
OpenAI's Sora Sparks Debate on AI in Filmmaking | Image Source: www.businessinsider.com
LOS ANGELES, December 15, 2024 – Sora, OpenAI’s new video production tool, has triggered a wave of discussions in the film industry, with defenders who take advantage of its cost-saving potential and criticisms highlighting concerns about creative control and job displacement. As for Business Insider, Sora launched very early this week after a pilot program in February, offering filmmakers the opportunity to generate or edit 20-second video clips using text instructions. Although their capabilities have generated many people in the creative field, the implications of this technology remain conflicting.
Sora’s deployment marks an important moment in the evolution of AI tools within the film industry. According to Business Insider, Michaela Ternasky-Holland, one of the first adopters, showed a short film created with Sora in 2024 Tribeca Film Festival. He described the tool’s ability to generate visual effects for nozzles as a potential game change, but emphasized its limitations. “These things give you an illusion of control. And no matter how good the generations are, there is still someone behind them who encourages him,” he said. Despite his promise, Ternasky-Holland noted that Sora is fighting with more complex tasks, like generating scenes with multiple characters.
The growing role of AI in the preview and graphic screen
Industry experts suggest that tools like Sora are suitable to preview, or create animated scripts to test rhythm and flow. Dana Polan, professor of film studies at the Tisch School at the University of New York, highlighted relatively limited concerns about AI visual tools in relation to text generators. “The script is often considered the first act of creativity,” Polan said, adding that other film roles such as cinematography are already seen as adaptations to the writer’s vision. Meanwhile, George Huang, a professor at UCLA School of Theatre, Film and Television, pointed out that the negative image of AI is largely comprised of Hollywood itself, which has popularized divisional accounts of technology in countless films.
Huang acknowledged that, although Sora cannot yet be adapted to inclusion in finished films, its possible applications for launch reels and economic overview are undeniable. Other AI tools, such as those developed by Runway, have already demonstrated the ability of technology to speed up publishing processes, with high-profile examples that include work for ”The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and the Oscar winner “All Everywhere at only”
Challenges and opportunities for independent filmmakers
For independent filmmakers, Sora’s introduction presents a mixture of opportunity and caution. Michael Gilkison, a Kentucky filmmaker whose recent project “The Finland Line” was launched on Amazon Prime Video, described how AI enabled him to generate complex visual effects such as a crushed car, a task that would have been prohibitive of costs a few decades ago. “As a producer, I would use it to reduce costs, but it’s about balance,” says Gilkison. While AI reduces costs, he warned that by overtrusting it, one could film its authenticity.
Similarly, Tahsis Fairley, a creative student at Chapman University, highlighted the efficiency gains offered by tools such as Sora. “We can test new visual ideas without investing large sums of money,” he said in an email to Business Insider. However, Fairley also expressed concern about potential job losses, particularly in areas such as animation, referring to a Christmas Coca-Cola announcement created entirely with AI as an example of how traditional functions could be replaced by automated solutions.
Current Sora Limits
Despite the optimism surrounding Sora, technology is still in its early stages. According to Michaela Ternasky-Holland, the latest versions of Sora showed slower development progress, especially in the generation of high-quality scenes with multiple elements. This limitation, along with the effect of the Incanny Valley that ravages many images generated by AI, means that widespread adoption in finished films can still be far away.
However, the usefulness of the tool for pre-production processes, such as creating a conceptual visual and testing new ideas, continues to attract attention. According to Dana Polan, Sora could help filmmakers illustrate complex scenes during launches or refine the pace during the storyboard phase. George Huang shared similar sentiments, predicting that the full implementation of AI-generated visual in finished films could occur next year.
The future of cinema with AI
Profitability is one of Sora’s most important outlets. By reducing financial barriers to entry, technology has the potential to democratize cinema, allowing independent creators to compete with major studies. Huang emphasized that the ability to reduce costs could lead to an increase in indie productions and blockbuster films, with studies using IV to reduce their budgets while maintaining high visual quality.
However, savings are offset. As Huang pointed out, students and emerging filmmakers are generally more receptive to new technologies, but experienced professionals remain sceptical about the creative commitments associated with AI tools. Tahsis Fairley highlighted the dual nature of the IV, noting that its effectiveness increases with its potential to move jobs. “It’s about balancing the use of AI to push boundaries and preserve the human elements that make films unique,” Fairley said.
As for Business Insider, OpenAI has not yet responded to critics’ concerns, leaving unanswered questions about Sora’s wider impact and similar technologies on the film industry. Although Sora’s current iteration cannot yet be ready for the first time, its rapid evolution suggests that AI will play an increasingly important role in shaping the future of visual narrative. If this transformation leads to a more inclusive and creative industry or dominated by cost reduction remains.