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Technology
AI of Hollywood: Artificial Intelligence Tools That Are Changing Filmmaking
Already the hot topic of the year, artificial intelligence (AI) is permeating our work life and culture at a rapid pace. The film community is already leaning into the technology, fantasizing about potential applications and taking advantage of existing benefits when they can. For the film Everything Everywhere All at Once, visual effects artist Evan Halleck used AI tools from Runway to remove the background from images faster and more efficiently than with traditional methods. “It was cutting things out better than my human eye was, and it gave me a clean mat that I could use for other things … Rotoscoping, in my opinion, has been a very slow and painful process. So, it was nice to automate things.” With time and money being valuable commodities on a smaller-budget film, Runway AI tools helped Halleck make the most of his efforts. “I was cutting out the characters, placing them cleanly on a plate shot in minutes versus what takes half a day.” Runway’s presence in the market has grown significantly in recent years, working on projects from the likes of Alicia Keys, New Balance, and Stephen Colbert’s late-night show. “The Late Show…” uses AI on almost every episode, enhancing their creative workflow and saving significant amounts of time. Runway CEO Cris Valenzuela adds, “I’m calling it Hollywood 2.0 where everyone is gonna be able to make the films and the blockbusters that only a handful of people were able to before.”
International
German Film Spotlight: How this European Country’s Industry is Changing
The German film industry is grabbing the spotlight with huge BAFTA wins for films like All Quiet on the Western Front. While the region had previously been known for creating localized content, the success of the Netflix film (and popular series like Deutschland 83, Babylon Berlin, and Dark) has shifted global perceptions by drawing attention to the area. The rise of streaming services has led to a steady amount of consolidation in Germany, as well as places like France and the U.K., as investors hope to capitalize on the huge boom in production. Germany has proven itself to be an attractive place in which to invest, with (for the time being) the largest media and entertainment market on the continent. Much of the wheeling and dealing has been led by Leonine Studios. Backed by New York-based private equity firm KKR, Munich’s Leonine has positioned itself as one of Germany’s leading entertainment groups by acquiring film and TV giant Tele München Group, film distributor Universum, and others. Most recently, the company acquired documentary machine Gebrueder Beetz. Will this consolidation continue? To date, the German production market is still fragmented, and producers in the region have varying ideas of how to encourage growth. While some choose to focus on localized work, others are looking for deals outside the country. Time will tell what strategy will win out as the region continues to redefine itself.
Industry
Hollywood’s Talent Agencies: The Race To Become the Next Top Firm
In the wake of the WGA strike and CAA’s deal to acquire rival ICM in June, the state of representation in Hollywood is in a state of flux. Currently, only three “majors” still exist: CAA, WME (owned by Endeavor), and UTA. This vacuum has led to a heap of midsize firms vying for the number four spot. A3 Artists Agency is a main contender, and in January, they had outside counsel reach out to rivals like Verve, APA, and a third unnamed agency, in the hopes of making an acquisition of their own. According to A3 chairman Adam Bold, Verve dismissed the offer outright. Similarly, APA’s Jim Osborne said that “a sale to anyone, much less A3, was never entertained and simply not true.” A3 is certainly fighting for a more prominent ranking, but they’re not alone. APA established an alliance with literary and production label Europa Content that is geared toward beefing up its IP and media rights options. A spokesperson for the agency noted, “We have achieved our goal of being the top full-service alternative to the big three.” (A feat they accomplished by landing clients like Regina Hall, William H. Macy, John Cusack, and Donnie Yen.) This period of change arises after a recent pushback from the WGA about existing revenue models and packaging practices—one that saw thousands of writers leave their representation en masse.
Film Festival
Return to Egypt: Return of the El Gouna Film Festival
After a year-long break, Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festical (GFF) is back. The fest’s sixth edition will run from October 13 to the 20, 2023. After some uncertainty about its future, thanks to the cancellation of 2022’s edition (due in part to some political backlash over the selection and certain resignations), the festival is set to return as a key event for the Middle East and North African film industry helping non-MENA industry vets connect with the local film community. Intishal Al Timimi, who is returning to lead the festival, says, “After five successful editions, we wanted to take some time to re-evaluate the programme and explore all our options and reflect on how best to take the festival forward … We now return, totally re-energized, and inspired to resume our past efforts to encourage the development of the industry in the region.” Samih Sawiris, sponsor of the event and creator of the El Gouna resort, adds, “I believe that El Gouna Film Festival has been an important artistic, creative, and cinematic activity in the region. I am committed to nurturing it so that it may continue to contribute to spurring the growth of film and filmmakers: locally, regionally and globally … With the return of the festival, I renew my faith in the belief that the arts and creativity are critical to the development of society. I am excited that El Gouna will continue to be the home of one of our most constructive cultural endeavours.” For its sixth edition, GFF co-founder Amr Mansi will act as Executive Director.
Awards
BAFTA Criticism: All Eyes on the U.K. Film. Industry
After last week’s BAFTAs, there is renewed criticism about the overall “whiteness” of the elite winner’s circle. 47 of this year’s 49 winners are white. Just a few days before the event, BAFTA was still receiving praise for its most recent batch of nominees—a diverse selection of talent and projects. But now, critics are noting those performances that were seemingly snubbed, such as Viola Davis’ lauded performance in The Woman King. This year, 40% of acting nods went to nonwhite performers. This comes just three years after the #BAFTASoWhite outrage over 2020’s all-white acting nominee list—a scandal that saw the British Academy take on a rigorous nine-month review and overhaul of its processes and rules. In total, more than 120 changes were made, leading to the show’s most diverse list of nominees ever in 2021. Despite the anger about the perceived snubs, many believe that the show went mostly as predicted. Davis, for instance, was always considered an underdog to Cate Blanchett and her much-hyped performance in Tár. Marcus Ryder, director of consultancy at the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity, believes that the focus should be on the industry itself, rather than the awards shows that celebrate its successes. He explains that “no amount of reviewing and overhauling the BAFTA nominations process will change that … The people who pick up the awards, the people who we see on the red carpet and the stage almost do not matter. They are just the small visible tip of a far larger film industry iceberg,” he notes, later adding that the “entire iceberg is rotten — we can’t fix it just by making tweaks to the bit we can see.”
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