AI Applications in Film Production

What happens when advanced AI tools meet storytelling precision? Over the weekend, I pushed the limits of text-based prompting to explore how models like MiniMax, Suno AI, and other cutting-edge technologies can revolutionize content creation. The result: a showcase of the prompting techniques I've highlighted in my past few posts that bring cinematic storytelling to life in new and dynamic ways. Dynamic Lighting: Using Practical VFX techniques within AI, I choreographed lighting transitions—from moody floodlights to dramatic golden hour highlights—bringing depth and atmosphere to every frame. Lens Simulation: Prompts that emulate cinematic lenses added perspective and visual intent, replicating wide-angle drama and intimate close-ups. Precision Sound Design: AI-generated sound effects and Suno AI’s custom-composed music created an immersive audio experience, from subtle ambient tones to adrenaline-pumping crescendos. Efficient Iteration: Over 1,000 clips were generated using my automated prompt bot and were narrowed down and refined to create a cohesive visual narrative, showcasing the speed and flexibility of AI-driven workflows. These tools aren’t just about automation—they’re creative accelerators for those who understand the nuances of storytelling. If you’re a director or creator who knows pacing, composition, and emotional impact, tools like MiniMax give you superpowers. They let you iterate quickly, test ideas more freely, and focus on refining your vision rather than getting stuck in production bottlenecks. AI isn’t doing the work for us—it’s unlocking new possibilities for creating and sharing stories. This is the future of content creation, and I’m excited to explore its boundaries. Let’s see where it takes us next.

AI tools are evolving fast, but how do you actually use them in a professional 3D pipeline? Right now, there isn’t a single AI solution that can take you from concept to production-ready content without intervention and that’s why understanding when and how to use AI is more important than ever. For this scene, I started with an AI-generated image of a stone giant, then turned it into a full 3D character by combining different tools: ✅ Tripo for converting 2D to 3D ✅ Mixamo for rigging & animation ✅ Unreal Engine for world-building and final integration Each tool played a specific role. AI helped me speed up the process, but I was still in control of the design, animation, and final composition. The biggest mistake I see in AI-driven content? Relying on a single AI-generated output without refining it. Right now, the best workflows aren’t “one-click AI,” but a mix of traditional 3D techniques and multiple AI tools with each optimized for a specific task. At Radical Realities, we focus on harnessing AI where it makes sense while keeping the final result cinematic, polished, and free from that ‘AI-generated’ look. 📢 How are you using AI in your creative workflows? Have you found certain tools that blend well with traditional techniques? Let’s compare notes. 👇

Runway's new References feature has completely streamlined my AI filmmaking flow. Here's how my process has changed for the better. 👇 For my earlier AI films, continuity was a constant battle. I’d create a perfect scene with my character and location, but getting them into the next scene meant their clothes would change or accessories wouldn't match. It's why my film 'The Heir' took 3.5 weeks of painstaking image edits back in December 2024. Fast forward to today, and that's all changed. This leap, made possible by Runway References, has allowed my AI production to finally mirror a traditional film shoot. My new flow now has distinct steps: 📸 1. The 'AI Casting Call' I create character headshots and full body shots in Midjourney. This locks in their exact likeness, clothing, and accessories. They become my reference actors. See below for some examples. 📍 2. The 'AI Location Scout' Separately, I generate the specific rooms and environments they will inhabit. ✨ 3. The Magic Moment Using Runway References, I seamlessly place my consistent 'actor' into my scouted 'location'. The accuracy is remarkable and gives me the perfect shot, ready to animate. Plus, I can get multiple angles of the same scene easily within Runway to achieve coverage. Thanks to this massive improvement in character consistency and elements feature, my latest short for the ReplyAI Film Festival, 'Where Leo Went,' was produced in just 4.5 days. It’s the biggest positive change to my workflow in over a year. If you haven’t tried Runway References, do so today. Yes, I still use Midjourney for the initial character and scene shots, because I prefer its aesthetics, but Runway’s references feature is far better than Midjourney’s omnireference IMHO - at least for now. Below are some of the characters that will appear on my next project, where they'll be animated via actors with motion tracking. 👍 Like if you found this useful ♻ Share if your network needs this ➕ Follow for more GenAI filmmaking insights

