Director Gareth Edwards isn\u2019t afraid of generative AI and what it may portend for Hollywood. In fact, he\u2019s pumped about it.<\/p>\n
The helmer of Jurassic World Rebirth<\/a> and Rogue One<\/a> has been experimenting with diffusion models in depth for the last nine months and even wants to create a hybrid generative AI film, he said on a panel on Thursday. But he isn\u2019t doing so yet, because the rate at which technological developments are occurring might outpace the filmmaking process.<\/p>\n More from The Hollywood Reporter<\/p>\n \u201cIt feels like this stuff\u2019s changing every three months,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s like we have to revisit the plan six months from now because it might be a totally different series of tools. And the things that \u2026 weren\u2019t possible three months ago or six months ago, some of them are now possible.\u201d<\/p>\n His interest is perhaps unsurprising, given that he directed 2023\u2019s The Creator<\/a>, a sci-fi film that largely took a positive approach to the topic of artificial intelligence. But his public embrace of the technology is still rare amongst his cohort, a.k.a. directors entrusted with big-budget IP properties.<\/p>\n Edwards, who made the remarks during a panel about world-building at Amazon\u2019s AI on the Lot event in Culver City, started his professional career doing visual effects, and compared the rise of AI to the mainstream arrival of CGI in movies in the \u201890s. Still, he believes AI might be more impactful. \u201cI can\u2019t see a reason why you wouldn\u2019t become interested in this stuff as a filmmaker. It\u2019s so clearly a tool that might be up there with the camera. It\u2019s going to be be better than CGI,\u201d he told the assembled audience. \u201cI\u2019m excited, I hope you are.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, he argued that generative AI is primarily helpful in terms of organizing ideas, testing concepts and producing images, rather than generating human stories that resonate with audiences. \u201cIt has no taste whatsoever. It is a fucking genius at helping you,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cI view it like having a second-unit director who is a billionaire on acid. Like, it\u2019ll do anything you ask, not a problem. Sometimes it\u2019ll [go] batshit crazy. And you\u2019ll give it notes, and it\u2019ll be like, \u2018I don\u2019t do notes. I\u2019ll just do something totally different.\u2019 But it\u2019s worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n Though AI won\u2019t transform any random movie fan into a good filmmaker, it might allow more people to \u201center the competition\u201d by allowing them to develop trailers for their concepts and produce work at a lower cost. \u201cIt\u2019s only good for iteration and discovering what the movie should be, and then once you know what it is, go in and start making it your movie,\u201d Edwards said.<\/p>\n He emphasized throughout his remarks that AI filmmaking requires oversight, with a filmmaker needing to frequently prompt a tool to realize a specific creative vision. Doing so isn\u2019t so different from intense level of decisionmaking involved in designing shots on a traditional film or TV show, he said.<\/p>\n Still, the director was clear that he doesn\u2019t know where AI in Hollywood<\/a> is headed. \u201cWe don\u2019t know where it\u2019s going to go,\u201d he said. \u201cI think anybody saying they know exactly what\u2019s going to happen over the next five years is just a liar.\u201d<\/p>\n Edwards, one of the highest-profile creatives to appear at Amazon\u2019s event, followed an appearance earlier in the day by American Gigolo and First Reformed director Paul Schrader. Schrader was more bullish<\/a> on the storytelling capabilities of generative AI, describing an attempt he made to create a story idea in his wheelhouse using ChatGPT. \u201cI could send it out,\u201d he said of the result. \u201cI know what response I would get: This is second-rate Schrader\u2026 but it\u2019s going to be first-rate Schrader soon enough.\u201d<\/p>\n Best of The Hollywood Reporter<\/p>\n Sign up for THR’s Newsletter<\/a>. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Director Gareth Edwards isn\u2019t afraid of generative AI and what it may portend for Hollywood. 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