Joey Dowd and Michael Sioni Two big product updates from Adobe at NAB are: Text-based editing in Premiere Support for still images in Camera to Cloud (read our article on the Frame.io update here). But in a conversation with Michael Cioni, Senior Director of Global Innovation at Adobe, the Firefly discussion took an interesting turn. Generative AI models from AdobeThe Future of AI in Media Production.
Our conversation explored the integration of AI tools into Adobe products and the broader impact of AI-driven technology on the creative process. Michael shared his insights on how the move to generative AI solutions can drastically reduce traditional media production, transform the landscape of creative roles, and reshape how content is consumed.
His thought-provoking perspective on the inevitability of these changes and the importance of adapting to them prompted us to ponder the role of human creativity in this rapidly evolving environment. GPT-4 also wrote most of the foreword to this article in the context of the transcript, but the interview was conducted on IRL (you can watch the video below).
The transcript has also been slightly edited and condensed for clarity.
filmmaker: Speaking of AI, do you see future developments for the Frame.io platform of tools to help organize footage? or even tag and identify objects, such as using them as a media library.
Choni: absolutely. See, AI is going to be the most polarizing carnage of the last 20 years. It’s going to be really incredible. It will happen really fast.And there will be people on all sides of these issuesAdobe is actually building a system, Firefly, which is a generative AI solution. And that’s part of our ability to make sure copyright is taken into account. These are the things that really matter to the Adobe brand and to make sure they are taken into consideration.
My advice to cinematographers, photographers and creatives in general is: The percentage of images taken or recorded worldwide for production is decreasing. News and sports are different because news and sports cannot be generated. But when it comes to stories and elements like that, a big shift is going to happen. You want to position yourself in a business, a company, a technology that really supports a world that can create more than you can imagine, right? Actors’ contracts will also change. [There will be] The legal ability to buy someone’s likeness and produce it in exchange for paying to have it photographed. This is going to be really, really different.
So I am thrilled with the opportunity.I don’t know exactly how it will unfold, but I’m pretty sure it will unfold [result in] It’s cheaper to produce than to shoot, which greatly reduces overall production. P.Loductions looking for savings like that will go right there. If you fight this technological change, I think you’ll fail. Doing the wrong amount of calories and the wrong problem will waste your energy and still put you in a difficult situation.
So lean into it. People fought digital cinema the same way they fought digital cinema 10, 15, 20 years ago. There were also people who said, “I won’t shoot unless it’s film.” It’s a silly argument. People said, ‘We’re not him shooting 4K, we don’t need 4K’. Some people argue that HDR should not be used. They waste their energy on small problems.
The big question is what to produce, what to shoot and how it will change. When you edit, do you edit it or do you edit itself? Computer editing will begin to replace a lot of creative editing at some level. I’m not saying the weather is good or bad. I’m just reporting the weather here.
I don’t really know how that will play out, but I’m trying to position myself in a learning and listening attitude.I think Adobe does the same.Learn and listen. As for the situation, it’s a lot of unknowns, and sitting back and watching it puts you in a situation where many creatives compromise. I think it will. So my advice is to actively learn, read, try, test and see where you are on the other side of this transition, be it digital, 4K, files, tapes, etc. On the side where growth and opportunity are still associated with it.
filmmaker: When we actually say less filming and less overall production, I think the production is generating backgrounds, photographing people, compositing them, which in turn generates people as well. are you there?
Choni: Many people have seen a camera test with camera A and camera B. They post it and say, “This is a test shot of camera A and camera B.” Can you tell me which one is better? can you tell me the difference? people love to do it. In three years you will see, ‘Is this human human or is it generated?’
Filmmaker: the pope really wearing a white puffy jacket?
Choni: right. Please tell me the difference. Start applying 24 images per second with this beautiful generative AI. This will inevitably occur. Then suddenly you can start spawning actors. image can be generated. In other words, advertising agencies and fashion don’t pay for supermodels. Doesn’t it wrinkle? It’s easier and faster than paying a model $1 million and a photographer $100,000 to shoot. [the spot].
I know it disrupts the market, but this is what it’s trying to do. I’m just saying it’s inevitable. When humans are actually generated in motion, the difference is indistinguishable, easy and fast. So is something like a sitcom better than him paying seven actors $1 million per episode, or generating them and paying nothing per episode?
Filmmaker: One thing about generative models is that they build on what humans have already created. If algorithms could edit videos to generate people in the future, do you think there is a place for human creativity? Where does human creativity come from?
Choni: You generate what is generated, right? And we draw from all these experiences. This is part of what Adobe Firefly is trying to do, to make sure we know where these images come from and where the material came from.
See, I don’t have an answer. I’m just saying this is your chance to find a way to make sure the right creative is relevant to this change. they always do. When digital still cameras came along, people said, “Oh, that’s the end of photography.” Not at all, right? It’s just changed. The same goes for digital cameras. “Oh, this is going to plummet the quality of the movie.” No, it actually made it a better quality.
We have to be open to what this unlocks and find ways to make sure our creative impressions, creative opportunities and creative outlets are still there, but they are a different envelope. will be in It’s a chance. It will create something very new and amazing that we have never thought of before.
Even scrolling feeds are served algorithmically. What if person A likes something different than person B likes in the same program? If person A likes a certain type of drink and shops at L.A., it’s there, and if person B likes a different drink and shops at TJ Maxx, it’s a version of that. And it’s the same show. Those little nuances become possible and automatic. Just know the zip code you’re in and what’s there, and if you like Taco Bell, Credit Card knows it. So all these things are taken into account. All of a sudden, they’re eating at Taco Bell on the show and at Chili’s on the same episode in another area.
People have to stand by it, make sure it works, make sure it looks authentic, suspend disbelief and tell great stories. But the way we present it is going to be a little less than saying “lights, camera, action” to achieve the record.
I think we’ve learned a little bit from the video game community. Because they generate these images, videos, edits, etc. These are all early versions of this. Things like Unreal Engine and Unity will be very powerful. I can’t wait to see where it goes.
Filmmaker: yeah that’s really cool. This would be a good conversation for him to look back 10 years from now and see what the deal was.
Joey Daoud is a media producer and agency founder. New Territory MediaHe is also an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose previous work has streamed on Netflix, The New York Times and National Geographic.you can follow him Tweetr and YouTubeeposts videos about gear, content, and marketing.
