Launching: The Modern Filmmaker
It’s another late night, or maybe an early morning. Either way, the coffee machine is brewing another pot, and the monitor glows, flickering neon between one screen and then another. Shooting Schedules, Budgets, and back to the Breakdown sheet - getting all your ducks in a row. Pre-production has always been a whirlwind, but this time there are no roadblocks, it’s just the thousand and one possibilities at your fingertips. Caffeine, creativity, and technology- a lethal mix for the Modern Filmmaker who might just be piecing together one of the greatest stories ever told.. Getting geared up for production… And perhaps sooner than we think!
In this article, RivetAI introduces to you the Chronicles of the Modern Filmmaker, a series that will follow the new era of filmmaking- championing storytelling in a world that will persistently be disrupted by and challenged with technology. You’ve seen our suite of tools and have heard of or chanced upon the ways in which it can support your pre-production pipeline - innovation is the name of the game! However, the developments of platforms like ours across the industry rely heavily on the symbiotic relationship between the passion of today’s filmmakers, the pace-setting of production, and the pulse on AI.
In this era, Modern Filmmakers use cutting-edge technology to make intentional decisions, creating stories that resonate with diverse audiences. They are not just in touch with the times; they are ahead of them, shaping the future of cinema.
💪 Technological Agility
We are quickly stepping beyond the discourse of the dystopian threat of “AI taking over jobs” to seriously questioning whether and how an often intimidating technology like this could be an ally. And the outrage and turmoil, as famously seen in the actors' strikes across Hollywood, underscore the most relevant hesitation in all of this- how do regulation and ethics get revisited and reconfigured in time to save any human from being exploited? This kind of au courant inquiry fuels the Modern Filmmaker, and it makes up a huge part of our own explorations at RivetAI, too.
Especially with the sparkling reports around all kinds of Generative AI tools, its “magical” capabilities are often magnified, inflating our expectations of tools that are merely meant to nudge us in the right direction. Many platforms seem to promise cookie-cutter outputs based on inputs, otherwise known as “prompts”, that range from fun to thought provoking to downright concerning. However, finding the sweet spot between its novelty and the reality of its limitations is the smart user’s odyssey.
It’s in proactively educating themselves on how to interact with such tools that the Modern Filmmaker practices conscious excitement and keeps their expectations reasonable. Active steps towards learning “prompt engineering”, staying cognizant of AI hallucinations, and abreast of the specificity of AI tools and their use-cases enables users to make the most of newer technology. And objectively assessing its capabilities, challenging its parameters and leveraging its successes keeps the user nimble and ready to take on the next technology disrupting their universe.
🧑🎨 Creative Agency and Intention
Without overwhelming ourselves with the million and one definitions around creativity, one of the core components of creativity that we celebrate at RivetAI is that of “choice-making”. The introduction of any kind of technology has time and again triggered a slough of second thoughts on authorship, IP, and cinematic (quote, unquote) aesthetics (all of which we’ll explore further in this series).
Historically, this debate has a twofold result in the filmmaking world- the choice of subversion or preservation. A good example of subversion might be The Quiet Place (2018) and its emphasis on the lack of sound, where silence becomes deafening, bringing viewers carefully snacking on their popcorn into the diegesis or the “world” of the movie. On the other hand, preservation like in The Artist (2011), embraced silent film techniques, complete with intertitles and a classic orchestral score, to pay homage to the silent era. The film's success demonstrated that silent film techniques could still captivate modern audiences.
Quentin Tarantino exemplified both subversion and preservation in The Hateful Eight, using Ultra Panavision 70 to deliver unparalleled scope and beauty while embracing old-school photochemical processes. Shooting on 65mm film with classic Panavision lenses, Tarantino revived the near-obsolete Ultra Panavision 70 format, showcasing its breathtaking resolution and expansive aspect ratio. This not only preserved the tradition of celluloid filmmaking but also subverted contemporary digital norms, proving that film could coexist with digital through its unique aesthetic qualities and historical depth.
From the criticism of introducing sound in movies to the backlash that came with “converting” to digital, skepticism pervades the junction of entertainment and technology. And honestly, rightly so! How else does art evolve if not for the radical voices that question any movements’ intentions and spotlight the stuff that really matters? The stuff that sets apart one story from another, one medium from another, and one message from another? At the end of the day, creating choices matters, especially in the context where it seems to be stripped from the user. And creative agency becomes not only paramount but emphasized in response to the introduction of new technology in filmmaking practices.
Conclusion
We like to think of ourselves as a pretty exciting tool in the Modern Filmmaker’s arsenal, and find that obtaining the necessary weaponry makes up only a part of this dexterous persona. While technologically agile, The Modern Filmmaker is primarily a creative agent, using tools like RivetAI to strengthen intentional storytelling decisions and efficiently manage the ripple effects of adjusting any part of the pre-production process. The Modern Filmmaker is redefining what it means to create ✨cinema✨ each day.
With the aid of advanced technology, they’re not just making films; they’re crafting experiences that blend the best of tradition and innovation. We are just scratching the surface in this article, but throughout this series, "Chronicles of the Modern Filmmaker," we’ll dive into the tools, techniques, and philosophies shaping this new era. Join us as we explore the minds and methods of today and tomorrow’s most innovative filmmakers!
Check out RivetAI to see the exciting stuff we are up to in the era of the modern filmmaker!