Welcome to this week’s Sunday Evening edition of The Backlot. These newsletters will include stories from my recent experiences working in indie filmmaking, helpful resources for emerging filmmakers, and other posts covering topics in the film industry.
NOTE—This Sunday's Edition of the Newsletter is Free. The Backlot will provide midweek newsletters again in the future, which will be paid.
This week, we’re talking about the idea of “loving the process” and what that means for filmmakers…
🎞️ AI and Documentary Film
🎬 Updates on Projects
🗞️ Weekly Movie Recommendation
A Few Thoughts on AI and the Future of Documentary Filmmaking
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been diving into the nuances of using AI in film production while working on an article for Cone Magazine. Throughout this process, along with my own research into the topic, I’ve learned a lot about AI’s role in filmmaking and in our society in general.
Now, we’ve discussed artificial intelligence many times in this newsletter before, and we’ve shared some of the impact the new technology is having on the film industry.
In recent months, this impact has only compounded as artificial intelligence continues to tighten its grip on all aspects of our society. For example, last month, Sony’s CEO indicated that the company would find ways to incorporate AI into the filmmaking process to lower production costs.
Now, AI as a technology isn’t necessarily a bad thing and has a lot of potential for good uses in the industry and throughout our society. Even in documentary filmmaking, this innovative technology has potential benefits to help lower the barrier to the film industry and provide more accessibility to storytelling.
At the same time, artificial intelligence has the potential to cause major problems with disinformation and the misrepresentation of the truth. This is often one of the greatest fears about the use of AI; as the technology becomes more commonplace, anyone can falsify our reality.
Now, I’m a true believer that documentary filmmaking and journalism are pillars of our society. These forms of storytelling help provide information to the masses and give people the power of knowledge, allowing them to be more equipped to take action.
In recent months, we’ve seen small glimpses of how AI technology can be used to chip away at these foundations. In April, news broke that a Netflix documentary used AI software to alter images of its main subject, falsifying the representation of them in the documentary.
These may seem like small issues, but disinformation is an incredibly serious problem that can have very destructive consequences. That’s why organizations such as the Documentary Producers Alliance are working to develop guidelines for using artificial intelligence in filmmaking.
While thinking about some of these issues over the past few months, I’ve become fascinated by a silver lining that gives me some semblance of hope for the future of our industry.
With the onset of these virtual realities and the growing presence of AI-generated content that can be easily manipulated, we’re entering an era when documentary filmmaking may be more important now than ever.
As our lives continue to become more virtual and dictated by generated content, stories about the human world will become even more critical. The purpose of documentary filmmaking will no longer be just to make movies but to display humanity in its most authentic form.
I think we will need this going forward. Technology is altering our connection to each other and the world for the better or worse. We are no longer connecting the way we used to, and the way our brains perceive information is being digitally altered. This isn’t a gripe or a knock on innovation; it is simply an observation about the state of our world.
I believe this is the truth. As much as we may want to ignore it, we must understand that this is coming in order to push these new technologies in the right direction.
For myself, documentary films have always helped me reignite my connection to my most authentic self and the world around me. They’ve reminded me of the beauty of our planet and given me much hope and understanding of the human experience, especially those different from my own.
As much as there is an opportunity to have these experiences in the virtual world, they do not allow us the chance to connect in the same ways as authentic storytelling. They don’t give us a chance to really get to know a place, a person, or a culture.
And as we are becoming more likely to look into the screens in our pockets than at the world around us, we will need reminders to wake up. We will need to remember what it means to connect with others, to live the human experience, and to exist in the real world.
We are entering a virtual age, and things are going to change.
This new technology will impact every aspect of our existence, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. But one thing will always remain true—we are human, and we need human connection.
Documentary filmmaking reminds us of this truth beyond these screens that cultivate our growing virtual existence: Deep down, inside, we must remember that we are human.
Update on Projects
Just wanted to provide a quick update on a few of the projects I’ve been working on in the past few months…
Tommy’s Island
As many of you read in our interview with Gavin Shwahla, we’ve been working on the feature-length documentary Tommy’s Island over the past few years. The film follows a local man who is working to protect one of the last wild islands on the New Jersey coastline.
Next month, we will reignite the newsletter for Tommy’s Island, share a few behind-the-scenes looks at the filming of our recent featurettes, discuss Gavin’s recent work with other conservation organizations, and tease the future of the production.
Here is the teaser and the sign-up for the newsletter for the film
Finding Frank
On another note, Camp Five Films is working on another feature-length documentary that follows my co-founder, Taylor Brown, and his story from Guatemala.
Without giving too much away, the film provides a deep insight into what it means to be a first-time documentary filmmaker and what happens when the story takes hold of the production.
It’s a fascinating story and Taylor’s been working really hard to develop this documentary into a beautiful and unique commentary on filmmaking, spirituality, and travel.
We will be sharing a bit more about this documentary in the coming months, including the first screening of the film, which we will be conducting in Bend, Oregon.
This Week’s Movie Recommendation
Okay, well, we’re pairing this down to a single recommendation a week. In addition, I would really love to hear some of your favorites in the comments below…
How To Change Your Mind (2022)
Alright, I know - this is not a film, it’s a short series. Still, I’ve recommended this series to at least five people in the last two months.
Micheal Pollan’s How to Change Your Mind is a Netflix series based on his book of the same name. Pollan, who is known for his deep dives into topics, including The Omnivore’s Dilemma, is one the best journalists of our time. In How to Change Your Mind, he uses his expertise to investigate the therapeutic and spiritual uses of psychedelic drugs, including psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, and Mescaline.
Through a series of four episodes, Pollan investigates the therapeutic uses of these drugs, discusses their cultural history, and talks to different individuals who have been profoundly affected by the substances. At the end of each episode, he tries the substance himself, providing a first-hand account of the psychedelic experience.
It’s an amazing look into the world of psychedelics and a phenomenal way to highlight the many beneficial uses of these drugs.