philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

A Wannabe ‘Pixar of AI’ is Signing Up Stars

...

In a nutshell, Asteria is using AI to speed up projects and help human artists make better use of their time by using tech that’s trained on their work to do things like test out different visual concepts or convert storyboards to animatics. 

The ultimate goal of all of this is to become the “Pixar of AI” and, in fact, they’ve hired some employees who were laid off from the storied company. (Not to say that established animation heavyweights like Disney, Pixar and DreamWorks aren’t using AI. They are.)

The tech helps them keep costs down, and Mooser tells me the sweet spot is under $10 million per project. That means they’re able to take risks on projects that wouldn’t see the light of day at a traditional studio — whether because they’re too expensive or not in line with that particular company’s current brand persona — and use an indie financing model that gives backend to creatives. ...

In this issue, you’ll learn . . .

• How a potential new AI-based studio model could soon become the norm
• How much time Asteria’s AI tools promise to shave off development — and the opportunities that creates for an indie studio to compete
• How Asteria is trying to solve AI’s original sin
• Why the company believes movies made with its AI tools will still be copyrightable
• Asteria’s bold profit-participation model — and whether talent dealmakers think it can work
• The major questions top lawyers ask before considering a backend deal
• Why dealmakers say Hollywood’s attitudes about AI are changing

...

See the full story here: https://theankler.com/p/asteria-film-wannabe-pixar-of-ai-natasha-lyonne-bryn-mooser?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share