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Forbes
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
AI Offers Path To Help Humans Make Better Movies And TV
Creative concept. Creator. Visual contents. Can AI help real people make better movies and TV shows? Rather than ask ChatGPT that question, I spent some time diving into this challenge with Tobias Queisser, the CEO of Cinelytic, which bills itself as 'the only end-to-end, self-service data, analytics and predictive intelligence platform in the entertainment industry.' Their objective in the content ecosystem isn't to replace creative artists but to facilitate a more sustainable business environment for those artists to succeed. I am no less nervous about the double-edged behemoth of AI than anyone else. I'm a lawyer by training and work for a company that provides auditing, tax, and strategic advisory consulting. All of those professions are at an existential crossroads in part due to AI. I'm a professor – anyone figured out how to police AI in that environment? I have a daughter who is a graphic designer and illustrator and regularly shares her frustrations about the misuse of copyrighted materials and poor transparency around AI. And by the way, I write for Forbes, don't I? Needless to say, I tread carefully in any cross pollination of AI and creative endeavors. Naturally, there will be many a raised eyebrow that AI here to save movies and TV – it certainly hasn't gone unnoticed by the actors' union SAG-AFTRA among others. The assumption is that any infusion of AI into a creative business would produce a homogenization of the content and the entire approach to making and marketing movies. But as Queisser pointed out to me, it has been humans not machines that have flooded theaters and home screens with sequels, franchise pictures and look-alike episodic TV. Queisser noted that: 'Human leadership is afraid to take risks. When you look at 'comps' for guidance, it encourages you to do the same thing. AI forecasting actually provides a better ability to forecast the likelihood of success of original 'new recipe' content [that doesn't have easy comps]The health of the creative film and TV business has been a driving force for Queisser since the founding of Cinelytic nearly 10 years ago. As he told me: 'We noted that only 3% of independent films broke even. We asked why do so many of these films lose money? There was – and is – a disconnect between the concept phase of a project and the project actually hitting the market. 'Build it and they will come' doesn't work.' Without trying to tell anyone how to produce a better work of film or TV, Cinelytic's focus has been on helping clients enhance the likelihood of success when their work gets to market. This is not about leveraging Generative AI to write scripts. As the company notes on its website: 'Cinelytic supports studios and independent content companies to make faster and better informed greenlight, acquisition, and release decisions.' Since its inception the company has expanded its suite of products through organic growth as well as a series of strategic acquisitions. At its heart, the company is a predictive forecasting tool. Its core platform since the company was formed now includes capabilities to help creative enterprises evaluate the relative economic value of talent, with a foundation of over 118,000 titles and over 550,000 talent profiles. Much like an agency looking to optimize its client marketing campaigns, studios can access tools to enhance their choices around distribution platforms, territories, and release schedules. The company claims that its AI-powered Athena predictive analytics tool delivers an 85% forecasting accuracy. Cinelytic also operates a direct online marketplace for film buyers and sellers called RightsTrade which it acquired in 2022. To the point of Queisser's initial focus on the challenging environment for independent films, RightsTrade seeks to reduce the friction for global buying, selling and distribution of the longtail of films that often get lost in the mega studio shuffle. And Cinelytic's data helps both sides in matching their respective marketplace needs. The company launched it Callaia product in fall of 2024, and that tool uses AI to create script 'coverage' – summaries of submitted scripts. You can imagine this isn't the most popular application among young assistants and wannabe executives that produce these summaries. But this is all about productivity according to Queisser and creating coverage in literally a minute permits an agent, studio, or independent producer to digest far more film or TV product than they otherwise would be able to. It still takes humans to make greenlight decisions, but for independent creators, it enhances the chance of getting through the maze of content in the system. The company made its most recent acquisition just this spring, acquiring Jumpcut Media, providing Cinelytic with its ScriptSense product. ScriptSense is a content management tool leveraging AI to help content buyers and sellers manage a large volume of owned, licensed, and evaluated film and TV scripts, books and treatments. It's never easy to make inroads in a well-established, often hidebound industry like entertainment. As Queisser noted with euphemistic understatement: 'The business side has traditionally not been very good about integrating new technology.' But he has observed that 'once users see and use [these products] the reaction is incredibly positive.' ScriptSense is already used today by over 400 studios and agencies, and Cinelytic's core platform and other products are making inroads with clients such as Warner Bros. Discovery, Sony Pictures and Lionsgate. AI isn't going anywhere – the question is where and how can we use it to facilitate rather than inhibit creativity?
The Independent
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
How Netflix plans to utilise AI in its TV series and films
Netflix has confirmed its first use of generative AI in a production, featuring in the Argentinian sci-fi series The Eternaut. Co-chief executive Ted Sarandos stated that AI was used to depict a building collapsing, achieving the visual effect ten times faster than traditional methods. Sarandos highlighted that AI helps creators make films and series better and cheaper, enabling complex effects even for productions with smaller budgets. The use of AI in film and TV has been a significant point of discussion, notably during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. The actors' union secured crucial protections regarding AI technology in their November 2023 agreement with Hollywood studios.
