Latest news with #Aronofsky
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Hollywood isn't ready for AI. These people are diving in anyway
When filmmakers say they're experimenting with artificial intelligence, that news is typically received online as if they had just declared their allegiance to Skynet. And so it was when Darren Aronofsky — director of button-pushing movies including 'The Whale' and 'Black Swan' — last week announced a partnership with Google AI arm DeepMind to use the tech giant's capabilities in storytelling. Aronofsky's AI-focused studio Primordial Soup is producing three short movies from emerging filmmakers using Google tools, including the text-to-video model Veo. The first film, 'Ancestra,' directed by Eliza McNitt, will premiere at the Tribeca Festival on June 13, the Mountain View-based search giant said. Google's promotional materials take pains to show that 'Ancestra' is a live-action film made by humans and with real actors, though it's bolstered with effects and imagery — including a tiny baby holding a mother's finger — that were created with AI. The partnership was touted during Google's I/O developer event, where the company showed off the new Veo 3, which allows users to create videos that include sound effects, ambient noise and speech (a step up from OpenAI-owned competitor, Sora). The company also introduced its new Flow film creation tool, essentially editing software using Google AI functions. Google's push to court creative types coincides with a separate initiative to help AI technology overcome its massive public relations problem. As my colleague Wendy Lee wrote recently, the company is working with filmmakers including Sean Douglas and his famous father Michael Keaton to create shorts that aren't made with AI, but instead portray the technology in a less apocalyptic light than Hollywood is used to. Simply put, much of the public sees AI as a foe that will steal jobs, rip off your intellectual property, ruin your childhood, destroy the environment and possibly kill us all, like in 'The Terminator,' '2001: A Space Odyssey' and the most recent 'Mission: Impossible' movies. And Google, which is making a big bet by investing in AI, has a lot riding on changing that perception. There's a ways to go, including in the entertainment industry. Despite the allure of cost-savings, traditional studios haven't exactly dived headfirst into the AI revolution. They're worried about the legal implications of using models trained on troves of copyrighted material, and they don't want to anger the entertainment worker unions, which went on strike partly over AI fears just a couple years ago. The New York Times and others have sued OpenAI and its investor Microsoft, alleging copyright theft. Tech giants claim they are protected by 'fair use.' AI-curious studios are walking into a wild, uncharted legal landscape because of the amount of copyrighted material being mined to teach the models, said Dan Neely, co-founder of startup Vermillio, which helps companies and individuals protect their intellectual property. 'The major studios and most people are going to be challenged using this product when it comes to the output content that you can and cannot use or own,' Neely said by phone. 'Given that it contains vast quantities of copyrighted material, and you can get it to replicate that stuff pretty easily, that creates chaos for someone who's creating with it.' But while the legacy entertainment business remains largely skeptical of AI, many newer, digitally-native studios and creators are embracing it, whether their goals are to become the next Pixar or the next Mr. Beast. The New York Times recently profiled the animation startup Toonstar, which says it uses AI throughout its production process, including when sharpening storylines and lip-syncing. John Attanasio, a Toonstar founder, told the paper that leaning into the tech would make animation '80 percent faster and 90 percent cheaper than industry norms.' Jeffrey Katzenberg, the former leader of DreamWorks Animation, has given a similar estimate of the potential cost-savings for Hollywood cartoons. Anyone working in the traditional computer animation business would have to gulp at those projections, whether they turn out to be accurate or not. U.S. animation jobs have already been hammered by outsourcing. Now here comes automation to finish the job. (Disney's animated features cost well over $100 million to produce because they're made by real-life animators in America.) Proponents of AI will sometimes argue that the new technology isn't a replacement for human workers, but rather a tool to enhance creativity. Some are more blunt: Stop worrying about these jobs and embrace the future of uninhibited creation. For obvious reasons, workers are reluctant to buy into that line of thinking. More broadly, it's still unclear whether all the spending on the AI arms race will ultimately be worth the cost. Goldman Sachs, in a 2024 report, estimated that companies would invest $1 trillion in AI infrastructure — including data centers, chips and the power grid — in the coming years. But that same report raised questions about AI's ultimate utility. To be worth the gargantuan investment, the technology would have to be capable of solving far more complex problems than it does now, said one Goldman analyst in the report. In recent weeks, the flaws in the