Aleksi Hyvärinen, a Finnish producer, recently led a two-day workshop in Amman titled “AI and Filmmaking: A Grounded Guide.” The workshop aimed to provide context and space for reflection on the impact of AI on the future of storytelling. Hyvärinen, who co-founded The Alchemist, a Nordic creative studio combining storytelling and AI, has hosted similar sessions across Europe. He noted that reactions to AI in filmmaking vary, with some ready to dive in, some skeptical, and most trying to figure it out.
Jordanian filmmaker Anwaar Al-Shawabkeh, who attended the workshop, said it shifted her perception of AI. She realized there is no way to avoid it and expressed some ethical concerns but ultimately sees AI as a natural next step in enhancing the creative process. The workshop focused on demystifying how AI is being used in filmmaking and differentiating between what’s possible now and what remains hype.
Participants explored tools like Google Veo, Google Flow, and 4D Gaussian Splatting, which allows filmmakers to create 3D environments from just a few flat images.
Ai reshaping filmmaking landscape
Hyvärinen believes indie filmmakers might have the most to gain from AI, as long as they approach it strategically.
He envisions a future split between high-end, handcrafted cinema and fast-turnaround, AI-enhanced content. “We might be shooting actors in green screen studios, generating environments, tweaking wardrobe, faces, dialogue, even camera angles. All of that in post-production,” Hyvärinen said.
However, he believes that core creative work will remain human, particularly acting, direction, and storytelling. While the shift to AI in filmmaking won’t be smooth, Hyvärinen compares it to past transformations like digital cinematography, nonlinear editing, and the rise of the Internet. “It’s going to be partly great and partly painful.
We have no idea what’s really coming,” he said.
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