It is undeniable that through the Bourne film series, Doug Liman changed how action films are made in Hollywood. Because of Bourne, the James Bond series became more realistic, violent and gritty than the era before Daniel Craig. Not stopping there, Liman also produced the films Edge of Tomorrow, Mr. & Mrs Smith and Jumper which also had iconic action.
This made Liman's next step the talk of the industry and sparked a debate about the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) to produce films. At this point, Liman is filming for Bitcoin: Killing Satoshi starring Gal Gadot, Pete Davidson, Casey Affleck and Isla Fisher. What makes this film unique is that it is labeled as the first full-fledged Hollywood studio-quality film produced using generative AI.
The film was shot entirely on an empty set called a "gray box.". Background actors, objects and special effects will be generated entirely by generative AI. AI has yet to completely replace actors, as in the Malaysian film Pirate Queen: Zheng Yi Sao, which was the first AI-generated film to hit cinemas earlier this year.
In tests, grey backgrounds were found to be more suitable for AI post-production than the green and blue screens used by the industry. Generative AI, according to Liman, can reduce the cost of filmmaking from $300 million to just $70 million. Special effects will be done by Acme AI & FX and 30 Ninjas, an AI company founded by Liman himself.
The success and failure of Bitcoin: Killing Satoshi will be a yardstick for whether generative AI can truly offer the same quality as traditional films but at a lower cost. Netflix has just bought InterPositive, Ben Affleck's generative AI company, which claims costs can be reduced by training AI models using its own work to avoid data theft issues. Netflix also admitted that its TV series' special effects have started using generative AI to reduce costs, while Disney+ has been testing its use for the same reason.
In Malaysia, the use of generative AI has become widespread not only in films but also in TV series and music videos by local artists. Generative AI technology is very unpopular among traditional artists, but the reality is that its use is now unstoppable because it is a cost-effective shortcut.