technology have crossed over into absurd territory: For example, by generating a summer reading list of fake books and legal documents polluted with serious errors and fabrications. Big spending and experimentation doesn't always pan out. Look at virtual reality, the metaverse and the blockchain. But some entertainment companies are experimenting with the tools and finding applications. Meta has partnered with horror studio Blumhouse and James Cameron's venture Lightstorm Vision on AI-related initiatives. AI firm Runway is working with Lionsgate. At a time when the movie industry is troubled in part due to the high cost of special effects, production companies are motivated to stay on top of advancing tech. One of the most common arguments in favor of giving in to AI is that the technology will unshackle the next generation of creative minds. Some AI-enhanced content is promising. But so far AI video tools have produced a remarkable amount of content that looks the same, with its oddly dreamlike sheen of unreality. That's partly because the models are trained on color-corrected imagery available on the open internet or on YouTube. Licensing from the studios could help with that problem. The idea of democratizing filmmaking through AI may sound good in theory. However, there are countless examples in movie history — including 'Star Wars' and 'Jaws' — of how having physical and budgetary restrictions are actually good for art, however painful and frustrating they may have been during production. Even within the universe of AI-assisted material, the quality will vary dramatically depending on the talent and skill of people using it. 'Ultimately, it's really hard to tell good stories,' Neely said. 'The creativity that defines what you prompt the machine to do is still human genius — the best will rise to the top.' Like other innovations, the technology will improve with time, as the new Google tools show. Both Veo 3 and Flow showcase how AI is becoming better and easier to use, though they are still not quite mass-market products. For its highest tier, Google is charging $250 a month for its suite of tools. Maybe the next Spielberg will find their way through AI-assisted video, published for free on YouTube. Perhaps Sora and Veo will have a moment that propels them to mainstream acceptance in filmmaking, as 'The Jazz Singer' did for talkies. But those milestones still feel a long way off. The Memorial Day weekend box office achieved record revenue (not adjusting for inflation) of $329.8 million in the U.S. and Canada, thanks to the popularity of Walt Disney Co.'s 'Lilo & Stitch' and Paramount's 'Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning.' Disney's live-action remake generated $183 million in domestic ticket sales, exceeding pre-release analyst expectations, while the latest Tom Cruise superspy spectacle opened with $77 million. The weekend was a continuation of a strong spring rebound for theaters. Revenue so far this year is now up 22% versus 2024, according to Comscore. This doesn't mean the movie business is saved, but it does show that having a mix of different kinds of movies for multiple audiences is healthy for cinemas. Upcoming releases include 'Karate Kid: Legends,' 'Ballerina,' 'How to Train Your Dragon' and a Pixar original, 'Elio.' 'Lilo & Stitch' is particularly notable, coming after Disney's previous live-action redo, 'Snow White,' bombed in theaters. While Snow White has an important place in Disney history, Stitch — the chaotic blue alien — has quietly become a hugely important character for the company, driving enormous merchandise sales over the years. The 2002 original wasn't a huge blockbuster, coming during an awkward era for Walt Disney Animation, but the remake certainly is. Watch: Prepping for the new 'Naked Gun' by rewatching the classic and reliving the perfect Twitter meme. Listen: My favorite episode of 'Blank Check with Griffin & David' in a long time — covering Steven Spielberg's 'Hook' with Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Austin Butler, Zoë Kravitz Heat Up Trailer for Darren Aronofsky's Crime Thriller ‘Caught Stealing'
Austin Butler and Zoë Kravitz find themselves sliding toward trouble in the trailer for the crime movie Caught Stealing. Sony Pictures is set to release Darren Aronofsky's thriller feature in theaters Aug. 29. Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Bad Bunny, D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Griffin Dunne, Carol Kane, Regina King and Vincent D'Onofrio round out the cast. More from The Hollywood Reporter George Wendt, the Beer-Loving Norm on 'Cheers,' Dies at 76 Darren Aronofsky Launches AI-Driven Storytelling Venture, As Google Unveils New Gen AI Video Tool "You Can't Talk Revolution If There's No Love Involved": 'THR Frontrunners' Q&A With 'Andor' Star Diego Luna Caught Stealing stars Butler as Hank Thompson, a down-on-his-luck former baseball player who is suddenly immersed in the New York City crime underworld in the late 1990s. Aronofsky helmed the film from a script by Charlie Huston, who wrote the books on which the movie is based. Caught Stealing hails from Protozoa and counts Aronofsky, Jeremy Dawson, Dylan Golden and Ari Handel as producers. Butler's recent projects include the features Dune: Part Two and The Bikeriders and the series Masters of the Air. He can soon be seen in Ari Aster's Eddington, which screened at Cannes this month and also stars Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal and Emma Stone. Aronofsky most recently directed the 2022 drama The Whale, which won two Oscars, including best actor for star Brendan Fraser. Among the latter's competition in the category was Butler's performance for Elvis. During Sony's presentation at CinemaCon earlier this year, Aronofsky debuted Caught Stealing's first footage and teased the film as 'something different.' He added, 'I wanted to do something that was a lot of fun.' Aronofsky noted that he shot the project in NYC and called the movie 'a true love letter to the greatest city in the world,' which also happens to be the filmmaker's hometown. