Behind scenes and on screen of future: how neural networks transform cinema in five years?

Imagine a world where the most thrilling film of the year is made by a teenager from an African village on a smartphone, and a renowned Russian director virtually collaborates with an Indian scriptwriter and a Brazilian visual effects artist without leaving his studio. And a viewer in China watches a film from South Africa with flawless dubbing on the day of its premiere. This is not science fiction; this is cinema in 2030.

Cinema becomes art for all

The main change that technology will bring is the democratisation of cinema. In five years’ time, cinema will cease to be an elitist fortress only for those with a huge budget or state support. Neural networks will bring about a revolution. The formula is as follows: smartphone + AI = film studio.

Imagine a talented young man from a Siberian settlement or a girl from the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. In the past, their dream of making a film would be shattered by the high cost of equipment. Now their smartphone can become a powerful tool for creating a cinematic masterpiece. AI assistants will help write a convincing script, suggest camera angles, instantly remove noise, perform colour correction, and generate backgrounds or even digital characters. Quality cinema can be created literally “on the knee”.

This will open the floodgates for thousands of talents the world has never known. We will see authentic stories from the most remote corners of the globe, including the BRICS countries. Expect a wave of new stars and directors!

AI at the service of the master: from idea to screen

Technology will become an indispensable assistant at every stage of filmmaking:

1. Creativity. AI will generate ideas, propose plot twists, and draft dialogues adapted to the cultural contexts of the BRICS countries. Imagine an AI trained simultaneously on Russian classics, Indian epics and Brazilian telenovelas!

2. Production. Virtual worlds will allow the construction of sets and filming in digital space. For example, a Russian cinematographer will be able to work on a virtual location created by Chinese colleagues.

3. Post-production. AI will take over routine editing, colour grading, generation of complex visual effects, sound creation and adaptation. This will drastically reduce costs and accelerate the process, especially for large-scale projects.

4. Localisation and distribution. AI will ensure instant, flawless translation and dubbing with lip synchronisation in dozens of languages. A film shot in South Africa could be released simultaneously, for example, in Russia, India, Brazil, and China without delays.

Challenges of the new era

Behind such opportunities lie serious risks. For instance, powerful AI giants, possessing enormous resources, could flood the market with artificially generated content devoid of cultural code. Humanity faces the challenge of not losing its identity. Boundaries must be drawn around AI so that it does not destroy the soul of a film but rather helps direct more human attention to this aspect of the craft. 

Cooperation is essential here, and the BRICS countries can play a role:

• Developing common approaches to copyright on AI-generated content and ethical standards for the use of digital doubles and deepfakes.

• Creating joint studios, both real and virtual.

• Pooling resources to train talents from remote areas to work with AI tools.

• Establishing joint streaming platforms.

Material provided by BRICS Bloggers Team participant and resident of the Centre for New Media, Yuri Tarabanov.

The Autonomous Non-Commercial Organisation "Resource Centre for New Media" collaborates with over 500 bloggers. They are engaged in promoting working professions, domestic and international tourism, and promoting the brand of regions. Influencers receive opportunities to develop their media presence, competencies and useful communications, can create joint projects within the community and promote quality content on social networks.

Photo: Yuri Tarabanov / neural network