I arrived on Tulane’s campus in August of 2023 with starry eyes and an ambition to learn all I needed to become a filmmaker. I took the midterms, wrote the essays, worked in the computer lab until daybreak, and I could give a presentation on auteurism in my sleep. All of it led up to the grand stage of directing the capstone film. Mid-semester, I was forced to ditch the movie and pivoted to continuing my progression on the screenwriting track. I still had a lot left to learn. Writing a short film is my Achilles’ heel, as I tend to overwrite. I attempted to squeeze as much plot into the constraints of 10 pages as I could, but it proved impossible. If the professor were feeling generous, the maximum was 15.
The opportunity to write a feature-length film for my thesis was an offer I could not refuse. Spring semester rolled around. One afternoon, I talked through my beat sheet (a basic outline of a screenplay, for all my non-film people reading this) with my professor, and he revealed that he uses ChatGPT for script suggestions. Furthermore, I should feel free to consult ChatGPT for insight into my screenplay. My heart sank. How could somebody with infinite resources in Hollywood, numerous friends in the business, and decades of experience be so inclined to take the feedback of a robot, rather than take advantage of what he’s accumulated in his toolbox? That’s when it hit me, that artificial intelligence had infiltrated the entertainment industry.
Last year’s Academy Awards were just the beginning. It came to light that during post-production, editors had used AI to enhance Adrian Brody’s ‘Hungarian accent’ for his Oscar-winning performance in The Brutalist– of which he was fully cognizant. Subsequently, the Academy passed a rule requiring production crews to disclose whether they use any form of artificial intelligence. Back in December, when the final season of Stranger Things sent the internet into an uproar, it was discovered that the Duffer Brothers had been using ChatGPT. When using ChatGPT, or any other kind of AI software to write, the generator borrows from previous material– meaning nothing that comes out of it is an original thought. Legitimizing plagiarism in this manner sets an alarming precedent for the future of film.
Back in high school, my drawing teacher, Todd, asked us for a definition of what we think art is. All of us came up with different definitions, as art is inherently subjective. What I’ve come to realize in recent years is that art is not only broad but also meant to be a commentary on the human experience. It isn’t just limited to paintings and portraits; cinema, poetry, music, theater, dance, and writing all qualify as art. Therefore, to see creatives consult AI rather than the depths of their imagination is a tragedy. The advent of artificial intelligence is an extension of trends such as the loss of traditional architecture and the decline of streaming services, which are killing movie theaters and stripping the world of artistic beauty.
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What distinguishes the advent of artificial intelligence from the inventions of Leonardo da Vinci or television is that it has the inherent capacity to destroy us rather than enhance our quality of life. According to the Grantham Research Institute, “data centres currently contribute about 1% of global energy-related greenhouse gas emissions and are among the fastest-growing sources of emissions. By 2035, increased data centre energy use could lead to an additional 0.4–1.6 gigatonnes of CO2 equivalent (GtCO2e) emissions.” and “In 2027, global AI training and use are projected to account for 4.2−6.6 billion cubic metres of water withdrawal. This raises concerns around priorities for water use, especially in water-stressed areas and during times of drought, and places pressure on nature and people.” These statistics highlight the danger posed to California, the heart of the film industry, where we’ve just picked up the pieces from the disastrous wildfires last winter. The mid-2030s are widely regarded by scientists worldwide as the point of no return for reversing climate change.
AI has transformed the landscape of college campuses from when I started to now, when I am weeks away from graduating, and it’s impossible to walk into Howie T without seeing someone with a ChatGPT tab open. No, there aren’t still stars in my eyes, but perhaps they’ll become nebulae. In a timeline when we are more politically polarized than ever, it is imperative that we unite to save our cinemas and save our world. If we all listened to the great directors of our time when they say these mergers and movie theater closures en masse will annihilate this art form, and did something about it, we have a chance at happily ever after.
About Evelyn Young
Evelyn is a senior from the Chicago area majoring in Digital Media Practices and Jewish Studies with a minor in French. This past summer, she studied creative writing in Paris. Evelyn has held a variety of positions within the Crescent and is incredibly excited to begin her role as Senior Editor. After graduating from Tulane, she hopes to move to Los Angeles to pursue her film career.
Evelyn is a senior from the Chicago area majoring in Digital Media Practices and Jewish Studies with a minor in French. This past summer, she studied creative writing in Paris. Evelyn has held a variety of positions within the Crescent and is incredibly excited to begin her role as Senior Editor. After graduating from Tulane, she hopes to move to Los Angeles to pursue her film career.