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Goonies' Cast, Then and Now "A Nutless Monkey Could Do Your Job": From Abusive to Angst-Ridden, 16 Memorable Studio Exec Portrayals in Film and TV The 10 Best Baseball Movies of All Time, Ranked
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Darren Aronofsky Partners with Google DeepMind on Generative AI Short Film Initiative
Darren Aronofsky has launched a new generative AI storytelling venture in which he will partner with Google DeepMind to produce short films with Gen-AI and some of Google's newly announced tools. The venture is titled Primordial Soup, and its research team, along with three filmmakers, will produce short films integrating new tech and storytelling and has the mission statement of creating frameworks for AI's role in filmmaking and putting artists in the driver's seat of technological innovation. More from IndieWire Google Unveils Gen-AI Video Tool with Camera Controls, Consistent Character Design, and Even Sound The Cannes 2025 Films So Far Most Likely to End Up in the Oscar Race 'Filmmaking has always been driven by technology. After the Lumiere Brothers and Edison's ground-breaking invention, filmmakers unleashed the hidden storytelling power of cameras. Later technological breakthroughs — sound, color, VFX — allowed us to tell stories in ways that couldn't be told before. Today is no different. Now is the moment to explore these new tools and shape them for the future of storytelling,' Aronofsky said in an official statement. The news was announced alongside Google's I/O event, in which the tech giant also unveiled its latest generative video model called Veo 3, as well as an advanced new gen-AI editing tool called Flow. Google DeepMind will provide Primordial Soup's team early access to these tools. The first film produced under the partnership is called 'Ancestra' and is directed by Eliza McNitt. Her film will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 13, and it will be followed by a panel featuring the filmmakers and moderated by Aronofsky. The film blends live-action filmmaking and performance with generative visuals and is described as a deeply personal narrative inspired by the day McNitt was born. McNitt trained the AI models on her own baby pictures and other photos taken by her late father in order to generate a newborn infant with a story that could be shaped by her own biography. 'With 'Ancestra,' I was able to visualize the unseen, transforming family archives, emotions, and science into a cinematic experience that feels both intimate and expansive,' said McNitt. McNitt is known for a previous VR experience that was executive produced by Aronofsky that featured the voices of Millie Bobby Brown, Jessica Chastain, and Patti Smith as the voices of the cosmos. It was the first VR project to ever be acquired out of Sundance. Two additional films, yet to be announced, will explore other new applications of Veo, Google DeepMind's video generation model. Watch the first teaser for 'Ancestra' above, and learn more about this strategic partnership at the Google DeepMind blog. Best of IndieWire Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See 'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie The 55 Best LGBTQ Movies and TV Shows Streaming on Netflix Right Now
Los Angeles Times
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Darren Aronofsky joins AI Hollywood push with Google deal
Director Darren Aronofsky has pushed artistic boundaries with movies including 'Requiem for a Dream' and 'Mother!' Now his production company is working with Google to explore the edge of artificial intelligence technology in filmmaking. Google on Tuesday said it is working with several filmmakers to use new AI tools as part of a larger push to popularize the fast-moving tech. That effort includes a partnership with Aronofsky's venture, Primordial Soup. Google's AI-focused subsidiary DeepMind and Aronofsky's firm will work with three filmmakers, giving them access to the Mountain View, Calif.-based giant's text-to-video tool Veo, which they will use to make short films. The first project, 'Ancestra,' is directed by Eliza McNitt. Aronofsky is an executive producer on the film. 'Ancestra,' which premieres at the Tribeca Festival next month, combines live-action filmmaking with imagery generated with AI, such as cosmic events and microscopic worlds. 'Filmmaking has always been driven by technology,' Aronofsky said in a statement that referenced film tech pioneers the Lumiere brothers and Thomas Edison. 