Google and A24 partnership sees to the development of AI tools for filmmakers
In Google’s latest hungry pursuit of legitimacy in the film industry, they have entered a partnership with darling indie company, A24.
Yes, raise your pitchforks and torches, it is because of AI that Steam Machines cost over $1,000, and regular memory storages have skyrocketed. I can’t even buy a microSD card for our home camera without curling into a fetal position; it was P800 before and now it’s over P1,900.
But for the sake of knowing what you want to hate, what exactly does this Google-A24 partnership entail?
According to Reuters, both companies will “help artists develop new creative workflows and techniques” while “ensuring future tools are shaped by creators who use them.”
Scott Belsky, a partner at A24, who is leading A24 Lab, the company’s internal research and development division, mentioned they are working on AI-generated storyboarding. This is something Martin Scorsese himself sees potential in, citing the need to be open to how cinema can evolve.
Storyboarding can be a long and tedious process, since it requires translating scripts into hundreds of panels. Having an AI to develop storyboards in a shorter amount of time will definitely shorten development processes and cut costs. Typically, storyboarding was done by human artists with job positions called Storyboard Artists or Story Artists. Their work is cited as the “blueprint” in how the film will run narratively, and help directors visualize concepts and provide visual communication with the film crew.
Alongside this partnership, A24 will continue to develop new workflows. What these workflows are besides storyboarding has not been mentioned.
A24 has stressed that this partnership does not entail data training, meaning Google will have no access to their properties. According to some reports, Google has made a $75 million investment in A24. A24 will, however, have access to Google’s DeepMind for research and infrastructure.
A24 is known for developing unique and unconventional films that won multiple awards, such as The Lobster, Moonlight–which swept a ton of Golden Globes, Swiss Army Man, The Witch, Hereditary, Midsommar, Deus Ex, Uncut Gems, The Green Knight, Everywhere Everything All At Once–which won seven Oscars, including Best Picture, The Whale–AKA Brendan Fraser’s big comeback film as Best Actor, Marty Supreme, Backrooms, and many, many other amazing, and award winning creative films.