Hollywood Leverages AI to Help Make Decisions About Films
California filmmakers are embracing AI in a big way, hoping that it can help them make more money off their movies. The latest addition to the AI train is Warner Bros. Studios, who partnered with Cinelytic to gain insight into whether a film is likely to do well or not. Cinelytic offers WB Studios an engine that will pore over the details of the film, including the actors and the budget, and then provide insight into whether the film will be worth making or not. There are obvious flaws in this system, but WB Studios seems to be banking on the fact that the system will produce more good calls than bad – something the studio would prefer, especially with their recent DC movie releases not doing as well as the studio expected.
Early Warning System
Cinelytic’s software isn’t able to tell whether a film will be artistically sound. It can offer insight into the value of a movie based on the actors and intellectual property, and how well those fare within the audience space. It can also attach “value” to a particular actor, aiding in the final decision as to whether the film will be profitable. While these are admirable, it is essential to remember that one of the most successful multi-film series (that of the Avengers from Marvel Studios) utilized Robert Downey Jr. as a star. They did this during a time when he was shunned as uncastable by most of Hollywood and had a horrible “value” to audiences. WB Studios would be well advised to take note of this phenomenon.
Not The Only Passengers on the AI Train
While WB Studios are the latest movie studio to adopt AI to help them choose their movies, they aren’t the only company using AI to help with creating movie magic. 20th Century Fox employs software called Merlin that matches films and genres to particular audiences, helping them narrow their marketing pushes. ScriptBook, a Belgian company, claims an astounding 86% accuracy in predicting the success of a script using AI technology. AI may not be front-and-center within the movie industry, but as a stage manager, it may have found its place amongst the stars.
