Humans, AI and Filmmaking...
Methods used for this overview of my trip to Cannes Film Festival and Marché du Film are similar to how the VFX/filmmaking world is evolving right now: human creation > AI tools > human finish.
I took manual notes of each talk on my phone’s Notes app, dropped them into ChatGPT, then spent time editing what you see here. In VFX and filmmaking, it’s becoming a similar process: it’s business as usual for the most part, but boosted by various AI tools.
Overall, the key message from Cannes was loud and clear: our industry is evolving faster than ever before.
From director Shekhar Kapur opening an AI school for 11+ year-olds in Mumbai’s Dharavi slum, to filmmakers utilising virtual production and AI to offer extensive environments from Auschwitz for the first time, Marché du Film’s talks were a showcase of both technology and humanity.
Some overall speaker sentiments:
🔹 AI is not replacing us, it’s empowering us. One speaker called it a “back pocket superpower.” It’s saving time by streamlining processes, helping test ideas quickly, and bringing new energy into visual storytelling.
Studios like Dimension are using AI across their entire pipeline, “with ethical policies and transparency baked in”. MacGuff’s ‘Face Engine’ tool created 4 new jobs (developers), adding that “it’s an exciting time for visual effects”.
Alps Studios have become part of a collective in Italy to create their own production hub, meaning more control of IP through strategic partnerships. They have also been utilising various AI tools to create one “mega-app” in-house, to help elevate the pre-visualisation output for clients.
Those I spoke to throughout the festival all cited that AI is (so far) not seen a threat to their business, with many agreeing that tariff talks and wars are doing far more damage to the industry than AI. Read the latest Nostradamus Report, which featured in the Marché program, here.
🔹 Virtual Production (VP) was said to have had a somewhat tainted legacy and as it’s evolved so much since the peak media buzz of 2022 – it’s time we market VP/pre-production as just part of the production pipeline now. As Frank Murray, CEO of Hangtime International Pictures and Hi-Magnet, put it, “We don’t even say VP anymore. It’s just production.”
🔹 Owning IP is the “Holy Grail”. Direct-to-consumer content, new financing models (including fan-funded IPs) and maintaining control away from the usual business model (and in some cases, the big studios/streamers), is key for innovation, speed and increased content output.
🔹 A global collaboration. Speakers, and those I met throughout the festival, all touted collaboration as being key to success, and how companies should let go of having a highly competitive and singular mindset. Knowledge and partnerships are important, especially in a volatile market.
Tax incentives are shaping where and how we make films, with one speaker predicting that Abu Dhabi will become one of the most favourable filmmaking locations due to their current “aggressive” investment.
🔹 The traditional studio model is being redefined. One speaker pointed out: “Shareholders control the likes of Disney now, not the producers.” Meanwhile, indie filmmakers are becoming more strategic, financing projects against tax credits and tapping into a “new equity”: public funding.
🔹 Across the board, there’s a push for skill diversification, collaboration, and honest conversations. Whether it’s educators learning from students, or filmmakers sharing what not to do, this is a community evolving in real time.
Cradle BUas’ Zoltan Batho G stated that educators need to ensure students are prepared for the real world, “Students may have excellent grades but without on-set and real job experience, they are not prepared for a real work environment.” On future skills, Zoltan continued, “you can’t just become an animator and work for big studios for 10 years anymore, people need to diversify their skills to evolve with the industry.”
Director Ari Aster and Producer Lars Knudsen have launched ‘Square Peg’ to help nurture a new generation of filmmakers to avoid the typical pitfalls, from who controls what in contracts, to finding the right financiers to suit your style. This kicks off with a social gathering in New York later this year.
Amidst all the innovation and AI talks, one message was clear:
✨ Creativity will always be human.
Whether it’s AI, XR, VP, or VFX, what stood out the most was the drive to tell stories that matter, stay uniquely creative, challenge the norm, and rethink the pipeline without drowning in the noise.
A massive thanks to everyone who shared, challenged, and inspired.
Should you go to Cannes?
Cannes seems to be a place where anything and everything can happen (sometimes all at once). From finding out about the latest filmmaking developments, to watching premieres weeks or months before general release, to bumping into famous faces (Succession’s Jeremy Strong wandered solo, sipping a smoothie, whilst I tucked into tea and cake at a side street cafe) – it’s a real cacophony of business and pleasure.
As two examples of what Cannes can offer, I was lucky enough to meet director and producer David Straiton (Narcos, House MD, Star Trek, The Good Doctor) who very kindly gave me time to interview him about filmmaking, and his experience with VFX teams. Watch the video, here.
Then, on my last day, I offered to cover a moderator spot on a talk on the ‘Transformative Impact of AI on Filmmaking’ and instead was asked to join as a panelist! Thanks to the knowledge I now have, garnered from our wonderful VFX community and industry talks, I was able to represent the VFX industry in what was a popular talk, held within the India Pavilion. This talk was organised by the FICCI.
To summarise: if you love watching movies and/or mingling with decision makers, innovators and filmmakers (and don’t mind crowded streets, hectic A to B missions to catch talks, and an overwhelm of activities), then I recommend it. Even more so if your company will pay for the expenses (it’s not cheap) – hence why I wanted to share my notes with you today.
I hope you found it insightful!
Thanks for reading.
Hayley