Tag: films

BCM325: 2050 and the Future of Cinemas

The year is 1999. Cinemas are being treated to A new Star Wars movie, and people loved it (they now hate it). They were also treated to Fight Club, and they hated it (They now love it). Charlie Kaufman wrote his first major film with Being John Malkovich (Incredible movie). Stanley Kubrick released his last movie Eyes Wide Shut and died shortly after (biggest loss in cinema history). The Matrix was released and people we’re freaking out about reality (and the technology it brought with it that would define films to come). Y2K was in full swing and people thought the world was going to end and planes were going to fall out of the sky. A little Mitchell was about to be born (the downfall begins). 25 years have past and the state of cinemas has evolved to the point where Artificial intelligence has started to become integrated and streaming services are dominating to the point where some films that would have been wide releases in 1999 are now available on our 4K televisions. 25 years is a long time for technology to evolve and major events and changes to impact industries. So what will cinema look like in 2050?

POSSIBLE FUTURE

When looking at what the future of cinemas could look like in 2050, there’s a lot of possibilities. I’m still of the belief that cinemas are too engrained and integral to the way we view movies to become a thing of the past. In saying that though it is still a possibility. Streaming could become the main way we watch new movies and cinemas could be phased out. This would be the worst timeline. Assuming they will still be around by 2050, what are some of the technologies and changes we could see to cinemas, what we watch in them? ChatGPT believes these are some of the changes we could see come 2050:

  • Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality
  • Holographic Displays
  • Interactive Elements
  • Biometric Feedback
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Advanced Audio-visual Technologies
  • Smart Seating
  • Environmental Controls
  • Sustainable Practices
  • Streaming Integration

Some of these seem like quite a stretch, but we need to remember, things like Artificial intelligence and Virtual Reality were technologies we only saw in science fiction films. I own a virtual reality headset (I’m currently using the box as a foot rest) and had some of the most immersive experiences in my gaming life on it. Artificial intelligence can now be used anyone. It helped me write my resume (and this assessment). It can write a script for a short film. While this isn’t anything ground-breaking, it’s still pretty impressive. Imagine telling someone in 1999 that a program can write a full blown script for you. Here’s one example with the prompt “horror movie set in an apartment and a serial killer”:

PROBABLE FUTURE

Script writing could be only the start of AI and its relationship with film. As stated in my previous posts, I think we could see scripts being written by or at least assisted by AI within the next 10 or so years. I think by 2050 things could go further than that. AI films/videos are already a thing.

This is a new thing right now, but come 2050, I think its probable AI will be well and truly engrained in the filmmaking process, and we will be seeing AI generated/Involved films on our silver screens. Whether we like it or not, this is a technology that is now a part of ever evolving world, and our entertainment industry constantly inaugurates emerging technology into the production of films. We only need to look back at how movies were originally made, from analogue to digital, to realise this change is enormous for the industry. As Priya Parikh states in her thesis on AI and Film “By introducing AI as part of the production process, the preoccupation with formal aesthetics turns into questioning the function of the changes in the methods of film production, and consequent exhibition, and spectatorship.” (P.5) . We are already seeing backlash for AI produced marketing, and the idea of production methods introducing AI is something people aren’t comfortable with. This technology isn’t something that will be stopped being used and experimented with though. Its only going to get better, and with that will only be used more and come 2050, I don’t doubt we will be seeing AI films on our screens.

PREFERABLE FUTURE

I’ll be 51 by the time 2050 rolls around. For the 25 years I’ve been around, Films and cinemas have been a huge part of my life. Cinemas aren’t something I want to see disappear and while I’m certain they won’t, what were seeing them most certainly will. The most preferable outcome is that AI is kept to a minimum in the filmmaking process. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, without humans driving the production, we lose all humanity the film has. And without human emotions behind the scenes, what’s the point of watching the movie. I don’t doubt that it would be an interesting gimmick to see a completely AI generated film, but for it to be a norm when it comes to production and script writing would be the death of films and the places we watch them in my eyes.

On a lighter note, there are some of technologies ChatGPT brought up that would be nice to see. These include:

  • Advanced Audio-visual Technologies
  • Smart Seating
  • Sustainable Practices
  • Holographic Displays

CONCLUSION

To wrap up these three posts on the what the next 25 years of cinemas looks like, I just wanted to say I’m hopeful for the future. They’re an important part of society and brings joy to many, myself included, but it seems things are changing quicker now than ever before. These changes can be both exciting and scary, but I’m hopeful either way. If cinemas and films survived through the pandemic, I don’t see them being phased out any time soon. As long as AI is kept in check and doesn’t take everyone’s jobs, I’ll be pretty happy with whatever future we have in store for cinemas and what we’re watching there.

REFERENCES

Parikh Chetan, Priya 2019, ‘AI Film Aesthetics: A Construction of a New Media Identity for AI Films’ https://www.proquest.com/docview/2383043097%20Theses&accountid=15112&parentSessionId=IIJGU4RXkFUfljWutMDs7QTN%2Bebxp8lx2m%2FrKGwUKEc%3D&sourcetype=Dissertations%20 [24 May 2024]

Hibberd, J 2024, ‘A24’s New AI-Generated ‘Civil War’ Ads Generate Controversy’ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/a24-civil-war-posters-controversy-1235876340/ [26 May]

Andriasyan, Siranush 2022, ‘How Artificial Intelligence Is Used in the Film Industry’ https://smartclick.ai/articles/how-artificial-intelligence-is-used-in-the-film-industry/ [27th May 2024]

