On Jan. 10 and 11, San Jose hosted the first-ever Silicon Valley AI Film Festival (SVAIFF), a self-described \u201cfusion of artificial intelligence, cinema and creative technology.\u201d<\/p>\n
Event-planning service Star Alliance Company Inc. presented<\/a> SVAIFF, which showcased a number of panels, exhibitions and film advancements in the world of AI technology.<\/p>\n The Festival primarily focused on AI\u2019s effect on cinema from artistic and business perspectives. Jonathan Yunger, a Festival partner and founder<\/a> of AI Studio Arcana Labs, presented several AI-generated film trailers. These included \u201cRevolutionary,\u201d an upcoming AI-generated docuseries on George Washington, as well as former Epic Games\u2019 Art Director Chris Perna\u2019s \u201cCosmic.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Yunger described AI as a tool for democratizing the film industry. \u201cThe barrier to entry in Hollywood is very difficult. Actual creativity is difficult \u2026 And I think [about] AI tools, and real creativity, artists in mind, that starts with humans first,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Cynthia Jiang, a co-founder of SVAIFF, spoke to the human impact of AI in filmmaking.<\/p>\n \u201cEspecially with production companies, there\u2019s a significant number that are using AI post-production. Or even developing the concept with AI from the start,\u201d she told The Daily in Mandarin. Jiang, who is a partner<\/a> at the law firm East & Partners, cited the immense economic benefits of using AI models over outsourcing production costs to human workers. She also referenced the growing trend of studios incorporating<\/a> AI into the movie-making process.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe all know about the 2023 actor and actresses strike in Hollywood. But these strikes did nothing to influence the development of AI. Absolutely nothing,\u201d Jiang said.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, she also acknowledged the resistance AI filmmaking continues to face among audiences. \u201cEspecially with older producers \u2014 we have a few clients [like that] from Beijing \u2014 they\u2019re very conservative about using AI. They continue to think that AI can\u2019t replicate the very real, human style of actors and actresses,\u201d Jiang said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Olivia Doman \u201926, spoke to this distinction. \u201cWhen you are making an AI film, you are continuously promoting a model until you achieve the desired result,\u201d she said. \u201c[With] human film making \u2026 there is so much more thought and effort that is required, and I believe that time can be seen in the results.\u201d Still, Doman \u2014 who has worked at Rodeo FX in the technology and innovation side of cinema \u2014 acknowledged that some upsides did exist, with AI models being \u201cfiscally efficient for previsualization and ideation stages.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite its name, film was only a minor focus of the Festival\u2019s scheduled programming,\u00a0with frequent panels, keynote speakers and even fashion shows occupying much of the two days. The shows, in particular, featured both human and automated models, with Unitree Robotics\u2019 G1 model serving as a dynamic humanoid performer. Human models were oftentimes dressed like living robots, with color palettes of blue, black, and silver overlayed on sleek futuristic dresses.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Festival featured speeches by a number of local elected officials, including California State Treasurer Fiona Ma.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think this film festival is opening up a lot of opportunities for new filmmakers, creatives, [and] artists who didn\u2019t necessarily have the pedigree or the training to move up the ladder in Hollywood,\u201d Ma said.\u00a0<\/p>\n