Fast Company
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Fast Company
Netflix slipped something new into your favorite show
For the first time, A hit Netflix show used something unusual to craft a final scene: AI. On its quarterly earnings call, the company's co-CEO Ted Sarandos highlighted the use of generative AI in the sci-fi series El Eternauta (The Eternaut), which debuted on April 30. The post-apocalyptic series adapts an Argentinian comic of the same name, following survivors of a toxic snowfall that blankets Buenos Aires. The scene in question shows a building collapsing dramatically, a feat that Sarandos argues wouldn't have been in budget without leaning on AI. Sarandos says that Netflix's Eyeline Studios partnered with the show's creative team to incorporate 'virtual production and AI-powered VFX' into a final scene. 'Using AI powered tools, they were able to achieve an amazing result with remarkable speed and in fact, that VFX sequence was completed 10x faster than it could have been completed with… traditional VFX tools and workflows,' Sarandos said. While El Eternauta might be Netflix's first foray into using AI to generate final footage, the tech-forward company likely already incorporates AI into other workflows. Netflix doesn't share Hollywood's AI worries Even as companies like Netflix embrace AI, many workers in Hollywood have major qualms with the technology. Concerns about AI in film and TV surfaced during the monthslong Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike in 2023, which sought to block AI from impacting writers' pay and training on their work. The actors' union SAG-AFTRA, which joined the WGA, also sought to protect actors from having their likenesses used without compensation. In spite of those misgivings, AI is already popping up in film and television – including at this year's Oscars. Both Emilia Perez and The Brutalist used AI to finesse actors' voices – a boon that boosted Adrian Brody's Hungarian accent and may have contributed to his best actor win. AI's detractors in Hollywood are as concerned as ever, but given its tech industry mindset and Silicon Valley DNA, Netflix isn't squeamish. 'We remain convinced that AI represents an incredible opportunity to help creators make films and series better, not just cheaper,' Sarandos said. 'They're AI-powered creator tools. So this is real people doing real work with better tools.'
The Independent
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Netflix uses generative AI in one of its shows for first time
Netflix has confirmed its first use of generative AI in a production, the Argentinian sci-fi series The Eternaut, to create visual effects. Co-chief executive Ted Sarandos stated that AI was used to depict a building collapse, completing the visual effect ten times faster than traditional methods. Sarandos highlighted that AI enables creators to make films and series better and more affordably, allowing small-budget shows to achieve convincing effects that would otherwise be unfeasible. He also sought to allay fears about AI replacing industry roles, emphasising its benefits in production, pre-visualisation, shot planning, and visual effects. The use of AI in film and TV has been a significant topic of debate, notably during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, which secured protections for actors regarding AI technology.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NFLPA members disagree over knowledge of sexual-discrimination lawsuit against Lloyd Howell before electing him: Report
NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell Jr. was accused of sexual-discrimination and retaliation in a 2011 lawsuit stemming from his time with Booz Allen, a consulting company. It's unclear whether NFLPA members were informed about that lawsuit when they elected Howell to be their next executive director in 2023, according to ESPN. Conflicting reports have emerged over whether union members were told about the lawsuit when Howell was one of the finalists for the position in 2023. Two player representatives who voted for Howell told ESPN they don't remember the issue coming up during the election process. "I felt really good about the process leading up to it," said one of the players, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "Now that all this stuff is coming out, I am like — wait a second, what happened there?" "To find this out after we elected Lloyd is concerning; it feels like it was quashed," a different player rep told a confidant, who shared the comments with ESPN. Two players who sat on the union's executive committee, however, claim that the lawsuit was shared with all player representatives, and that Howell was asked questions about the lawsuit in front of those player reps. The union's executive committee was tasked with finding and vetting candidates for the executive director role. After performing that search, the executive committee presented Howell and former SAG-AFTRA executive director and chief negotiator David P. White to the 32 player reps, who elect the union leader. Howell was eventually chosen to succeed DeMaurice Smith, who served in the role from 2009 to 2023. A member of the union's executive committee told ESPN that "full disclosures were made to everyone ... and questions were asked" regarding the lawsuit against Howell. The committee added it asked Howell questions about the lawsuit before deciding on him as a finalist, and said it was satisfied with his answers. The Committee also said it spoke with lawyers at Booz Allen and were given "the green light" to move forward with Howell. Howell and three other executives at Booz Allen were sued by Margo Fitzpatrick, a partner at the company, who alleged "the company denied female employees leadership roles and excluded them from certain career opportunities provided to men," according to ESPN. Fitzpatrick claimed that Howell once said the finance industry was "a good ole boys club in which only men could succeed." Fitzpatrick also claimed that Howell once asked whether two other female employees were involved with sororities because they caused "drama," per ESPN. Fitzpatrick reported Howell to senior leadership. Fitzpatrick was later denied and promotion and fired, per her lawsuit. The lawsuit was reportedly settled in 2015, according to ESPN. Multiple parties contacted by ESPN, including the NFLPA and Fitzpatrick, declined to comment about the situation. Howell's position has come under question after multiple reports emerged regarding questionable decisions made by the NFLPA under his leadership. Both the NFL and NFLPA reportedly worked together to bury multiple grievance rulings, one of which suggested the league encouraged teams to collude to reduce guaranteed money given to veteran players. Though the NFLPA lost that ruling, evidence of collusion among the owners should have been treated as a massive revelation. Instead, union leadership tried to keep the ruling from being released publicly. Both sides took the same track with a ruling revealed Thursday, in which an arbitrator found comments made by then-NFLPA president JC Tretter in 2023 violated the collective-bargaining agreement. That arbitrator was reportedly fired by the NFLPA on Wednesday, a day before the ruling was unearthed by journalists Mike Florio and Pablo Torre. Howell also found himself under fire after it was revealed he consulted with The Carlyle Group, a private-equity firm the league has allowed to buy ownership stakes in team, while serving in his position with the NFLPA. Howell was reportedly asked to resign from his consulting role with The Carlyle Group due to a possible conflict of interest, but declined to do so. This story will be updated.
