Google Invests $75 Million In A24 To Develop AI-Powered Filmmaking Tools

Google is investing roughly $75 million in A24 as part of a research partnership with DeepMind to develop AI-powered filmmaking tools and workflows.

"The deal represents the latest marriage between a Hollywood studio and AI in an era where companies have oscillated between partnerships and lawsuits," reports Variety.

A Different Approach to AI in Film

A24 partner Scott Belsky, who leads the studio's technology division A24 Labs, told the Journal the studio's Google partnership differed from other deals because AI developers mistakenly advertised their products as a means to make films cheaper and faster.

His division is developing applications for AI-generated storyboards, another reimagination of the production process that has seen filmmakers like Martin Scorsese rubber-stamp.

"We think there are better uses that preserve creative control and support risk-taking," said Belsky, arguing the new tools "won't look anything like the prompted generation type of AI that people feel uncomfortable with."

Potential Applications for AI in Filmmaking

Several commenters on the original Slashdot story highlighted practical, non-creative tasks where AI could be genuinely useful:

• Matching up picture and audio from multiple takes in line with the storyboard, then building a skeleton project file with all takes matched to their respective audio and cut to fit the rough storyboard.
• Scanning for Starbucks cups, flagging possible continuity errors, pose estimation and tracking for motion capture, inserting CGI, and rendering.
• Automating intake workflow that can already be done in a traditional way, such as syncing audio and video files.

One commenter noted that Davinci Resolve has had syncing capabilities for several years. Another pointed out that Final Cut Pro can synchronize by audio using a multicam workflow, though its effectiveness with hundreds of short takes is unclear.

Counterpoints

Some commenters expressed skepticism:

• "Making a film is generally an arduous process. I personally think films were better when they had more constraints to force creativity."
• "I'm impressed. Using just three sentences you've proven that you are completely out of your mind."
• "AI gonna take a lot of Hollywood jobs!"
• "I haven't been to the cinema since 2017, because everything was already too boring and predictable to watch. Let alone pay for."