How will AI-generated content transform the entertainment industry? And what are the impacts on employment, content development, budgets, contracts, legislation, and privacy rights? Part II of this research by Heinz College Master of Entertainment Industry Management students provides an in-depth analysis of survey and interview data from entertainment lawyers, educators, and other industry professionals.
Part I: A New Era of AI in the Entertainment Industry
As exemplified by the Hollywood strikes of 2023, we find ourselves in a new era of Artificial Intelligence in film and television. While studios are looking to cut costs, performers seek job security, and consumers seek quality content. Through research conducted in collaboration with facial motion capture technology provider Faceware Technologies Inc., Master of Entertainment Industry Management students at Carnegie Mellon sought to gain insight on how AI-generated content will transform existing industries, including how this technology could affect employment in the entertainment industry, content development, budgets, contracts, legislation, and privacy rights.
Part Two: The Globalization of Virtual Production in Film and Television - Past, Present and Future
This project delves into the potential expansion in LED volumes, assessing both benefits and challenges. Our findings emphasize the impact of virtual production on labor markets, economic advantages of increased investment in LED screens, and the necessity of integrating virtual production across Sony's various entertainment divisions. Additionally, we highlight the significance of driving technological innovation to solidify Sony's leadership in this evolving landscape. The information revealed in this research, through a conducted survey, will further explore the current state of the virtual production industry and the creative evolution underlying its widespread adoption. For a deeper understanding of virtual production, please see Part I of this research.
Part One: The Globalization of Virtual Production in Film and Television - Past, Present and Future
Virtual production, defined in this project as the use of real-time technologies to combine traditional physical filmmaking with digital assets, has become a rapidly growing practice in the entertainment industry since LED screens were first used in The Mandalorian (2019) (Desowitz, 2020). LED stages have grown exponentially from three stages in 2019 to over 300 stages in 2022 (Giardina, 2022), expanding virtual production to now be a $1.8 billion market (Grand View, 2023). This project investigates the current landscape of LED stages and studios can capitalize on the growing market.
Part Two: Streaming vs. Streamers - A Stand-Off
Since streaming became mainstream, major changes in sitcom preferences have come to light. According to analytics, the demand for sitcoms varies by streamer with viewers preferring network sitcoms to those created strictly for streaming. Not only that, but the same study shows that the sitcom was the most in demand sub-genre of television in-demand in 2022. Part One of this research discusses the top ten most streamed shows in the U.S. in 2023.
Part One: Streaming vs. Streamers - A Stand-Off
The creative standstill between viewers and streamers has come to a head. As streaming slowly inches its way to overtaking the conventional ways of watching television, the divide between what viewers want and what is being produced grows. Audiences have made it clear that they prefer the formats of the past overcurrent releases, but streaming companies are refusing to make changes to their current format, especially regarding the sitcom.
AI and Virtual Production: The Past Meets the Future
Technology has played a critical role in the film industry since its inception. Advances in the film industry are always closely related to technological advances in society, integrating them quickly into the filmmaking process. Almost every aspect of filmmaking, from pre-production to post-production, from digital cameras, editing software, sound and music, distribution, exhibition, and of course, special effects, has undergone major changes and has evolved over the last 190 years.
Contemporary, traditional film production involves building physical sets, scouting locations, and coordinating large crews and equipment, all of which can be time-consuming and expensive. To overcome some of these "problems" or “needs” was born what we know today as Virtual Production. Virtual production has and will be further enhanced by the opportunities afforded by artificial intelligence.
Massive Software’s Influence on Popular Fantasy Film
Massive Software creates hordes of fantasy armies using Artificial Intelligence and in doing so it has changed the fantasy entertainment game. Their realism is largely due to fuzzy logic, a “way to create naturalistic and subtle behavior” that human viewers will interpret as realistic and powerful. This combined with emergent technology offers a wide array of opportunity for creators.
An Industry of Secrecy: Why Streaming Companies Hide Viewership Data
The entertainment industry in a post-pandemic and streamer-heavy world bears a sigil of secrecy. Viewership data for films and television shows on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Disney Plus, Apple TV Plus, and other streaming services is highly monitored behind closed doors at these companies. Streaming consumption skyrocketed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, as people around the world were forced to stay at home. During the same time, online TV/video consumption increased from 1.7 hours to 6.5 hour. The pandemic fast-tracked the world’s shift to streaming, as it became one of the only accessible entertainment platforms, forcing the general public to decide which streaming services to invest in, largely because of cost.
The Impact of Emerging Sustainable Practices in the Film Industry
Sustainability is important to every industry, especially film, as each production (with an average $70 million budget) produces a carbon footprint of 3,370 metric tons. TV and film productions create an abundance of carbon emissions, significantly affecting the atmosphere. However, carbon emissions are not the only aspect of sustainability the film industry must focus on. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provided by the United Nations (UN) show that practicing sustainability involves much more than climate change. While the film industry is making many strides towards greener productions, there are many issues that have yet to be addressed. Such issues include livable wages (SDG 8), gender equality (SDG 5), and responsible production and consumption (SDG 12). These are a few of the most prevalent ways that the film industry can follow the path of sustainability per the UN guidelines.