Future of Filmmaking with AI, Is it good or bad? - The Big Question at Cannes

Hi Leedsters!

I am Vipul, and this week I bring you this newsletter straight from Cannes. I got a chance to share our newsletter with the thought leaders and opinion makers here, and I am overwhelmed by all the positive reviews I got. On that positive note, let’s begin!

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Today In Focus: Are new technologies, especially AI a threat to human creativity and the future of Cinema? I met with thought leaders from many countries at the recently concluded FestivalDeCannes and had in-depth conversations with them. I even moderated an event related to this and got a chance to listen to various perspectives.

But before we get onto the main story, here’s what I cover in this newsletter

• Box Office Collection Report: Hollywood and India Movies

• Top News from the Media and Entertainment World

• Top Shows running across OTT platforms

• Pearls from the Past: The Fascinating History of Cannes Film Festival.

This year at Cannes, the hot topic of discussion was “Is AI good or bad, and how technology is going to shape the future of Cinema?”

Those who opposed the use of technologies like AI in Cinema argued that:-

• AI cannot replace human intelligence or creativity. The extensive use of AI in various aspects of cinema will ruin creativity and create a disconnect with the audience.

• Cinema industry supports a lot of artists and professionals, and AI will replace and take away a lot of low to mid-value jobs in this sector, thus resulting in large-scale unemployment.

• Arts as a form of expression are unique to human evolution, and AI’s intervention will kill the very essence of it.

• The AI is capable of rewriting the original content, voice morphing, mix-match original compositions, and creating deep-fakes within a matter of minutes which will take away the hard work done by original artists and deprive them of their due credits and compensation.

Those who supported AI argued that:-

• AI will only assist humans in making better content. Just like Typewriters, Calculators, and Computers improved human productivity, AI will democratise filmmaking, thus leading to low entry barriers for great stories and helping make better content. Therefore Cinemas will benefit from AI.

• AI will complement jobs and not supplement them. It will help writers, composers, editors, and actors better their art and not replace them.

• With AI, the audience can see varied content in different genres.

• Governments worldwide introduce laws and legislations that will take care of copyright issues.

It was pretty evident at Cannes that the advent of AI has made people think about it. While people have divided opinions, let me share two examples where AI has helped and destroyed the filmmaking process.

In Dec 2022, A Filipino movie, “The Safe Zone” was entirely scripted and directed by AI. Moon Pictures produced the movie and showed the capabilities and potential of AI even though it is at such a nascent stage of its evolution. Watch it here 

And here’s the tool from Adobe that gives you a glimpse of how AI can help Filmmaking. Watch it here.

Editor’s ViewPoint

In my opinion, as long as AI relies on human intervention to produce outcomes, it will enhance efficiency, foster creativity, and promote advancement in the film and content industry. Understandably, job roles will be reconfigured, and those who acquire additional skills will adapt and thrive. Similar transitions have occurred in the past. For instance, with the introduction of automobiles, the livelihoods of individuals who operated animal carts were affected, but those who learned to drive retained their employment. Similarly, those who do not embrace AI risk falling behind.

Here is an exciting read from Harvard Business School on this subject.

What’s Your Opinion?

What is your opinion on this topic? Do you agree that AI in its current form will harm the cinema more than help it? Share your thoughts, and the best comment will be included in the following newsletter.

• Buzzfeed is banking on technology to turn around its fortunes.BuzzFeed unveiled its latest and most ambitious offering on Tuesday:- Botatouille, a chatbot that provides recipe suggestions from Tasty, BuzzFeed's renowned food brand. Note that Botatouille has no relation to the beloved Pixar character, the culinary expert rat. Read more on- https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230523005505/en/BuzzFeed%E2%80%99s-Tasty-Introduces-%E2%80%9CBotatouille%E2%80%9D-The-First-of-Its-Kind-AI-powered-Culinary-Companion

• Disney has decided to abandon its intention of moving its employee Campus to Florida, a plan initially devised to benefit from tax savings. The proposed $900 million campus, which aimed to accommodate over 2,000 employees currently based in California, will no longer be established by 2026 as initially planned. Read more on- https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/18/disney-scraps-lake-nona-florida-campus.html

In line with the current trend, I will now guide you through the inaugural film festival arranged. The first Venice International Film Festival occurred from August 6th to August 21st, 1932. Rather than having a formal jury, the films were evaluated through an audience referendum. Initially, the festival was presented as a part of the La Biennale di Venezia, which is one of the most ancient art exhibitions globally, established on April 19th, 1893, by the Venice City Council. Eventually, it evolved into an independent and recurring event on its own. With that, I conclude this week’s newsletter.

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Take care,

Vipul