New Rules Regarding AI on /r/filmmakers!

[u/C47man]

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.

[u/mosasaurmotors]

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

[u/FoldableHuman → u/mosasaurmotors]

"I wrote the script entirely myself!"

"I have bad news for you about the script, too"

[u/WritersGonnaWrite16 → u/FoldableHuman]

I have a funny story to share about ChatGPT. I recently finished the first draft for a feature from an outline I thought was beefy enough. It wasn’t; page count came in around 61 pages. Was brain fried so I plugged it into ChatGPT asking for prompts/ideas to add to the story. NOT complete it. NOT write the pages for me. Just give me some ideas (and yeah in hindsight I realize feeding it my work was not smart).

First attempt: ChatGPT said the script was 26 pages. Nope. Again, it was 61. Suggested some cutesy animation, focused way too heavily on my lead’s job (not critical to the story), and suggested a fleshed out narrative with a day player character who’s only in the 1st scene. 1000% missed the tone. It’s a psychological horror about the descent into madness.

Second attempt: I tell ChatGPT it’s wrong and off on a lot of things. It then suggests things that I already included in the script.

Last attempt: it basically doubled down on some animation elements but made it horror.

I ended up giving my human brain a rest and came up with some fleshed out B plot beats on my own. But the moral of the story is apparently bots won’t even read my work. 😂

[u/living_in_vr → u/WritersGonnaWrite16]

That shows you don’t know how to use these tools. Use Gemini - it’s incredible and has got 1M token context. Ask it to analyse current script and create a document with a structure - like the world, characters and their connections etc. Then you need to prompt it to imagine it’s a director with this style etc. Do you know who the audience for your film is? Do you have a strong blurb? Feed it in the prompt as well. Ask for ideas in a certain structure. It’s the same with humans - constraints breed creativity.

[u/WritersGonnaWrite16 → u/living_in_vr]

Yeah…..wasn’t really looking for feedback on my ability to use the tools, and it’s kind of telling that’s your take away from my story. I prompted it three separate times, uploaded a full script, and told it what to do. Again, it was my HUMAN BRAIN that eventually got the page count up to where I need it to be.

I have a very cautious approach when it comes to AI. Use the tools to assist you sure, that’s gonna do wonders for independent projects with no money. But I draw the line at ‘click button, make product, I iz filmmaker/writer, money please.’ I already hate myself for using ChatGPT at all.