Disclaimer: I am not an expert, an accountant, a tax solicitor, a film rates expert, nor am I qualified to give tax advice; In fact, I am not qualified to give any advice at all. This is just based on personal experience. This might read like a novel, and I have painted with broad brush stroke throughout.
Is the Terminator coming for our Location Scouting jobs?
Maybe, but this isn’t the first time a robot has been coming for my job, I can think of quite a few other times:
- Digital Imagery: When we used film in our 35mm stills cameras we used to get more days on a job, there were more days available in a year, and the pace was a little calmer. I still love you ‘Snappy Snaps’!
- Street view: It cut the amount of scouting days that were available in the market. Now a kid on an hourly rate can find streets for filming in the UK.
- Google Image: This probably also reduced the days available yearly. But it still requires labour to turn it into viable filming options.
- ChatGPT: It is great, but it can’t replace a scout in its current version.
What is Sora AI?
It is an AI software that creates moving images from simple word prompts:
Credit: Open AI
I should be honest at this point. I like Open AI, I use ChatGPT, and I am a fan of both.
For a broader explanation: https://www.sciencefocus.com/future-technology/openai-sora
The latest threat to the film industry from SORA AI.
- You can upload a script and it will throw out location options. We can only hope that it doesn’t work that well, as currently the videos are limited to one minute.
- It can produce precise location options.
- It could replace or reduce travelling to locations.
Take a peek at its capabilities:
Credit: Open AI
What might do:
- Significantly reduce pilot work! By putting together whole digital pilots, assuming something can be done about the one-minute limit.
- Could make large set build spaces become redundant.
- Could make physical locations redundant.
- Could it be so realistic that traditional filming-making becomes obsolete and home only to art house cinema.
- Studios might increasing utilise the technology and produce something similar in-house.
What it can’t do:
- Work out access and logistics at locations (assuming you need ever to go to a location again).
- Understand the environment, for example noise and natural light.
- Assess the mood and ambience of a location.
- How does this effect copyright! What can you use and in what way legally!
Remember:
- It is based on the data fed into it. You will usually hold much more data that it lacks.
- Any imagery it produces is already dated.
- Locations change, whether it be a hole in the roof or a paint job. A quick call to the owners will usually be enough to get photos of any changes.
- Perhaps what we can find is better; in fact, what we can find is definitely better!
This is a more optimistic take if I have depressed you: https://nofilmschool.com/openai-video-generator
AI was already on the minds of many of the Industry and was one of the bones of contention during 2023’s Hollywood strikes.
Best guess! It will become a Location scouting tool like street view, digital cameras, Google Earth, Google image and ChatGPT, but we will see a reduction in days available per year.
I suppose, like most people, I’m excited and scared by these developments simultaneously. The space is changing rapidly, and we need to think about how to adapt, but essentially, we are not looking at a revolution in Location Scouting, but once again, an evolution of the role.