𝗔𝗜 𝗔𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗜𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗘𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵  Here’s How We’re Solving the Gaps in #AIVideo Creation We’ve all heard the hype around AI in content creation: faster videos, lower budgets, endless possibilities. And yes—it’s real. But if you’ve worked with AI video tools long enough, you’ll know this: AI has serious limitations. At Apppl Combine – AI, Marketing & Advertising Agency, we’ve been hands-on with #AIfilms for months now. And while we’ve pulled off amazing campaigns, we’ve also run into things that #AI just can’t handle well. So we didn’t wait for the tools to evolve. We built our own process around them. We call it #AIVideoX. Here are the 6 biggest problems we’ve encountered—and how we’re fixing them: 𝟭. 𝗨𝗻𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 AI characters don’t move like real people. They glitch. They float. They’re awkward. We solve it by layering real movement references, adding manual motion refinement, and using post plugins that bring physics back into the shot. 𝟮. 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 AI forgets faces. Your character changes in every frame. We use face-locking tools and custom prompts to ensure continuity across your storyline. 𝟯. 𝗣𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 Need to show packaging, branding, product's finer detailing or a logo? AI will usually mess it up. We merge real #3d #product #renders with #AIgenerated scenes, so your product actually looks like your product. 𝟰. 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘆 Beautiful individual frames? Yes. Smooth transitions? Nope. We #storyboard flows, define fixed lighting & direction, and use prompt linking for consistent visual storytelling. 𝟱. 𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗶𝗽 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗰 𝗚𝗮𝗽𝘀 #AIvoices often sound #robotic, and syncing? Way off. We fine-tune #voiceclones for brand tone and manually #lipsync movement and emotion. 𝟲. 𝗡𝗼 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 AI doesn’t understand India. From wedding rituals to regional expressions, it lacks cultural depth. That’s where our #human #storytellers step in. We bring #emotion, #nuance, and context that tech can’t replicate. 𝗔𝗜𝗩𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼𝗫 isn’t just a #toolset. It’s a #mindset. One where human creativity and AI execution blend to create brand films that are fast, cost-effective, and still feel real. We’ve done this for #FMCG, #fashion, #tech, and #D2C brands—and the results have been phenomenal. Curious to see what your next or #festivecampaign could look like with #AIVideoX? DM me. We’d love to give you a #walkthrough, virtual or in person. #AIAdFilms #AIAdvertising #AIStorytelling #AppplCombine #CreativeTech #MarketingInnovation #AIWithHeart #VideoMarketing #CMOIndia #AIStudio Fox&Angel #marketing #Advertising #Adfilm #TVC #festivemarketing #brandwand Brandwand – Marketing & Advertising Agency Raashi R Daas

Many are talking about Netflix using Generative AI, but few seem to understand what “all in” actually means. It is not “robots write the show.” It uses AI to improve production pipelines, speed up decision-making, and raise the bar for craft. On today’s earnings call, Netflix said it is “very well positioned to leverage ongoing advances in AI,” and Sarandos added, “We’re not worried about AI replacing creativity.” Translation: AI is being used where it’s already proving its value. Think final VFX in The Eternaut’s collapse shot, tasteful de-aging in Happy Gilmore 2’s opening, and pre-production lookbooks and set planning for Billionaires’ Bunker. Given that Netflix's revenue was up 17% year over year to $11.5B, the company's use of AI appears to be acceleration, not desperation. What this actually looks like on a set or in a writers’ room: - faster previz - smarter asset search - cleaner handoffs to VFX - policy gates around talent consent and data use. Netflix has even published GenAI guidance that requires disclosure and approvals for final deliverables, likeness work, or third-party IP. That matters for guild compliance and for trust with audiences. Zooming out, Hollywood is still split: The WGA and SAG-AFTRA guardrails are real but clearly toothless. And the debate over the training data is not settled. But the center of gravity has moved. https://lnkd.in/e26jzUXc #Netflix #GenerativeAI #VFX #VirtualProduction #MediaTech

