Imagine this: a US stealth bomber slices through a dark sky over Iran. In Tehran, a lone woman navigates rubble-strewn streets, feeding stray cats in the aftermath of an airstrike. It feels real, urgent, and ripped from the headlines. But here's the twist: none of it is real. The locations, the actors, the entire scene—it was all generated by artificial intelligence.
This isn't science fiction; it's the new reality of filmmaking. Directors Samir Mallal and Bouha Kazmi created this powerful 12-minute short, 'Midnight Drop,' entirely with AI, based on a single detail they read in a news report. What would have once cost millions and taken years to produce was crafted with astonishing speed, heralding what many are calling a new era in entertainment.
The Dawn of 'Cinematic News'
For creators like Mallal, an award-winning documentary maker, AI has unlocked a completely new format: “cinematic news.” His previous AI film, 'Spiders in the Sky,' recreated a Ukrainian drone attack on Russian bombers just two weeks after the event. This ability to produce high-quality, narrative-driven content “at the speed of culture” is a direct challenge to the traditionally slow pace of Hollywood.
“Using AI, it should be possible to make things that we’ve never seen before,” Mallal explains. “We’ve never seen a cinematic news piece before turned around in two weeks.”
The Tools Behind the Magic
The engine driving this revolution includes powerful AI video generation models like Google’s Veo3, OpenAI’s Sora, and Midjourney. These tools can translate simple text prompts into complex, photorealistic video sequences, complete with sound effects and background noise. The process, which Mallal calls “prompt craft,” allows directors to translate their vision into reality with a few keystrokes, adjusting camera angles, lighting, and tone on the fly.
TV producer and author Richard Osman declared that the release of these tools marked “the end of one part of entertainment history and the beginning of another.” He predicts that short-form content like ads, trailers, and TikTok videos will be majority AI-assisted by 2027.
A Revolution Across the Industry
This isn't just for indie filmmakers. The advertising world is bracing for a massive shift. David Jones, CEO of Brandtech Group, predicts that soon, 100% of brand content will be either fully or partly created using generative AI. Even streaming giants are getting in on the action, with Netflix recently revealing its first use of generative AI in a TV show.
The creative process itself is being supercharged. As Mallal puts it, “The creative process is all about making bad stuff to get to the good stuff. We have the best bad ideas faster. But the process is accelerated with AI.”
The Copyright Conundrum
This rapid innovation isn't without its challenges. A major storm is brewing over copyright. How can AI models be trained ethically? The creative industries are raising alarms about proposals to let AI models train on copyrighted work without permission, arguing that creators must be compensated for their contributions. “Creators need equity in the new system or we lose something precious,” warns peer Beeban Kidron.
How You Can Start Your AI Film Journey
Feeling inspired? You don't need a Hollywood studio to start experimenting. Here are a few tips:
- Explore the Tools: Look into platforms like OpenAI's Sora, Google's AI Test Kitchen (for tools like Veo), and other text-to-video generators.
- Master 'Prompt Craft': Learning to write detailed, descriptive prompts is key. Think like a director: specify the shot type, lighting, mood, and action.
- Start Small: Begin with short clips or single scenes to understand the capabilities and limitations of the technology.
- Combine and Create: Remember that AI is a tool. Combine AI-generated footage with your own scripts, voiceovers, and music to create something truly unique.
Summary of Key Points
- A New Genre is Born: AI is enabling the creation of “cinematic news,” turning current events into compelling films in record time.
- Speed is the Gamechanger: Production timelines are collapsing from years to mere weeks, allowing creativity to keep pace with culture.
- Powerful Tools are Here: Models like Google's Veo3 and OpenAI's Sora are at the forefront of this video generation revolution.
- Industry-Wide Impact: From indie films to major advertising campaigns and Netflix shows, generative AI is reshaping all forms of media.
- Ethical Hurdles Remain: The excitement around AI's creative potential is tempered by significant unresolved questions about copyright and artist compensation.