AI overview
AI is increasingly influencing the role of directors in both scripted, unscripted TV and film. Directors are starting to use new AI tools that can support and assist from pre-production planning and shot design to real-time feedback during filming. AI-powered systems allow directors to experiment with multiple creative choices, analyse potential outcomes, and make data-informed decisions faster than ever. These advancements enable directors to focus more deeply on storytelling while benefiting from streamlined workflows and enhanced visual insights.
AI can improve previsualisation of a production, film, location or set with increasing accuracy, enabling directors to clearly see and understand creative implications, enabling some elements of decision-making to take place without the high costs of a production in progress.
AI offers the opportunity to improve the efficiency of collaboration between the director and production teams. By automating repetitive tasks, such as shot list creation, storyboarding, and scene tracking, AI tools allow directors to spend more time on high-level creative decisions.
As the potential benefits of AI grow, directors in high-end television and film are finding themselves increasingly able to improve the balance between creative control and production efficiency.
So what is AI?
Put simply, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a goal. It’s an ambition to program machines and software to behave in a way that seems human-like or ‘intelligent’.
Rather than simply obeying instructions AI systems aim to reason, learn, communicate and make decisions – mimicking the kind of traits we associate with humans.
Before you read further, have a look at the ScreenSkills AI 101 page (also linked in the resources section below).
How are directors starting to use AI in 2025?
Script development and breakdown
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- AI helps transpose notes across multiple script drafts, break down scenes for planning, and summarise documents. It also checks for missed opportunities or suggests creative alternatives.
Concept visualisation and planning
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- Rough sketches or ideas can be translated into immersive images, video, or scene mock-ups. This supports communication of camera blocking, tone, and mood across departments.
Casting and audience insight
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- AI assistants can analyse scripts to suggest casting options. Some tools even predict how different casting choices may be received by the intended audience.
Reference management and pitch creation
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- AI helps catalogue and retrieve creative references, adapt them for use in pitch decks, and generate structured visual material from mood boards or scrapbooks.
Logistics and decision support
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- Supports planning by offering draft schedules, risk assessments, and budgeting insights, while also helping negotiate or resolve challenges with scenario-based suggestions.
On-set tracking and continuity
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- Machine vision tools can automatically track character positions, costumes and props, helping maintain continuity in complex scenes or across multiple units.
Virtual environments and alternative shooting options
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- AI-generated virtual locations and sets can replace physical builds or costly locations. This enables earlier look dev and new approaches to location-dependent scenes.
Creative direction without traditional pipelines
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- Some directors are exploring AI to generate entire sequences or films from text, sketches or clips, bypassing conventional production workflows altogether.
Editorial and review assistance
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- AI supports scene segmentation, visual indexing, and thumbnail generation, making it easier to review structure and assemble edits.
Sound and score suggestions
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- AI tools offer initial music ideas for temp scores or mood setting, supporting early cuts before composers are brought in.
How is AI limited in helping a director?
AI can have a place supporting and enabling the role of a director to be even better, and perhaps creating new artforms alongside traditional film and TV. However, as long as we continue to value collaboration, AI is not going to replace the creative drive or the authentic story and performance.
Care must be taken around the use of AI assistants in real-time moments, especially if it might interrupt the instinctive, immersive creative flow. The value of analogue and tactile modes can be meaningful and helpful when compared to immersive digital tools that require constant context switching.
Preparing for the future as a director
To prepare for the future, directors can consider learning about emerging AI-driven tools that support creative processes, improve efficiency and critically enhance communication with others. By developing familiarity with AI for pre-visualisation, audience analytics, and real-time production feedback, directors can use these tools to their advantage while maintaining control over their creative vision.
There is a future possibility for high-end television and film to create rapid and accurate immersive prototypes of scenes and shots, along with the ability to simulate the cost, time and technical impact of decisions. Directors might have the opportunity to step through the production process in a meaningful creative way before engaging with the entire crew on set. Although being inspired by the moment is very important, pre-visualisation insight can give directors the opportunity to reduce the number of large or wholesale changes of direction onset, saving time and money in the process. If used effectively, it could help the production team stay focused and direct resources to the elements and areas that will bring about the most benefit.
We are gradually transitioning from a world of spreadsheets to one of AI assistants with much larger data sets and automation processes. Future skills in creating simple automated routines with a few different AI algorithms linked together for repeated tasks could be leveraged for great efficiency and insight. Becoming familiar with the kinds of tools on offer now will stand you in great stead, as they become more effective and powerful, expect a lot of change and improvement quickly.
Engaging in training through ScreenSkills and other online resources will be valuable for directors aiming to stay at the forefront of the industry. Directors who embrace these new technologies will be better equipped to lead their crews. Delivering a blend of technical understanding and precision with great creative flair.
It is worth considering how you are storing, sharing and organising your own data, as this could help you. Imagine a custom AI assistant (that only you have access to) that knows all of your past choices and decisions, and can help you with admin and suggestions for new ideas and concepts. Keeping a private digital copy of your work, with as much data attached to it as possible, could prove very valuable when training an AI to do this.
These resources help directors stay proficient in using AI tools, enabling them to harness the efficiency of these technologies while upholding their creative vision across all stages of production.
A few final thoughts from freelance directors
“Instinct is absolutely the artist’s best friend... when we rationalise, we talk ourselves out of so much.”
“Technological tools should reduce noise and friction rather than add layers of structure.”
Links to other ScreenSkills resources
Discover the director job profiles in:
Explore more AI-related training, events and opportunities with ScreenSkills
Read AI 101, an overview of some aspects of AI in the UK film and TV industry