Demystifying AI: Filmmaker Simon Ball’s journey from traditional to AI

Image: (c) Simon Ball

Demystifying AI, offered by the ScreenSkills Film Skills Fund with contributions from UK film productions, is a webinar for anyone interested in learning about how AI might be used within filmmaking.

This session features UK filmmaker, Simon Ball, who shares his experience of using AI in filmmaking and how AI can be applied practically to the filmmaking process. The webinar dives into a brief history of AI image generation, its potential to contribute to filmmaking and how AI can work hand-in-hand with creative thinking in filmmaking.

"After making the same film over and over again for the best part of 5 years, I discovered the wacky world of AI image generation. Not content with just making functional imagery, I devised a novel method of utilising AI in the filmmaking process, bringing me great success on the festival circuit and greatly boosting my career trajectory. We’ll dive into a very brief history of AI image generation, how AI can be applied practically within the filmmaking process and how creative thinking can ensure that even the greediest of tech bro can’t steal an artform." - Simon Ball

Image © Simon Ball features the filmmaker (Simon) juxtaposed with his AI-generated portrait, illustrating his journey from traditional to future tech.

Watch the video or read the full transcript below.

About our speaker

Simon Ball is a filmmaker from Clapham, London. Since graduating from university he has worked at major motion picture studios, small production houses, his own studio, national political campaigns, farmers markets, film festivals, disaster response and everything else in between. He managed to beat the BFI and Lucasfilm in an Oscar-qualifying short film competition with a short film he made whilst juggling his 6-month old daughter with a newly invented technological process. His follow up short is now doing the rounds in other festivals while he produces videos for national health organisations and cultural bodies in between trips. He also organises the Clapham International Film Festival, and will produce a feature during the summer to pass the time.

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