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Lionsgate has struck a deal with AI firm Runway to develop a generative AI tool that’s specifically built on the studio’s vast film and TV library of 20,000 titles.
The Big Picture: Despite every Hollywood studio flirting with the idea, Lionsgate is the first to publicly partner with an AI company — a move that could conjure some very mixed feelings within the creative community.
Behind the Scenes: Training its system on Lionsgate’s library, Runway can generate “cinematic video” that can be customized by filmmakers and other crew.
- The studio plans first to use the AI model to help with pre-production tasks like storyboarding and, eventually, for creating backgrounds and special effects during post-production.
- But the tech can’t be used for production because it simply isn’t at that level yet — the AI doesn’t have “the ability to precisely direct the cinematography of generated scenes,” per WSJ.
- Additionally, Lionsgate may license the tech to other entertainment companies, which is certainly a novel way to monetize the library.
The Future: Lionsgate vice chairman Michael Burns believes that the partnership with Runway will help the studio save “millions and millions of dollars.” Allegedly, several filmmakers are already excited to try out the tool. And by ensuring that the system is only trained on Lionsgate-owned titles, the studio will be able to bypass the copyright issues inherent in the tech. But expect filmmakers to ask for a cut of revenues in the next cycle of contract negotiations.
Go Deeper: There’s one thing that Runway definitely won’t be able to mine data from — the performances of living and deceased actors.
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