Can AI unlock the creative power of humans? The perspectives of filmmakers and VP of Creative

There's no debating it, AI isn't going anywhere.

While there is a legitimate discussion about whether AI will replace writers, editors, or concept art directors, many have accepted AI's inevitability and are now considering its potential to revolutionize the way work is being accomplished.
At Cannes I heard different opinions from artists like will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas fame discuss the way in which AI will transform the way we live in the next 10 years. The majority of discussions centered around the way that AI has been rapidly unlocking the potential of individuals' hidden talents and effects on creative processes.

As someone who's worked as an artistic director for twenty+ years, I wanted to voice my opinions and use this as an opportunity to begin a dialogue with the people in our community.

What's the status of the game, and how do we move forward from here?

Here's what AI can do right now.

"I was a magician before I became a film maker. Pretty quickly, when you're a magician you realize that any sophisticated technology can't be distinguished from magic. Magic can also be frightening when you're not sure the way it works or the process. This is the way I'm feeling about AI being an artist or a person who's making money from sending something you've thought of on your mind, onto a screen or on the display, AI is a scary item because it can replace you."   Ben Proudfoot, Oscar-winning short Doc directory, Found as CEO of Breakwater Studios

Humans are naturally creative. It's a trait that an AI can't easily replicate.

Midjourney was launched in July 2022. ChatGPT was launched in November of the same year. In the past, we've observed self-described "non-creatives" unlock creativity that has gone under-utilized due to the lack of skills.

Some of these creations have been impressive, and the tools have evolved at such a rapid pace, that you'll be forgiven if you've forgotten that the tools are just 1 year older.

AI can help you communicate ideas

The concepts of nuanced films, stories, images, or music have been limited by the necessary techniques and the skills required for bringing these concepts to life.

But in the past year, such images are possible to create with just the use of a couple of simple keys:

Experienced creators such as award-winning filmmaker Hashem Al-Ghaili the opportunity is higher.

Consider his mostly AI-generated short film " Last Stand," which depicts how humans would react if aliens were to make contact.

"AI is going to have us look at issues in ways you've never even thought of," says Crystal Edmonds who is the head of accounts and Events Activation of Magnet Media Films. "I think it's going to make us think. We're going to learn something we've never thought we wanted to learn about. It's likely that you'll discover that people are able to unlock an entirely new level of creativity through AI."

For instance, Staff Pick winner Paul Trillo's short film "Thank You for Not Answering."

Instead of trying to achieve realism the designer deliberately aims for the dreamlike style that is characteristic of Runway's Gen-2. "As a man [that] leaves a voicemail to a person from his history, he's overwhelmed with fragments from his faded memory, and imagining the life that could be."

A true artist He's adjusted to the weaknesses and strengths of his medium in order to make something unique.

AI can help you validate and sell ideas

Make no mistake, while these are stunning examples of ways AI is used to express the artistic perspective, AI for commercial use is currently, a gimmick.

Have a look at this artificially-generated beer commercial. It's a product of its time and could not be considered to be a legitimate advertisement if run as a legitimate ad.

The presentation does provide more than enough information to communicate an idea to executive more effectively than any mood board sketch or elevator pitch could ever do.

Through generative AI means that you no longer have to depend on your words alone to paint an appealing visual for ten or more people: Instead it is possible to use a descriptive prompt to generate the perfect sizzle movie, animatics or pre-visualizations, to convince viewers to buy into a vision.

What does that mean to creatives of today?

Start learning how to write a powerful AI-related prompt. AI.

"I believe that the next generation will upskill into the tools that we have at our disposal and begin leveraging generative AI in both visually and in written form," says Orlando Baeza, Chief Marketing Officer as well as Chief Revenue Officer of Flock Freight. "I am actually convinced that there is a lot of job growth here, but it will have to upskill our existing workforce as well as the new generation of employees will be able to evolve it."

AI can save valuable production time

The current video-making process takes an average of between two and three weeks to create from beginning to end However, AI has sped this process, allowing filmmakers to think more freely and giving producers the time to work on projects which requires a focused effort.

"I think one of the greatest crises that the industry faces is the cost to create a film. It's an extremely high bar of entry to make a movie and one of the special things about the process is that it makes film making more accessible to everyone," continues Baeza. "So If AI as well as machine-learning are instruments that will help a person who has very few resources reach a broad audience, it's certainly something to be thankful for, isn't it?"

AI has already made the process of making videos simpler by automating tasks like editing transcription, personalization and scheduling. In particular the removal of objects from the background of videos was an arduous, lengthy process and now just requires using the Generative Fill tool.

"I think organizations will see AI as efficiency and productivity increases," says Baeza. "I believe that AI will become a powerful partner and probably be embedded inside of innovative organizations."

And here's what AI cannot aid you in.

AI won't help you go viral

Machine learning operates by analyzing previously-used data and analyzing the patterns it has previously consumed. As an example, a machine learning or generative AI tool could create a stunning image of a blue cup, based on the thousands of images it has processed of blue cups.

It's not about copying previous successes but rather, it's about framing things with a fresh perspective or putting a fresh spin on old ideas and making connections that no one else has created. As Steve Jobs famously said:

"Some people say give the customers what they want but that's not my approach. Our job is to know what they're likely to need prior to granting them. I believe Henry Ford once said, "If I had asked the customers what they were looking for I would have gotten a faster horse. The people don't really know the things they'd like until you show it to them. Our task is to read things that are not yet in the paper."   Steve Jobs, Co-founder of Apple

Creativity is a mix of art and science and AI is really adept at the science portion of the equation.

There are some standard, reproducible best practices that we follow in our field and that AI could replicate, such as the rule of threes or making use of large fonts when promoting the sale. Yet, AI isn't able to be forward-looking: it can't recognize virality, or provide an innovative, new perspective that customers will love.

For creatives, that's good news. Create your own unique ideas, then use AI to help bring the ideas into reality.

AI can't replicate the creative process.

One of the best benefits of creativity is that -no regardless of how precise your idea is, the idea becomes a reality of its own as it's developed. Each person who comes in contact with your idea brings their own vision and perspective to the idea, and the final product has an aspect which you wouldn't have anticipated.

An editor from the film industry I worked with once stated, "You might have shot your storyboard, but your storyboard doesn't mean anything now and I'm just going to use the footage I've got." Even if everything was recorded as you had planned in the storyboard, a film editor could highlight certain details or alter items in a manner which was different from the initial idea.

Presently, I'm not able to see any way to use AI to duplicate the process of creativity in this method.

AI doesn't possess a distinct artistic perspective it can add to the process in the same way that an individual film editor or videographer might. And so, even if AI is used throughout the creative process --in order to accelerate ideas or edits -- humans still play a role in the process of creation itself.

Be curious and keep your mind open

It's a fact that AI will increase our capacity to communicate our vision as well as a trigger to allow a new generation of creatives to come out capable of doing things that we'd never imagined. If I had to capture the moment in a phrase that would describe the moment, it would be anxious excitement as unlike any other time for quite a long while, we're looking into the unknown.

Really though, I'm just one man, with one set of thoughts and opinions. I believe we must continue looking at possibilities using a playful interest, keep an open-minded mind, and engage in a dialogue.

And, if you're curious- where do you stand? Which are the ways you're using AI now, and where do you believe it will take us?