OpenAI announced it’s backing “Critterz,” a feature-length animated film created largely with generative AI tools, targeting a debut at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2026. The project will complete production in nine months instead of the typical three years, with a budget under $30 million compared to the $100+ million typical for animated features. Chad Nelson, a creative specialist at OpenAI (who originally created “Critterz” as an award-winning short film using DALL-E in 2023), is leading the project. Production companies Vertigo Films and Native Foreign are partnering with OpenAI to use GPT-5, DALL-E, and Sora video generation tools alongside human voice actors and hand-drawn sketches. The writers behind “Paddington in Peru” are crafting the screenplay. For those keeping score, “This s#%t just got real.” We’re witnessing the emergence of “vibe-movie-making,” a process where you describe (prompt) what you want and AI generates it for you. Some will see it as rapid content generation that prioritizes speed and cost efficiency over traditional production values. Others will see it as the new, new thing. However you see it, it’s here. According to new research from FBRC.ai, at least 65 AI-centric film studios have launched globally since 2022, with 30 appearing in 2024 alone. Companies like Promise (co-founded by former YouTube executive Jamie Byrne) and Asteria (backed by XTR and staffed with DeepMind alumni) are developing enterprise-grade AI tools specifically for animation and hybrid productions. Television didn’t kill movies, but streaming and social video arguably did transform traditional media consumption behaviors, even if it didn’t eliminate movies or television. YouTube creators now command audiences larger than network television shows. TikTok influencers drive cultural conversations that Hollywood studios chase. The platforms are becoming the new studio system. Vibe-movie-making is going to accelerate this transition. The economics are compelling and dangerous. “Critterz” demonstrates production timelines compressed by 70% and budgets reduced by 75%. For independent creators, AI tools do more than democratizing access to studio-quality production capabilities, it replaces “Lights, Camera, Action” with a prompt. I’ve been clear about the timeline. Within 34 months (I’m counting down), code and content will be free. OpenAI expects “Critterz” to demonstrate that AI can deliver cinema-quality content. In practice, it won’t matter. If it’s not “Critterz,” it will be another title a few weeks or months later. Nothing is going to stop this. The technology is here and the clock is ticking.

STUDIOS ARE LEARNING the hard way that using AI in production isn’t about flashy promises . ITS ABOUT PROCESS . The real value right now isn’t in trying to generate a “full movie” out of a model. It’s in building the right workflows: knowing which tools handle which tasks, how they fit into production, and how human creativity directs the process. AI in film isn’t plug-and-play. It’s craft. And like editing, cinematography, or sound design, it requires its own skill set. The winners will be the ones who master workflow, not just technology. We're working on it... The Film Co. ⭐️ #AI #FilmProduction #Workflow #thefilmco #film #ai #cinema ARTICLE Below by The Dailies LIONSGATE GRABBED HEADLINES last year when it announced one of Hollywood's first major AI partnerships with startup Runway. The deal promised to use AI to create actual movies and shows, with the studio's library training the models. Execs talked a big game… remember when Lionsgate's Michael Burns claimed he could remake their action franchises into anime in just three hours? Spoiler alert: A year later, it's turning out to be way harder than expected. Some early snags: The data problem: Lionsgate's 20,000+ title library sounds massive, but it's not nearly enough to train an effective AI model. One insider said even Disney's catalog would be too small. For context, Google's Veo 3 model pulls from YouTube's entire 20-year archive… that's the scale needed to generate convincing video. By the way, Google claims that’s all kosher thanks to YouTube's terms of service. The one-model trap: Studios are realizing no single AI model can do everything. One might nail facial expressions while another handles crowds or visual effects better. Lionsgate's bet on training a single custom model won't deliver the ambitious results they promised. Companies like Adobe Firefly and Arcana Labs are already aggregating multiple AI tools because that's what actually works. The legal mess: Then there's the copyright nightmare. Who actually owns the rights when an AI trains on Keanu Reeves' face from John Wick? Does he get a say? The actors, directors, and writers might all have claims. Plus, the U.S. Copyright Office says AI-generated content needs substantial human creative input to qualify for copyright protection. Without enough human involvement, studios could create something they can't fully own or protect. Looking ahead… Studios are definitely dabbling with AI. Netflix already used it in 'The Eternaut,' and others are trying it for small production tasks. But there's clearly a long way to go before these exclusive partnerships deliver on their grander promises of AI-generated movies.

