Movie making
It is all but a certainty that within the next few decades it will be possible to create movies that are 100% computer generated. It is not unfathomable to envision a system where the input is a written script and the output is a full-length feature film. In addition, some strides have been made in natural generators. So, eventually not even the script will be needed. Let's explore this further.
Deepfakes
A deepfake is a portmanteau, or blend, of "deep learning" and "fake." It is an AI technique to merge video images. A common application is to overlap someone's face onto another. A nefarious version of this was used to merge pornographic scenes with famous people or to create revenge porn. Deepfakes can also be used to create fake news or hoaxes. As you can imagine, there are severe societal implications if this technology is misused.
One recent version of similar software was developed by a Chinese company called Momo who developed an app called Zao. It allows you to overlap someone's face over short movie clips like Titanic and the results are impressive. This and other similar applications do not come without controversy. Privacy groups are complaining that the photos submitted to the site per the terms of the user agreement become property of Momo and then can later be used for other applications.
It will be interesting to see how technology continues to advance in this area.
Movie Script Generation
They are not going to win any Academy Awards any time soon, but there are a couple projects dedicated to producing movie scripts. One of the most famous examples is Sunspring.
Sunspring is an experimental science fiction short film released in 2016. It was entirely written by using deep learning techniques. The film's script was created using a long short-term memory (LSTM) model dubbed Benjamin. Its creators are BAFTA-nominated filmmaker Oscar Sharp and NYU AI researcher Ross Goodwin. The actors in the film are Thomas Middleditch, Elisabeth Grey, and Humphrey Ker. Their character names are H, H2, and C, living in the future. They eventually connect with each other and a love triangle forms.
Originally shown at the Sci-Fi-London film festival's 48hr Challenge, it was also released online by technology news website Ars Technica in June 2016.