'Today is no different. Now is the moment to explore these new tools and shape them for the future of storytelling.' The push comes as Google and other companies are making deals with Hollywood talent and production companies to use their AI tools. For example, Facebook parent company Meta is partnering with 'Titanic' director James Cameron's venture, Lightstorm Vision, to co-produce content for its virtual reality headset Meta Quest. New York-based AI startup Runway has a deal with 'Hunger Games' studio Lionsgate to create a new AI model to help with behind-the-scenes processes such as storyboarding. Many people in Hollywood have been critical of AI tools, raising concerns about the automation of jobs. Writers worry about AI models being trained on their scripts without their permission or compensation. Tech industry executives have said that they should be able to train AI models with content available online under the 'fair use' doctrine, which allows for the limited reproduction of material without permission from the copyright holder. Proponents of the technology say that it can provide more opportunities for filmmakers to test out ideas and show a variety of visuals at a lower cost. New York-based Primordial Soup said in a press release that Google's AI tools helped solve 'practical challenges such as filming with infants and visualizing the birth of the universe' in 'Ancestra.' 'With 'Ancestra,' I was able to visualize the unseen, transforming family archives, emotions, and science into a cinematic experience that feels both intimate and expansive,' McNitt said in a statement. The two additional filmmakers and films participating in the Google DeepMind-Primordial Soup deal are not yet named. Google made the announcement as part of its annual I/O developer conference in Mountain View. During the event's keynote address on Tuesday, Google shared updates on its AI tools for filmmakers, including Veo 3, which allows creators to type in how they want dialogue to sound and add sound effects. The company also unveiled a new AI filmmaking tool called Flow that helps users create cinematic shots and stitch together scenes into longer films and short stories. 'This opens up a whole new world of possibilities,' said Demis Hassabis, chief executive of Google DeepMind, in a news briefing on Monday. 'We're excited for how our models are helping power new tools for creativity.' Flow is available through Google's new $249.99 monthly subscription plan Google AI Ultra, which includes early access to Veo 3, as well as other benefits including YouTube Premium, Google's AI models Gemini and other tools. Flow is also available with a $19.99-a-month Google AI Pro subscription. Google is making other investments related to AI. On Tuesday, L.A.-based generative AI studio Promise announced Google AI Futures Fund as one of its new strategic investors. Through the partnership, Promise will integrate some of Google's AI technologies into its production pipeline and workflow software and collaborate with Google's AI teams.
Los Angeles Times
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Bad Bunny caused chaos on set of ‘Caught Stealing,' says director Darren Aronofsky
Bad Bunny will be back on the silver screen this summer. The Puerto Rican superstar — whose legal name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — will play a supporting role in Darren Aronofsky's 'Caught Stealing,' which will hit theaters Aug. 29. The film stars Austin Butler and Zoë Kravitz and marks Aronofsky's first movie since directing Brendan Fraser's Oscar-winning performance in 2022's 'The Whale.' Set in the 1990s, 'Caught Stealing' follows a former baseball player (Butler) as he gets involved in the New York City crime world. Matt Smith, Regina King and Vincent D'Onofrio also appear in the movie based on the 2004 Charlie Huston novel of the same name. Aronofsky talked about what it was like to have the 'DtMF' singer on set in a recent interview with Vanity Fair. 'He's, like, the sweetest guy in the world. ... And we ended up talking,' Aronofsky said of working with Bad Bunny, who plays a Puerto Rican gang member named Colorado in the film. 'There was a character that he fit really well and he was great. He was so down-to-earth, and he was so one of us, and so part of the team.' But the hitmaker soon became a bit of a distraction on set, as fans would catch wind of his presence and flock to various filming locations across Manhattan to get a view. 'We were constantly terrified that the neighborhood would be overthrown as soon as they found out that Benito was there,' Aronofsky said. 'He was also a good sport. He actually would come to set and then just camp out there, knowing he was not going to be able to get back to his trailer or anywhere.' Getting the 31-year-old musician on and off set turned in an elaborate operation to ensure a smooth and chaos-free process. 'There were a lot of back exits and going through tunnels that no one ever knew existed in the East Village to get him out and back and over fences, so he didn't have to go through the street,' the Academy Award-nominated director said. 'It was constantly like: 'Hide the Benito.'' The upcoming role will mark Bad Bunny's second movie of the summer as he will appear in Netflix's 'Happy Gilmore 2' on July 25. The 'MONACO' artist's acting aspiration have been in full swing for years now, and he has snagged roles in the Netflix series 'Narcos: Mexico,' 2022's 'Bullet Train' alongside Brad Pitt and the 2023 Gael García Bernal-led film 'Cassandro.'
