real artists thrive in constraints. an interesting character having an interesting story arc in an interesting place can all be done at any budget. throwing hundreds of millions at spectacle is missing the point.
James Cameron Says Blockbuster Movies Can Only Survive If We ‘Cut the Cost in Half’; He’s Exploring How AI Can Help Without ‘Laying Off the Staff’
Submitted 5 weeks ago by TheImpressiveX@lemm.ee to movies@lemm.ee
https://variety.com/2025/film/news/james-cameron-blockbuster-movies-ai-cut-costs-1236365081/
Comments
Num10ck@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club 5 weeks ago
There was a scene in a 70’s movie that James Cameron worked on that needed a computer animated tracking shot of a city. They couldn’t afford the computer time, so they put reflective tape on black painted blocks and manipulated the lighting levels to make it look like the shot was from a computer.
Maybe do more of that.
thessnake03@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
They did the same thing in Escape from New York. The tech existed to make a wire frame nyc skyline when they flew snake in. But the GC was too expensive, so they built a model.
NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone 5 weeks ago
Maybe we can get AI to watch it too.
Reverendender@sh.itjust.works 5 weeks ago
I mean, we definitely can
charade_you_are@sh.itjust.works 5 weeks ago
Whatever douchebag, just keep pumping out Avatar bullshit
slaneesh_is_right@lemmy.org 5 weeks ago
I don’t mind his avatar stuff. At worst they are just not good. But they still push boundaries with cgi. But his ai remaster slop is just infuriating
charade_you_are@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
The newest one that came out was too much for me. I had to stop watching a little over halfway through the movie due to the weirdness of the cgi/ai slop you’re talking about. Plus, the depth of all the avatar movie plots are shallow at best and couldn’t keep my attention at all. I’ll get used to the graphics someday but these movies are not very interesting outside of the tech innovation. lol, late reply. sorry
BigMikeInAustin@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
Yes. Use AI to replace the CEO and suddenly more works gets done without having to capitulate to whinny people, and it is a whole lot cheaper.
Reverendender@sh.itjust.works 5 weeks ago
Alexstarfire@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
I will be shocked if what we currently have can help in any meaningful way.
Feel like it would be more useful for B movies because all the thing AI doesn’t get quite right won’t be as big a deal. No one wants to go see the next Avenger and see a poster in the background with gibberish in it. Or Thor having an extra thumb for a few frames.
pivot_root@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
You would think that the guy who produced two movies that are thinly veiled criticisms of humanity exploiting the environment and disturbing native inhabitants for profit would not be supporting the exploitative shit that uses enougy electricity to power an entire city.
Reverendender@sh.itjust.works 5 weeks ago
An exploiting them with advanced technology no less
jerkface@lemmy.ca 5 weeks ago
Why would we want big budget studio movies to survive? Been waiting for them to die for decades.
Reverendender@sh.itjust.works 5 weeks ago
Dude. Make some sick models and puppets, on the cheap. You killed it with Aliens; time to return to your roots, or get out of the game.
halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
This 100%. CGI should be used to enhance traditional special effects, not replace them entirely.
Also, planning properly for CGI can dramatically reduce both the cost and quality of CG. For instance, recording reference lighting to provide the CG team so they can more accurately make any fully-rendered elements. Don’t just say “they’ll fix it in post”. That’s where CG cost skyrockets.
Reverendender@sh.itjust.works 5 weeks ago
And if your practical effects are good enough, you don’t need CGI at all. Look how the CGI in The Thing remake absolutely fucked up their beatiful puppet monsters, so that everything looks so off that it destroyed willing suspension of disbelief.