AI is officially aiming its sights on Hollywood
AI is officially aiming its sights on Hollywood
OpenAI's Hollywood Meetings and Late Night with the Devil
Welcome to this week’s Wednesday edition of The Backlot. The mid-week newsletters are reserved for deep dives of the latest filmmaking news, interviews with filmmakers, and episodic series on major issues affecting the industry.
NOTE - The mid-week version of the newsletter will be free for a few months before moving to a paid subscription in May…
Here are our topics this week…
🎞️ The Latest Updates on AI, including the OpenAI announcement
🎬 Understanding the Reaction to Late Night with the Devil and What It Means
🗞️ Other Latest News and Updates from the Industry
A Storm on the Horizon
News broke this past week that OpenAI, the corporation behind ChatGPT and Sora, was holding direct conversations with studio executives on the way AI could be implemented into future filmmaking practices.
According to Bloomberg, a company representative stated, “OpenAI has a deliberate strategy of working in collaboration with the industry.”
In addition, the article stated that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was making rounds at Hollywood parties over the weekend, pitching the potential of the startup’s text-to-video programs to major executives.
After last month’s announcement of Sora, many experts agreed it was only a matter of time before these tech corporations started targeting Hollywood studios.
Unfortunately, despite the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes last year, the studios appear ready to listen to and discuss AI's potential with the companies.
These reports just may ignite the new battle over the future of AI in filmmaking and Hollywood.
The Battle Over AI Goes Public
These major organizations, such as OpenAI and Google, aren’t the first we’ve seen AI used in the film industry. In fact, studios and filmmakers have been using the technology behind the scenes for several years now.
It’s been used for programs such as Cinelytic, which helps studios run actor profiles through a platform to decide whether they will be successful in a part. Editing software has been slowly implementing AI tools into programs such as DaVinci or Adobe Premiere. Even screenwriting software has been used to score and provide feedback for screenplays.
The reason this round of AI advancements seems to be more contested is because these new programs seem intent on overtaking the process as a whole. Programs such as Sora go beyond taking on monotonous tasks and instead are cutting out entire sections of the industry such as storyboarding, animating, and even filming.
Now, for the most part, these AI-based programs are still ridden with major issues, but the fear is these continued discussions with Hollywood may lead to them gaining quality faster. This means filmmakers are likely going to have to reckon with AI’s presence a lot sooner than expected.
Quick Note - some of the AI programs are outright sketchy, including some of the screenplay ranking software.
For example, a few weeks ago, No Film School ran an article where one of their writers ran his script through one of the programs. Turns out, the writer wrote a better screenplay than the likes of Aaron Sorkin or James Cameron.
You should check out the article, it’s actually pretty hilarious to read.
What Does This Mean?
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the anger and frustration surrounding the new technology, and how, like many creative industries, there is fear over the potential impact on jobs.
Truthfully, I’ve yet to meet anyone in the industry who’s genuinely excited about the prospect of integrating AI into filmmaking. Which is where this topic becomes really interesting.
After the longest strike in SAG-AFTRA history, along with the WGA strike, and negotiations currently underway with below-the-line crew members, the relationship between the studios and the filmmakers seems frayed at best. This growing divide over the use of AI in films is only going to make that worse.
A large portion of the industry has already grown frustrated with the lack of respect and financial backing for lower-budget films and indie features. Major studios have been criticized more vocally for this over the years, and using AI to cut more costs is only going to fan the flames.
For that reason, I think we’re headed to something that has been stirring for a long while in the industry - a redefining of Hollywood and the film industry as a whole. Now, I’m not quite sure what that will look like, but i have a feeling, this new technology is going to fundamentally change the way this business works.
Late Night with the Devil
Over the weekend, the indie-horror film Late Night with the Devil was released wide in theaters around the country. The film made a pretty large splash on opening weekend. In fact, according to Variety, the film earned $666,666 on Sunday, which is either a fantastic marketing stunt or the creepiest thing I’ve ever heard.
Late Night with the Devil has been in the news for other reasons. Starting with a Letterboxd review, the horror feature has received backlash for the use of AI-generated graphics and art in major scenes of the film. In an interview last week, the director confirmed they did use AI to construct several graphics and images.
“In conjunction with our amazing graphics and production design team, all of whom worked tirelessly to give this film the 70s aesthetic we had always imagined, we experimented with AI for three still images, which we edited further and ultimately appear as very brief interstitials in the film,” said directors Cameron and Colin Cairnes in a statement to Variety.
Although the horror was filmed before last year’s strikes, the use of these AI images has outraged many industry members, and on platforms such as X, there has been a growing movement to boycott the film.
Now, whether you agree with the directors and their use of AI is up to you, but there is something interesting about the industry’s reaction to the film.
That’s because it highlights the growing divide and fears over AI usage in the industry. With the increasing awareness of the issue, this little horror film is really the first one that has become a flashpoint and sparked debate in the community.
On one side, we’ve seen a number of people call for boycotts of the film and berate the filmmakers online. On the other hand, notable filmmakers such as Mike Flanagan have adamantly defended the film.
In addition, I think this film has become such a flashpoint because it’s an indie film. When major studios such as Disney or Warner Bros. use AI in their blockbuster films, there doesn’t seem to be much of a response. That’s likely because those movies appeal to the masses, and a large portion of their viewership doesn’t work within the film industry.
Whereas indie films such as Late Night with the Devil depend more on the industry to start their theatrical runs. They need good reviews from critics, filmmakers, and cinephiles who have festival darlings and indie features on their radar.
For that reason, boycotting a film like this could have more of an impact on sending a message than it could on the success of an Indiana Jones film.
On the other side of that, boycotting an indie film as opposed to Secret Invasion or Dial of Destiny seems like misplaced rage over the issue. If we boycott indie movies, are we really helping the industry?
I’d argue that all we really are doing is making it harder for future indie films to be greenlit by studios. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t agree with the use of AI, but stymying the success of an indie horror may send the wrong message to the people in charge.
Audiences seem to agree because the film still did quite well at the box office and currently holds a 97% certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes (83% Audience Score).
Mid Week Updates
This week’s updates from the world of filmmaking…
HBO’s Euphoria has delayed filming the third season, according to multiple reports. The television studio announced the project would eventually continue, and the new season will likely focus on the characters’ lives after high school.
Micheal Mohan and Sydney Sweeney’s Immaculate earned $5.3 million at the box office, marking Neon’s largest opening weekend ever. Alongside Late Night with the Devil, the two indie-horrors both broke records over the weekend.
Timothee Chamalet has signed a multi-year first-look deal with Warner Bros. The deal means the studio behind Dune and Wonka will get first dibs on potential projects starring or produced by the actor.
Nikon, the Japanese photography equipment manufacturer, has acquired RED cinema cameras. RED recently posted that the company "remains fully committed to its products” but has otherwise been quiet about the deal.
The documentary series Quiet On Set has been illuminating the devastating impacts of controversies surrounding Nickelodeon. The series includes Drake Bell, former star of Drake and Josh, sharing his story about the sexual abuse he endured during filming.
The artistic director of the documentary film festival Hot Docs has stepped down for personal reasons, with less than a month until the event in Toronto. His resignation follows announcements that several of the programmers chose not to participate in this year’s festival.
On Sunday, we’ll revisit a few topics for emerging filmmakers and discuss two of the limiting topics surrounding starting out in filmmaking…
🎞️ Do You Need A Bigger Budget to Make Films?
🎬 Finding a Community to Make Movies With
🗞️ Five Must-Watch Movies for Emerging Filmmakers