Abstract
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become some sort of buzzword. Within media industries, AI has been topical in journalism. Generally, creative enterprises such as film industries, which valorize human creativity, have been slow or resistant to take up AI. While AI and other technologies have been the subjects of cinematic spectacle in movies, computational innovation is now making films. Established film industries have increasingly adopted AI in the production and distribution of cinematic content. Generative AI tools such as ChatGpt are being used, among other things, to draft scripts and story outlines. More complex systems are used in the creation of audio and visual effects and operation of unmanned aerial systems (UAS). The paper explores what AI, as a concept and product, means to African film industries, using the case study of South Africa. It examines how selected film studios in South Africa have grappled with this modern-day phenomenon both in their production practices and the content of their films. The study takes as its starting point, the COVID-19 pandemic, which encouraged remote working and, in many cases, classified content producers as non-essential. This reality exerted pressure on film industries to innovate. The study examines how South African filmmakers are utilizing AI in the ‘new normal’ and what new affordances and concerns this has ushered in. It also investigates the challenges that the introduction of AI brings to traditional models of content creation and distribution. The study uses archival content and interview data with filmmakers.
Presenters
Oswelled UrekeSenior Lecturer, Communication and Media, University of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2024 Special Focus—Images and Imaginaries from Artificial Intelligence
KEYWORDS
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, FILM, SOUTH AFRICA, NEW NORMAL