OpenAI has made a bold move with Critterz, a full-length animated feature created mainly using GPT-5 and its production toolkit. This is not just a tech demo; it is a statement on production economics and rapid market delivery. The goal is to achieve theatrical quality within nine months on a budget under $30 million, partnering with Native Foreign in Los Angeles and Vertigo Films in London. The plan is to debut at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in 2026, followed by a worldwide release. The bigger bet is persuasion. Hollywood is cautious about AI, from IP to creative agency to labor. Critterz blends AI systems with human voice actors and artists, which is both a creative choice and a rights move. If this lands, studios, streamers, and independents will see a template for faster cycles, leaner budgets, and new pipelines. If it misses, it will clarify the limits of current AI in long-form storytelling. As someone who helps founders focus on what moves the needle, I see a broader signal here: Meet the market where it already is, remove friction, and prove value with a working product, not a white paper. Check out the five-minute Critterz short and share your thoughts in the comments on one of these or your own topic of discussion: - If you didn't know this was created mainly by AI, would you have guessed it? - Was the storyline any good that you might take your child to see it or yourself? - How do you feel about this in the creative sense? #AI #GENAI #OPENAI #Creative #Tech

A New Era of Creativity The U.S. Copyright Office dropped a landmark declaration that solidifies how filmmakers and studios approach using AI in the creative process. In a 41-page report (https://lnkd.in/dkhgvE9w), the Copyright Office clarified that AI tools can assist creativity without undermining copyright—as long as humans remain firmly in the driver’s seat. This is huge for an industry already using AI for everything from de-aging Brad Pitt to polishing dialogue. Here’s the deal: AI-generated content alone isn’t copyrightable, but if a human creatively “selects and arranges” AI outputs the work can be protected. AI can be your co-pilot, but you’re still the captain. Studios can now confidently use AI for tasks like removing coffee cups from shots, enhancing VFX, or refining scripts—without risking their copyright claims. But the Office drew a hard line on generative AI tools like Midjourney, where users input simple prompts and get fully formed outputs. Without meaningful human control, these creations can’t be copyrighted. While this opens exciting doors, it also raises questions for guilds like SAG-AFTRA, the Writers Guild Of America, USA, and the Directors Guild of America, who are fiercely protective of their members’ rights. Using AI to replicate an actor’s likeness, generate scripts without compensating writers, or replace directors in creative roles could violate guild agreements. Studios must tread carefully, ensuring AI enhances—not replaces—human talent. So, what steps can filmmakers and studios take to navigate this landscape responsibly? 1️⃣ Document Everything: Keep detailed records of how you use AI, highlighting human creative decisions. This strengthens copyright claims and shows compliance with guild agreements. 2️⃣ Use AI Strategically: Leverage AI for brainstorming, post-production, or workflow efficiency—but keep human creativity at the forefront. 3️⃣ Stay Informed: Keep an eye on legal and labor developments, especially as the Copyright Office explores AI training on copyrighted works. 4️⃣ Collaborate with Experts: Work with legal and guild reps to ensure your AI use aligns with copyright law and labor protections. This declaration is a big step, but the conversation is far from over. By embracing AI as a tool to amplify—not replace—human creativity, we can unlock new storytelling possibilities while respecting the artists who bring stories to life. What’s your take? How are you using AI in your creative process? Do you think this will help curb runaway production—or make it worse?

Forget the "robot director." The public conversation about AI in Hollywood is fixated on fear, slop, and shiny objects. They're missing the real story. In my work at Google, I talk to the M&E leaders actually deploying this technology 24/7. The real AI revolution isn't a sci-fi script; it's happening right now in the "boring" back office. For my latest Sunday Musing, I dug into the 2025 data. The real story is in the media supply chain. We're not talking theory. We're talking: ❇️ 33% faster time-to-air for episodic TV. ❇️ 40% reduction in routine production labor. ❇️ 80% faster localization and captioning (just ask Warner Bros. Discovery). This isn't about replacing creatives. It's about giving them their time back. It's about automating the mundane so humans can focus on the magic. The real AI-powered film of the future won't be "directed by a neural net." It'll be the one that came in 20% under budget, freeing up cash to greenlight a riskier, more human story. Are you focused on the hype, or are you seeing this real-world ROI, too? My full (and optimistic) take is below: #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #MediaAndEntertainment #TVProduction #Hollywood #GenerativeAI #MediaTech #Streaming #WorkflowAutomation #SupplyChain #FutureOfWork #Google