How Generative AI is Revolutionizing Media Production

Generative AI, the subcategory of artificial intelligence that can create content based on a prompt, is becoming increasingly more commonplace in film and television production. Generative AI produces text, imagery, video and more by learning the patterns and structure of input data and generating new data that has similar characteristics.

Generative AI is quickly becoming more utilized in production, post and distribution, helping artists focus on the creative aspects of their projects, and less on the monotonous tasks. From scriptwriting to emulating a specific “look” to photo-realistic visual effects, generative AI is helping creatives achieve their visions and get their content to audiences more efficiently than ever. While it does come with challenges, AI is a tool that can be implemented into your next project’s workflow.

‍

Current Applications of AI in the Filmmaking Process

One of the most notable – and arguably most controversial -- use cases of generative AI in film and television is in the process of scriptwriting. AI-powered technology can analyze massive amounts of data from scripts, novels, screenplays and more to generate original story ideas and character arcs, providing writers with inspiration to explore new narrative possibilities.

AI is especially useful in virtual production, helping to generate previsualizations of scenes, sets, and characters based on initial concepts or scripts. And during the production process, generative AI is often used to create virtual sets and set-extensions as well as digital actors, extras, and audiences, eliminating the need to have as many people on-set.

‍

Streamlining the Post Process

Generative AI has also become increasingly more utilized in post production workflows, aiding in editorial, color grading, VFX and more. By adopting AI technology, productions are able to get their content through post and to audiences faster than ever before.

‍
Many modern editing platforms leverage AI algorithms to analyze footage, identify key sequences, and automatically edit based on predetermined parameters. This streamlines the editing process, saving time for editors and reducing the need for multiple revisions.

‍
Generative AI is also frequently used in color grading because it can replicate specific looks from renowned cinematographers, films, and other inspiration sources. Additionally, AI can dramatically reduce the time typically needed for a project’s color grade by seamlessly processing and automating the color for large volumes of footage.

Traditional visual effects is a time-consuming and labor-intensive process which requires artists to manually create and animate digital assets. Through the use of generative AI, photorealistic images and animation can be crafted in a fraction of the time. With all of these different applications, it is safe to say the AI is giving creators a much more robust toolset to work with.

‍

Bringing Content to Audiences

AI algorithms are also being utilized to determine the best way to market and distribute content to audiences. Through analyzing data and engagement metrics, AI algorithms can help studios tailor their marketing campaigns to target specific audiences leading to improved engagement and commercial success.

Streaming platforms are also leveraging AI algorithms to analyze viewer preferences and behavior, enabling them to provide more personalized recommendations to subscribers. By providing relevant content recommendations, these platforms are improving the viewer experience and ultimately improving longer-term subscription rates.

Additionally, generative AI can help bring content to broader audiences by personalizing it for different regions and demographics. AI can automatically create localized versions with subtitles or voiceovers, ultimately expanding reach.

‍

AI Does Come with Some Challenges

While generative AI provides countless benefits to the media and entertainment industry as a whole, that’s not to say it comes without challenges. Human oversight is essential to ensure the artistic integrity of the final product.

AI can generate content based on existing data patterns, but it struggles with the creativity, emotional complexity, and nuances required to create compelling content that resonates with audiences. Additionally, AI is currently uncapable of comprehending the intricacies of production workflows, including the processes of lighting and cinematography, sound design, and editing, which are all imperative in the creation of high-quality content.

And it’s no secret that the use of AI-powered technology raises many ethical and legal concerns. Ownership, IP rights and copyrights are still a big factor that needs to be hashed out, especially when AI generates content that closely resembles existing work.

 ‍

So What’s Next?

Generative AI is already making transformative strides in the film and television industry, and it will only become a more powerful tool as it becomes further developed. From scriptwriting and pre-visualization to color grading, VFX and distribution, AI-powered technologies are impacting every step in the pre-production, production, post and distribution chain. As this technology continues to evolve, it has the ability to empower greater creativity, innovation, and possibilities in storytelling.

Learn more from Sohonet CEO Chuck Parker about how generative AI, as well as other key trends are revolutionizing the film and entertainment industry: Five key trends to mitigate costs in 2023 with Chuck Parker, CEO of Sohonet

‍