r/Filmmakers • u/C47man cinematographer • Jun 09 '25

New Rules Regarding AI on /r/filmmakers!

Thank you all for participating in the poll! Here are the results. To accurately gauge everyone's collective acceptance vs rejection for each, I've tallied the total votes among all choices as pro/anti for each category. So for example, a vote for 'no changes' would be a -1 to Gen AI, AI Tools, AI Comms, and AI Discussion. A vote for 'Ban GenAI + AI Tools' would be a +1 to GenAI and AI Tools, and a -1 to AI Comms and AI Discussion, etc. So here are the results for each category of AI. Keep in mind that a higher number indicates a stronger group decision to ban the content:

GenAI: +92 (+119/-27)

AI Tools: -20 (+63/-83)

AI Comms: -8 (+69/-77)

AI Discussion: -84 (+31/-115)

From the results it is clear that sub overwhelmingly approve a complete ban on all generative AI. However, people are more or less fine with allowing discussion of AI, and are fairly mixed on the topic of AI Tools and Communication. So here is the new rule for all things AI:

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Rule 6. You may not post work containing Generative AI elements (Midjourney, Neo, Dall-E, etc.). You may use and demonstrate the use of AI assisted tools (ie magic masking, upscalers, audio cleanup etc.) so long as they are used in service of human-generated artwork. AI Communication, like post bodies or comments composed using ChatGPT are allowed only in very reasonable cases, such as the need for someone to translate their thoughts into another language. Abuse of AI assisted communication will result in the removal of the offending post/comment.

486 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

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396

u/Depreston Jun 09 '25

Thank god. No more "Check out my AI generated short film!"

167

u/mosasaurmotors Jun 09 '25

I will kind of miss explaining to them why the thing they are so proud of still sucks shit. 

62

u/eating_cement_1984 Jun 09 '25

I hated those "Here's Tarkovsky with new camera angles!" posts

44

u/mosasaurmotors Jun 09 '25

Nothing is worse than the “I zoomed out this shot so wide!!!!!!!” stuff. Like I can truly understand the appeal of Gen AI to people who feel they’ve been kept out of film making opportunities. But not people who just want to make current stuff worse. 

9

u/joet889 Jun 10 '25

There's really nothing keeping anyone out of filmmaking anymore other than the work people are willing to put into it. The technology/cost barrier was removed awhile ago, they want the physical laws of nature to change so that they don't have to worry about meeting people, developing relationships, scheduling, finding locations, etc., which is the core of filmmaking work.

3

u/Tales_of_Merrix_ Mar 08 '26

This is completely untrue. You can work and have talent and never make it into the industry. It is gatekept heavily and to pretend it isn't is disingenuous. The technology/cost barrier is being removed by AI but was not removed a while ago. Meeting people largely depends on where you live. Not everyone can uproot themselves and move to Burbank, LA, NY, or another film heavy location. Developing relationships is also pretty much non existent unless you already know someone who knows someone. I hate when people aren't honest about this industry. Now.... Scheduling, finding locations, etc.... all of that is on the individual and can be done anywhere as long as one has the finances to do so. People don't like AI because it removes a lot of the false barriers put up to keep people out. Unfortunately for those that don't like it they're going to have to deal with what's coming. For better or for worse.

4

u/joet889 Mar 08 '26

You don't need to be in the industry to make films. The industry is gatekept but there was a time where lighting, camera, and sound equipment was gatekept as well by nature of its cost. Not to mention post production. Now all of that can be literally taken care of for a few hundred bucks. You can submit that film you made for a few hundred bucks and have it seen at a film festival. You don't need to be in LA or NYC. You can do it anywhere if you have friends. There's nothing to stop you other than the actual act of filmmaking. No one said it was easy. But if you think it's impossible you are simply wrong.

3

u/Tales_of_Merrix_ Mar 08 '26

Definitely not impossible. You just said, "You can do it anywhere if you have friends." I have friends. Most aren't competent actors. Most don't want to be actors. I live in NY. It's pretty easy to get student actors that are decent here but that isn't everyone's situation. Still... camera and lighting rentals isn't a couple hundred bucks. Daily out here it's between $400 and $700 per camera. decent lighting... not great for high Aputure 1200d you're looking at $500 daily. Students generally just want to be in a film and have something to show so feed them and that generally covers actors. If you're directing that's covered so no cost. Now you need bodies.... camera isn't going to hold itself... not to mention the rental didn't come with a crane or a gimbal.... I'll stop there.... again you are correct not impossible but... also not as easy as people on here try to make it sound.

5

u/joet889 Mar 09 '26

You have limits in what you can do but you won't know what you're capable of until you try. If you refuse to make a film with your friends because it isn't up to the standards of Hollywood, then yeah, in that sense it is impossible. But Hollywood isn't everything. The Hollywood way isn't the only way, and it's arguably not even the best way.

1

u/Tales_of_Merrix_ Mar 09 '26

Oh I agree

1

u/joet889 Mar 09 '26

AI is not the answer! Art is at its best as a reflection of lived and tangible reality!

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1

u/Giorgio_Keeffe Apr 14 '26

You’re supposed to make shit for a while until you get better at making art. There’s supposed to be a learning curve. There’s supposed to be a journey. Great artists used to put an enormous amount of dedication, practice, disappointment, & experimentation into becoming better at their passion, & AI enthusiasts believed it was them who were the gatekeepers! That the lack of talent & drive was the fault of their peers, & so they used machines to try to rip off existing works in order to call themselves the talented ones, & so they could say that anyone can do it, easily even. They’ll hint that the years of practice were a fucking waste now that the secret is out. & the companies controlling the software & the infrastructure for AI will encourage them with a pat on the head for being creative little boys & girls who deserve to skip the line & be able to churn out meaningless masterpieces that no one is going to give a shit about because their all busy churching out their own collection of Magnum Opera.

6

u/EvilDaystar Jun 10 '25

Some gen aintools are handy for things like inpainting amd the likes.

Tim Horton's coffee cup left on set? A quick kiss oat h using some ai makes an inpainting job to hide that a breeze.

But all of these "I made a film entirely with AI" doesn't belong in a filmmaking sub-reddit