The AI Diary: Film Industry

Oct 29, 2025

A century and a half ago, few people could read or write. Paper, pens, and a rich vocabulary were luxuries, and writers were rare enough that we still remember many of their names.

Then technology democratized the craft. Anyone could buy a notebook and a pen and write a book. Walk into a bookstore today and you’ll find titles on everything — some brilliant, others best left unread.

Film has followed a similar path, but with a bigger barrier: cost. High‑end effects, years of actor training, and large professional crews make great films expensive. A single good movie can take millions of dollars and thousands of person‑hours to produce.

AI is about to change that.

From Gatekeepers to Creators

Think about it! If you have basic video‑editing skills, a capable computer, and the imagination of a strong storyteller, you’re now the writer with a pen and notebook — except your “ink” is generative AI.

• You outline a film in vivid detail — scenes, shots, characters, moods.
• The AI tools generate scenes, frames, characters, and effects from your brief.

Effects that once cost millions can be prototyped for hundreds. Therefore AI will compress timelines and budgets, and it will open the door to a new generation of producers.

People Are Hungry

One reason platforms like Netflix, Apple TV, and Amazon Prime Video are so popular is that people want spectacle — emotion delivered through well-crafted stories and performances.

Often, when I open any of these platforms, I scan the reviews looking for a very particular story I want to see. More often than not, I end up waiting weeks or even months for “my story”. Some people wait years.

We all wait for major studios to unleash their imagination, invest millions, and release something we won’t see until a year later. But imagine opening this field to millions of home producers — some with truly brilliant ideas.

I foresee a market where strong films appear not every few weeks or months, but every few days — so frequently we won’t be able to keep up.

A New Social Wave

Up to now, platforms like YouTube and Instagram have been places where creators deliver valuable content to millions. That remains true. However, I see a new social wave: platforms emerging where home producers — and even mid-sized teams intentionally investing in this — create and release new films.

Imagine you have 1,000 followers on YouTube, Instagram, or elsewhere, and they start asking:

You listen, synthesize the best ideas, and produce the movie people want to watch.

It’s not hard to see that this will create a new market that needs managing. New platforms — Netflix-like but curated for small filmmakers — will emerge.

I think this wave is starting now!