Former Prime Video UK chief Chris Bird has launched two AI ventures aimed at empowering content creators. One of them is a collaboration with documentary director Dan Hartley.
Bird is behind HawksHead AI, a predictive data analytics platform, and CineMe AI, an AI-powered development he co-founded. the boy who lived Director Hartley.
Bird, who left Amazon last year as managing director of Prime Video UK, has been building a new business behind the scenes, which he is currently launching at the Cannes Film Festival.
HawksHead AI is touted as a data analytics platform that helps content creators predict how a project will perform with their audience from a script or synopsis in the early stages of development.
Using proprietary AI tools and a private database, HawksHead provides incisive analysis of a project’s likelihood of performance within specific audience groups and offers actionable guidance on how to adjust your script, casting, or creative approach to improve response. The “Synthesis Panel” feature allows authors to proactively test changes, evaluate results, and get feedback within hours.
Bird hopes this will allow creators to jointly earn commissions and secure investment from broadcasters and streamers.
CineMe is brought to you by Bird and Hartley, a featured documentary on HBO and Sky. David Holmes: The Boy Who Livedabout harry potter BAFTA and Emmy Award-nominated stunt performer) is marketed as a “pioneering, accessible, and affordable AI-powered visual development tool for filmmakers.”
In fact, use scripts to automatically create visual storyboards of relevant photorealistic images in seconds. The founders say this will enable collaboration between producers, directors, production designers, cinematographers, locations, costume designers and VFX teams, simplifying the way ideas are shared and saving “significantly” time and money.
This tool is aimed at everyone from big-name Hollywood film producers to independent grassroots creators. Coming soon will be generative AI VFX capabilities that allow complex visual effects like explosions and large-scale set pieces to be realized entirely using AI.
“The old way of making requests based on who you know and who you can deploy is rapidly changing,” Bird says. “Streamers and platforms have been using sophisticated data analytics to make investment decisions for years, and that data has been their proprietary preserve.
“Now, through HawksHead AI and CineMe, we are leveling the playing field, putting the same power into the hands of British filmmakers and content creators when it matters most – before a single frame is shot. As AI-produced content becomes more mainstream, the ability to optimize audience engagement will become increasingly important. We exist to help creators make the best decisions with the best data available.”
Hartley said CineMe was “born out of frustration with a slow and cumbersome system for getting projects off the ground,” adding, “There are no accessible and affordable visual development tools outside of the studio system. We’re changing that for existing filmmakers looking to simplify the production process and for the next generation of content creators across film, television, and web-based media.”
CineMe is currently in beta testing and “includes a range of sensitive and featured titles.” Anonymous “key advisors and industry names from the film, technology and investment sectors” are participating, and an announcement is expected “soon.”
Mr. Hartley and Mr. Bird also established the CineMe Future Fund, which will donate 5% of the company to a charitable trust with the aim of providing enterprise-grade AI to employees in screen-based creative industries. Hartley, a freelancer who has been hit hard by the economic uncertainty caused by the pandemic and Hollywood strikes, hopes the fund will start conversations about supporting those most vulnerable to disruption.
“During my 20-year career, I have had the opportunity to work with some of the biggest names in the British film industry and have seen first-hand how important it is to align a team around a creative vision,” said Hartley. “We believe CineMe’s role is to support the next generation of storytellers and filmmakers by providing access to affordable tools that change the way movies are developed, produced and distributed. Before CineMe, people had to wait until a movie was finished before they could see it. Now, that’s no longer necessary.”
Bird added: “After 15 years at Amazon, I’ve seen first-hand how new technology can help reduce costs, improve decision-making and increase efficiency, and I’m excited to bring that ethos to the UK content creation space with CineMe. We’re on the precipice of major change in our industry, and CineMe is perfectly placed to help creators bring their vision to screen more easily than ever.”
The news comes after Deadline’s Breaking Buzz revealed David Holmes, who played Daniel Radcliffe’s stunt double in the film. harry potter before a tragic accident occurred on the set of Deathly Hallows: Part 1 He was paralyzed from the waist down and was looking for a doctor for Harley. the boy who lived For a stage play.
