I shoot people. To clarify, this is not the confession of a hitman, but just to affirm that my cinematographic specialty over the years has been capturing images of people. Whether it be narrative, documentary, or promo work, I’ve managed to use my skills to support my family and serve as a professional member of the entertainment industry. Lately, however, I have to confess that several factors including the rapid rise of AI technology have conspired to challenge my ability to earn a living and it is making me a bit nervous.

AI filmmaking is getting a lot of attention recently, and for good reason. It is truly mind boggling what this relatively new image generation technology can accomplish. Based on a short description, or “prompt,” followed by a few refinements, whole photorealistic worlds can be created in short order. It is both amazing and terrifying, especially if you’re someone whose livelihood is threatened.

There is no shortage of impressive examples of AI filmmaking, but one group that has caught my attention is the Dor Brothers, the Berlin based production company responsible for those outrageous viral videos of people like the Pope and several recent US presidents holding machine guns, getting arrested, robbing liquor stores, and other misdeeds. If you’re a newshound like me, you’ve likely seen all the iterations of these deepfakes reported by the media. They are attention grabbers, even if they are preposterous, but do serve to make the public aware that they can’t always believe everything they see online or on TV.

Produced about a year ago, these deepfake videos are technically pretty crude. However, compared to their current work, they serve as excellent examples of how fast the technology is advancing.  In a more recent sample, the Dor Brothers don’t seem to take themselves too seriously, which is evidenced by their AI generated send up of all the surrounding hype and backlash to their work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgMuNmHyHDU

Still, it is a serious situation and something entertainment industry workers need to be paying attention to. Many jobs will be majorly transformed, and others completely eliminated. As just one example, Unilever, a manufacturer of everything from mayonnaise, toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, detergent, ice cream, and soap, to Vaseline, have largely transitioned away from producing live action TV commercials. Instead they are using digital clones of their products for all manner of visual marketing, including not only AI generated TV commercials, but also integrating that imagery into the social media feeds of “influencers.”

They claim to be creating product marketing content twice as fast and with up to an 87% reduction in content creation costs while maintaining better brand consistency. And if that is not reason enough to use the technology, they have found that the AI generated content is more effective at delivering the follow-through necessary to generate sales. So, how can you blame them? I don’t, but at the same time, I can’t ignore the writing on the wall.

As other advertisers follow, there will surely be a significant reduction in traditional production of TV commercials. Living in the Los Angeles area, or “Hollywood,” if you will, we have already seen a dramatic decrease in available work due in large part to what we call here “runaway production.” Projects are lured to other locales for cost savings and more lucrative governmental incentives. Commercials, not usually subject to such incentive offers, and increasingly seen on streaming platforms, have been one relatively healthy segment of local production, but that may now change. And this change will not just be here, but worldwide.

It is not just filmworkers who are feeling the pinch, but also service providers and manufacturers. And of course, it is not all due to AI; there are plenty of other factors contributing to the downturn in cinematic production. These include an uncertain global economy fueled by fluctuating tariffs and the change in content delivery preferences, such as large segments of the audience choosing to view programing in short bits streamed to their mobile devices.

I’m acutely aware of this downturn since, like most of my colleagues, I have been severely underemployed over the last year. I also see it in my role running DCS when reaching out to some of our longtime, and loyal sponsors, who are struggling financially and can no longer support the group.  Many rental houses have been forced to shut their doors and a lot of stages remain all too available.  After the pandemic, industry strikes, and fires, the local entertainment industry was ready to get back to work, but it just has not materialized.

I don’t want to sound like Chicken Little screaming that the sky if falling, but it has become concerning. One thing that personally gives me a bit of hope is that like I say in the title of this essay, “I Shoot People,” and replicating human facial emotion with AI is just not quite there yet. The faces are near perfect, perhaps too perfect, but they have yet to feel completely real or organic. However, at the rate AI is advancing, that advantage may not last very long.

Another hopeful sign is that manufacturers keep innovating and making better and better visual storytelling tools available to us. From new digital cinema cameras, lenses, and better workflows, to the constantly improving array of lighting instruments. And I need to remind myself that it doesn’t need to be an either/or situation, using AI enabled tools together with traditional motion picture techniques can harness the best of both worlds.

I don’t know what the complete answer is, (of even if there is one,) but for me, giving up the business I grew up in is not an option. And since I’m not ready to pack it in, I believe the key to my survival in this industry, as Darwin’s theory of evolution suggests, is to adapt. So, I intend to stay nimble and as up-to-date on technology as I can. And if I’m underemployed, I can’t say I don’t have the time to learn new skills. There is actually quite a bit of educational content on AI now available online and much of it is absolutely free. You can find some examples of free basic courses here:

NVIDIA: https://academy.nvidia.com/en/course/ai-for-all-from-basics-to-genai-practice/?cm=81220

Harvard University: https://pll.harvard.edu/subject/artificial-intelligence

Other resources include:
“AIography, a regularly updated online journal covering AI technology in the motion picture industry produced by veteran Editor and Technologist Lawrence Jordan, ACE. You can follow along at: https://aiography.beehiiv.com/

Another great resource is Curious Refuge founded by the husband and wife team of AI Educators, Caleb and Shelby Ward. They offer paid classes to master the latest AI tools, and host a collection of user generated short film samples on their Curious Refuge website: https://curiousrefuge.com/ai-film-gallery

And just to keep up with some of the most advanced samples of AI filmmaking, you can bookmark the Dor Brothers website: https://www.thedorbrothers.com/

PS: Write if you find work.