BCM325: 2030 and the Future of Cinemas

Cinema -Eyebrow Man

In a little less than 6 years, the year 2030 will be upon us. The future of cinema is uncertain, just as any future is uncertain. Look back 6 years ago from today in 2018, could we have predicted our current landscape of cinema? I mean its only 6 years right? 2018 was quite an important year for cinema. There were Oscar favourites like The Favourite and… eh, that’s about it. Mitchell Favourites like Under the Silver Lake, and Hereditary. An animated masterpiece with Into the Spider-verse. Straight up masterpiece’s with The Meg and Venom. But it was Marvel who was on top of the world with Avengers: Infinity War. Nothing could stop them or the hype train their movies brought. Nothing except… time (and Covid sorta). Six years have past, and the current state of comic book movies isn’t looking too good, and what can only be described as a fatigue has set in in regards to these types of films. But the impact that these movies have had on cinema cannot be understated. While Covid has had a huge impact on cinemas and the way we watch movies, I strongly believe cinemas are currently too integral to the way we watch films and more prominently, the way we watch blockbuster films. So for 2030, I want to focus on what kinds of films we might possibly, probably, and preferably see in Cinemas.

POSSIBLE FUTURE

Jervis show me all possible futures for the film landscape of 2030. And activate freak settings. – Iron man

As stated previously, the superhero genre seems to be going through a bit of a dip (and I’m not buying it) and fatigue in general audiences has set in. Over the past few years though, another genre of adaptations has become wildly popular. Video game adaptations. No doubt we will continue to be bombarded with an endless string of these flicks until the dead horse has been well and truly beaten. Over the past year we’ve received five wide release video game adaptations with Gran Turismo, Five Nights at Freddy’s, Super Mario Bros, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and Borderlands. This trend in what is being made, and the audiences that are consuming them only seems to be on the incline. Look at the current list of upcoming video game film adaptations (not including TV shows which is another can of worms).

IGN, 2024

When asking ChatGPT the kinds of films we may see in 2030, It gave some unlikely examples such as Holographic and Augmented Reality Films. I just don’t believe our technology will be quite at that point come 2030. It also gave some obvious answers like Expanded Cinematic Universes, Diverse Representation, and the previously mentioned Video Game Adaptations. An interesting example that seems to be a common topic when it comes to art in general lately is AI generated films. While I think it may be a stretch to see a fully produced work solely from AI that’s shown on screens by 2030, we might at a future time (2050 perhaps?). What I think might be likely though is AI generated scripts.

I think a lot of what ChatGPT is saying here is the reason why we could see AI used more frequently in films come 2030. Already we are seeing AI being used for marketing with the new A24 film Civil War, and in production design with Late Night with the Devil. Its not too much of a stretch to say producers might start incorporating AI generated or assisted scripts into films.

PROBABLE FUTURE

So we’ve looked at the possible futures of films we could be seeing in cinemas come 2030, but what are we probably going to see? I think Video game adaptations are a sure fire considering the amount of content producers have for the picking. There’s already an audience for the IP so taking the existing franchise and adapting it for the big screen is a safer bet than taking a risk on something new. We’ve seen it done with comic book movies and were seeing it done right now with video game adaptations so it likely not to stop anytime soon.

What about AI though? I think a lot of what ChatGPT is say about AI generated scripts is the reason why we could see AI used more frequently in films come 2030. Already we are seeing AI being used for marketing with the new A24 film Civil War, and in production design with Late Night with the Devil. Its not too much of a stretch to say producers might start incorporating AI generated or at least, assisted scripts into films. I think these are some of the key ways and reasons we might see Artificial intelligence being used for scripts:

Efficiency and Cost-Effectiveness

Collaboration with Human Writers

Continual Improvement

PREFERABLE FUTURE

I’m not opposed to seeing more video game adaptations. I do think eventually things will get stale and audiences will become sick of seeing them though. AI is a different story though. The change isn’t being wildly accepted. Industry professionals feel they could lose not only their jobs to AI, but films overall could lose the element that makes them human stories. While AI wasn’t the concern of the recent screenwriters and actors strike, it was a major concern for both parties with “screenwriters having experienced an existential crisis due to the invasion of these new technologies, and actors are against their faces being used without their permission or compensation. “ (E Noticias Financieras English, 2023). I am of the same sentiment that if films start incorporating more AI driven stories and film production element in general, we not only lose human stories, we lose human made art. A reason the Civil War marketing and Late Night with the Devil AI art designs caused such a stir, is because that’s someone job which has now been taken over by AI for the sake of cost cutting. The more and more AI is incorporated, the more jobs become obsolete. AI just isn’t something I’m comfortable seeing in film and honestly, would rather it just be kept at an arms length away from it.

REFERENCES

CE Noticias Financieras English, 2023, ‘It’s not a movie: AI sparks Hollywood strike’ https://www.proquest.com/docview/2836916446?parentSessionId=c7BVpk0PS5vbeAJjtzv1yVN94F9nlt3iwG2S5EwDXu4%3D&pq-origsite=primo&accountid=15112&sourcetype=Wire%20Feeds [15 May]

Frank, J 2023, ‘The 2023 Hollywood strike for Dummies’ https://www.vulture.com/article/wga-strike-2023.html [14 May]

Bankhurst, A 2024 ‘Upcoming New Video Game Movies and TV Shows: 2024 Release Dates and Beyond’ https://www.ign.com/articles/upcoming-video-game-movies-and-tv-shows [15 May]

Hibberd, J 2024, ‘A24’s New AI-Generated ‘Civil War’ Ads Generate Controversy’ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/a24-civil-war-posters-controversy-1235876340/ [16 May]

Earl, W 2024, ‘Late Night With the Devil’ Directors Explain Using AI Art in the Film, Say They ‘Experimented’ With Three Images Only (EXCLUSIVE)’ https://variety.com/2024/film/news/late-night-with-the-devil-ai-images-clarification-1235947599/ [16 May]