The winner will be chosen on May 16 as part of the AI at the Lot conference in downtown Los Angeles.
Technologists Todd Terrazas, Max Einhorn, Mike Gioia and Ian Eck have issued a challenge to up-and-coming filmmakers: create short films using creative AI in just 48 hours. The Cinema Synthetica Filmmaking Competition is the first of its kind, founded in hopes of demonstrating the potential of AI tools to influence the future of filmmaking.
The completion is part of the AI on the Lot conference, a one-day summit next week in downtown Los Angeles where Hollywood creators can collaborate with those at the forefront of artificial intelligence. Nine participants from Cinema Synthetica were carefully selected for the challenge and then divided into three teams. After two full days of work, the films will be presented at AI on the Lot on May 16 to a panel of judges including industry insiders such as Einhorn, Jeff Callenagan, Kathleen McCaffrey, Momo Wang, Rachel Joy Victor and Jackie Chang will join.
The teams will base their shorts on a dialogue-only script written by Emmy Award-winning screenwriter Bernie Sue (“Artificial,” “The Lizzie Bennett Diaries”). Films must be between two and five minutes long and produced with a budget of $500.
AI has been a hotly debated issue in the entertainment world, with competition co-founder Einhorn stressing that generative AI is a tool to help filmmakers elevate their creative visions.
“Generative AI is poised to revolutionize the filmmaking process, not by displacing jobs but by empowering more creative people to share their stories,” said Einhorn. “The digital camera and the Internet have already lowered the barriers to entry for storytellers, and the 'Cinema Synthetica' competition is a testament to how GenAI will do the same. The competition demonstrates how technological advancements in filmmaking can It can benefit rather than hinder the process.
Su echoed Einhorn's remarks and emphasized that there is still a very human side behind the creation of short films.
“As filmmakers combine AI tools with their incredible human capabilities, they will be producing films that were not possible with these resources just three months ago,” Xu added. “It is an honor to provide a spark of inspiration at this important event.”
The competition is sponsored by Adobe, which aims to showcase its latest AI software products.
“These artists represent the tip of the spear and will powerfully showcase advanced tools,” said Terrazas, executive producer and co-founder of CinemaSynthetica and lead organizer of AI on the Lot.
(Pictured: Cinema Synthetica participants read the script in preparation for the competition.)