London and Rome-based sales outfit Brilliant Pictures has formed a strategic partnership with Largo.ai – the Lausanne-headquartered AI-solutions company with backing from Sylvester Stallone – to create what the companies have described as “the first ever fully AI-automated film sales, production and finance company”.
Brilliant Pictures will use Largo.ai’s technology across various touchpoints in a film’s life cycle to guide creative, casting, scheduling and budgeting decisions; form sales and distribution strategies; and forecast box office performance, based on audience trends. This data and analytics will be shared with buyers.
Nick Lyon’s Crane is a recent addition to Brilliant Pictures’ slate. The pre-production title is being introduced to buyers at Cannes using AI-generated materials. The thriller follows the aftermath of an earthquake in LA, which leaves a young crane operator stranded.
Some of the production techniques the film will use will also involve AI, however, Sean O’Kelly, Brilliant Pictures chairman, explained the aim is not to use AI to replace actors or film shoots.
“The way I look at AI is it takes out some of the more consumer, labour-intensive processes,” said O’Kelly. “We’re not going to replace actors – AI is not there yet, and we’re not looking to do that. We want to use AI in sales, distribution, production and finance as an aid to help streamline and better inform us, without compromising the creativity of our actors and storytelling.”
He continued, “I don’t think it’s going to affect jobs, I think it’s going to enhance the way we do things, making things smarter and faster. We’re not killing the magic of cinema.”
Brilliant Pictures has been working with Largo.ai since the AI platform was co-founded by company CEO Sami Arpa and Sabine Süsstrunk in 2020. This next phase marks a formalised partnership with a five-year outlook, in which Brilliant Pictures gets access to Largo.ai’s latest advancements, and Largo.ai will use the sales and production outfit to test and refine its offering.
Largo.ai will be hosting an AI pitching event at this year’s Cannes, taking place on May 15.
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