Divergent producer Pouya Shahbazian is launching a new AI-driven studio with ambitious plans for the coming years. Based on Veronica Roth’s bestselling book series, Divergent was a major player in the young adult dystopian boom of the 2010s. The film franchise, starring Shailene Woodley, Theo James, and Kate Winslet, followed Tris as she navigated a rigidly structured society based on apтιтude—Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless, and Erudite—uncovering dangerous secrets along the way.
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Shahbazian is set to launch Staircase Studios AI, an artificial intelligence-driven film, TV, and gaming studio. The company will use its proprietary AI software development, ForwardMotion, which aims to produce studio-quality films for under $500,000 each. Shahbazian’s studio plans to release around 30 low-budget movies over the next three to four years, starting with its debut feature, The Woman With Red Hair.
What Starcase Studios AI Means For Hollywood
From Cost Cutting To AI-Driven Oscar Wins
Despite the demands of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strikes, which aimed to protect actors and writers from AI’s encroachment on their jobs, artificial intelligence has only become more prevalent in Hollywood over the last few years. Many filmmakers have turned to AI as a tool for efficiency and cost reduction, with some of the biggest Oscar films incorporating AI into their creative process.
The Brutalist recently came under fire when it used AI technology to perfect the Hungarian spoken by Best Actor winner Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones. Similarly, Emilia Perez, which was nominated for 13 Academy Awards, utilized AI to increase the vocal range of lead actor Karla Sofía Gascón. Paul Schrader, the Oscar-nominated writer of Taxi Driver, also faced backlash for defending the use of ChatGPT in creating ideas for a script when asking, “Why should writers sit around for months searching for a good idea when AI can provide one in seconds?“
As those behind and in front of the camera have embraced AI in the filmmaking process, the opportunity has grown for mᴀss-produced AI-projects, with Staircase Studios’ first film already underway. Directed by Brett Stuart, The Woman With Red Hair is an AI-generated film featuring the work of a variety of screenwriters, directors, actors, and animators, with character designs by former Pixar executive Teddy Newton (The Incredibles) and artwork by Emmy-winning animator Alfred Gimeno (Kung Fu Panda).
Our Take On Starcase Studios AI
AI Has No Place In The Art Of Film
I’m not exaggerating when I say that the first five minutes of Starcase Studios’ feature film are objectively not great. The facial expressions and full-body movements of The Woman With Red Hair characters are particularly uncanny, and there is no doubt that the film is missing out on a level of emotional resonance, despite it being a story about a young student’s determined protests against Nazi Germany.
Maybe I’m an idealist, but I don’t think film is a medium where one must “cut costs” at every turn. It’s disheartening to see the broader industry embracing this kind of technology, no matter how inevitable the inclusion of AI into everyday life may seem, as talented creators are consistently underpaid and overworked.
Source: THR
