Are there ways to let AI let creativity flourish? Views from film makers and Vice President of Creative

It's a fact, AI isn't going anywhere.

While there is a legitimate conversation about whether or not AI will substitute editors, writers and concept artists, a lot of people accept the fact that AI is inevitable and are now considering its capability to transform how work is completed.
While at Cannes I listened to opinions from artists like will.i.am from Black Eyed Peas fame discuss the way in which AI will revolutionize the way we live in the next decade. A lot of discussion about the way that AI quickly unlocks the potential of people and their effects on creative processes.

I've been a creative director for 20+ years, I wanted to express my thoughts and take this as an opportunity begin a dialogue with the people in our community.

What's the present state of affairs, and where do we go to get there?

Here's the way AI can do right now.

"I was a magician prior to when I started my film career. Pretty quickly, when you're a magician, you learn that any sufficiently modern technology can be compared to magic. It can even be terrifying in the event that you aren't sure of how it's working or what's going on. That's the same way I feel with AI: as an artist or other individual who earns money by the thoughts that are on your mind, onto a screen or on the display, AI is a scary thing because it could take over your work."   Ben Proudfoot, Oscar-winning short Doc directory, Found and CEO of Breakwater Studios

Creativity is a fundamental human characteristic, and one AI can't easily replicate.

Midjourney was launched in July 2022. ChatGPT followed close behind the following month in November of that same year. Since then, we've already seen self-identified "non-creatives" discover the potential of their creativity, which has been largely untapped because of skill gaps.

Certain of these inventions are quite impressive, and the technology has evolved in such rapid speed that you'd think you'd forgotten the fact that they're only a year in age.

AI will help you to communicate ideas

Concepts that are complex for films, stories, images, or music have been restricted by the techniques and abilities required to bring those ideas into existence.

In the recent year, such images can be made with 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 humanity might react if extraterrestrials came into contact.

"AI will make us think about the world in a way you've never even thought over," says Crystal Edmonds, Head of Accounts and Events Activation for Magnet Media Films. "I believe it will make us think. It will teach us something we've never realized we needed to learn about. I think you're going to witness people unlock a new dimension of their creativity with AI."

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

Instead of aiming for authenticity the designer deliberately aims for the dream-like aesthetic inherent to Runway's Gen-2. "As a man [that] leave a voicemail for an individual that is from his previous life, he's flooded with fragments of his fading memories and imagining a future that could have been."

Like a true artist, He's adjusted to the weaknesses and strengths of the medium to create an original piece.

AI can help you validate and market ideas

There is no doubt that while these are stunning examples of the ways in which AI is employed to convey an artistic idea, AI for commercial use is currently an unproven gimmick.

Have a look at the AI-generated beer commercial. This is a product from the moment, and isn't able to be considered a serious ad even if it were a legitimate advertisement.

It does, however, provide more than enough information in order to convey an idea to executives far more effectively than a mood board sketch or elevator pitch has ever.

With generative AI means that you no longer have to depend on your words alone to draw a visual for 10+ people. Instead, you can make use of a descriptive prompt in order to generate the perfect sizzle movie, animatics or pre-visualizations to get people to buy into a vision.

What does that mean for today's creatives?

Start learning how to write an effective AI-related prompt. AI.

"I believe that the next generation will become more proficient with the technology that is in our arsenal and will begin using generative AI for both written and visual mediums," says Orlando Baeza, Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Revenue Officer of Flock Freight. "I actually think there's lots of opportunities for job growth in this area, however it will require upskilling our current force, and then this next generation will join and evolve the process."

AI could save production time

The current video-making process takes an average of two to three weeks to create from start to finish However, AI is speeding the process up, freeing creators to be more creative and allowing production professionals more time for work that demands a focussed approach.

"I think one of the biggest problems that the industry faces is how expensive it is to make a movie. There's a high barrier of the entry required to create a film and one of the special things about is that it democratizes filmmaking," continues Baeza. "So If AI and machine learning tools can help someone who has limited resources, to achieve mass appeal, that's something to be thankful for, isn't it?"

AI has already made the process of making videos simpler by automating tasks like editing and transcription, personalization and scheduling. In particular, adding or removing objects from the background of videos was laborious and time-consuming -- but it now just requires using the Generative Fill tool.

"I think organizations will see AI as productivity and efficiency improvements," says Baeza. "I think AI will become a powerful partner and could be part of innovative organizations."

This is what AI won't help you with

AI can't make you go viral

Machine learning operates by analyzing existing data, and then analyzing the patterns it has previously consumed. For example, a algorithmic AI tool can come up with a beautiful image of a blue cup from the thousands of images it has taken of blue cup.

However, creativity doesn't mean repeating what's worked before but rather, it's the process of framing ideas differently, putting a new perspective on the old concepts, or making a connection that no one else has done. As Steve Jobs famously said:

"Some people say give the customers what they want but that's not my approach. Our job is to figure out what they're going to want prior to giving them what they want. I think Henry Ford once said, "If I'd asked my the customers what they were looking for, they would've told me a faster horse.' People don't know the things they'd like until you show the item to them. The job of us is to understand the things that aren't yet on the page."   Steve Jobs, Co-founder of Apple

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

Certain formulaic, repeatable best practices which we employ in the area and that AI could reproduce, for instance the rule of thirds or using a large red font to promote the sale. But so far, AI isn't able to take a forward-looking view: it cannot detect virality or the new and innovative approach that customers will love.

Creatives have good news. Create your own unique ideas, then use AI to help bring those ideas to life.

AI can't replicate the creative method.

One of the wonderful things about the creative process is that -- regardless of whatever the level of detail your concept is, your concept takes on a life that is its own when it's developed. Every person that touches your idea brings their own ideas and perspectives on it. This means that the final product has an appeal that you couldn't have predicted.

An editor from the film industry I worked with once stated, "You might have shot your storyboard, but the storyboard has no value now -- I'm going to utilize the footage I've got." Even if everything was done as per the storyboard, that film editor might highlight details or modify the footage in a way which was different from the initial plan.

At the moment, I can't think of any way to use AI to mimic the creative process in such a method.

There isn't a distinctive artistic perspective it can bring into the process as a specific filmmaker or editor might. And so, even if AI is utilized during the process of creation -in order to accelerate ideation or editing -- humans remain a part of the process of creation itself.

Be curious and keep your mind open

The throughline is that AI could increase our capacity to express our thoughts, and it's a catalyst to allow a new generation of creators to emerge and do feats we would've never dreamt of. If I had to capture the experience in a single sentence I'd say it's excited and nervous, because for the first time in lengthy time, we're gazing towards the future.

In reality, I'm one person, and I have a collection of ideas and thoughts. I think we should keep looking at possibilities using a playful curiousity, and keep an open mind, and engage in a dialogue.

In the meantime, I'm interested to know -Where do you stand? Which are the ways you're using AI currently, and where do you believe it will take us?