unsustainable for the studios, they can’t charge subscribers enough to pay for those costs. So ideally, AI will bring down costs and accelerate more filmmaking, more production, more post-production. This will allow everyone, even those not in Hollywood or the studio system, to make more cool, amazing films, programme
FOREVER YOUNG Scorsese’s The Irishman aged Pacino and De Niro down half a century using AI
faster and more efficiently, and allow for films that would never be made to become a reality. DL: Things are moving so fast that we should always remember William Goldman’s words: ‘nobody knows anything’. He clarified this later: ‘what I meant by it was nobody has the least idea what will work’. This applies to AI: we are rightly excited (and sometimes a little scared) at the developments, but we don’t yet know which systems will work and which will fail. The big test is with the audience. How much generative content will they tolerate, or will there be a backlash? Will the most successful films in 2024 follow Tim Burton’s decision to reject AI? Or will audiences love the expanding visual worlds that become possible with generative AI? QJ: The current strike might be over, but I fear the next may be coming. Also, people are realising that there’s more return on investment on a $5
TikTok video than a $100 million series. This might bring on the downfall of the current profit-orientated film economy as it will try the sincerity of consortiums like Disney to be dedicated to storytelling. Will Disney, Warner and Netflix sink with the ship, or will they try to jump before it’s too late, signalling at the same time the end of an era? In any case, I’m seeing a brilliant future for smaller productions: I believe the under $10 million market will thrive. Yes, actors won’t be able to be paid $30 million per film any more, but this will never stop people from wanting and needing to tell stories, perform and create images. AI could definitely be the tool that smaller producers and creators need today to tell the stories of tomorrow, in a completely revamped, more modest – but maybe also more sincere and creative film industry. MB: Looking into 2024 and beyond, AI will likely continue to automate more aspects of production and post-production, while also opening up new creative possibilities. Ethical considerations, particularly concerning deepfakes and AI-generated content, will also come to the forefront. The industry will need to establish new standards and regulations to address these challenges. AI could also democratise content creation, allowing independent filmmakers access to tools that were previously only available to large studios, which could lead to a surge in innovative and diverse content.
AS AI BECOMES MORE PREVALENT, THE BASICS OF data science and machine learning ARE VALUABLE”
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