Runway's $5M Fund Sparks AI Revolution in Filmmaking

Runway earmarks $5M to fund up to 100 films using AI-generated video

AI video generators need to believe that filmmakers will use their models in the production process. Otherwise why exist? To jump start the new AI film ecosystem, Runway has set aside $5 million in cash and more in service credits to fund up to 100 original films. If you're an AI-curious director, now's your chance to get a little backing. Runway's Hundred Film Fund is intended to help kick start any video-based project that uses the company's generative video model in some way. "Traditional funding mechanisms often overlook new and emerging visions within the larger industry ecosystem," the company wrote in a blog post. Specifically, Runway is dedicating $5 million of its own money to award as grants to filmmakers creating "features, shorts, documentaries, experimental projects, music videos" or some as-yet-unknown format. The awards would also come with up to $2 million in Runway credits. The announcement post does say that the cash side has "the potential to grow to $10M." I asked what this means, and Runway Head of Creative Jamie Umpherson said they want to be "as flexible as possible in how we're approaching the scope of this fund. We are starting with one hundred films but we hope to do more over time." As for how $5 million can be equitably and effectively divided 100 ways, when up to $1 million grants are being dangled as possibilities, Umpherson evaded, simply saying that "each project will be assessed on its own particular production needs when it comes to grant considerations." (You can read the fine print and apply here.) If you've got some clout, you might want to gun for one of five "director residency" positions. It's unclear what the requirements or benefits are here, but it can't hurt to try. The good news is that Runway will not itself assert any form of ownership or control over the projects, only requiring that awardees send biweekly production updates and that Runway is allowed to showcase the final result as it sees fit. They will have advisors, like Tribeca film festival co-founder Jane Rosenthal, and will.i.am, who will help select the awardees and maybe even offer some extra support. The film fund does have an air of "please use our product," though there's truth to the assertion that newer, experimental tools are sometimes shunned by more traditional production companies. Sometimes it really does just take a little cash infusion to find that one breakthrough use of a technology, by someone who might not have been able to find funding otherwise. There is also a legitimate worry that the results will be very uneven. As industry veteran Michael Black put it recently in a discussion of AI tools in filmmaking: "You can give somebody a powerful car, that doesn't make them a Formula One driver, right? That's a little bit like what we have now. Maybe some new voice will have an opportunity that they wouldn't otherwise. But the number of people making really good films is still going to be small." In light of that, it is perhaps actually the wisest move to cast the net widely and fund as many as possible. "Spray and pray" is an unkind way to put it, but fundamentally accurate: the hope is that among the 100 films, at least one or two will show that AI-generated video is actually useful and perhaps even groundbreaking. No doubt some filmmakers will take the shot just to put a couple bucks in the bank, and find a way to fob off Runway with a dream sequence or the like. But if a few dozen creators take the money and take the tech seriously, that's probably a win in the startup's books.

Runway bets big on AI with $5 million fund for experimental films

AI-powered video tools company Runway has a daring calling for movie makers to integrate the use of AI at the set. 100 original films have been promised funding through the Hundred Film Fund, including $5 million in cash grants and up to $2 million in service credit. This is a clear signal that AI video generators, like Runway, need filmmakers to experiment with their models for the technology to thrive in the industry. Runway's initiative is aimed at filling a gap in traditional film funding, which often overlooks experimental projects. Their new fund is offering support to a wide range of formats, including features, shorts, documentaries, music videos, and more. As noted in the company's announcement, they're particularly interested in backing directors who are curious about AI but might not otherwise receive traditional financial support. With the promise of up to $1 million per project, the fund offers significant backing. However, Runway's Head of Creative, Jamie Umpherson, clarified that each project's financial needs will be assessed individually. The company is keeping flexibility at the forefront, allowing the fund to grow to $10 million if necessary, depending on the level of interest and quality of projects. For directors intrigued by AI but hesitant due to the novelty of the tools, this fund represents an unprecedented opportunity. It offers them the chance to experiment with generative video models and create something groundbreaking. In a field where traditional production houses are often slow to adopt new technologies, Runway's support could provide the necessary push for AI to find its place in filmmaking. Beyond just funding, Runway is offering five special "director residency" positions, though details on these roles remain vague. The residency is likely an effort to spotlight directors who show promise in using AI to enhance storytelling, potentially offering more than just financial backing but creative mentorship as well. Best AI movies to watch for the weekend Runway's move feels partly like a plea for filmmakers to adopt their product, but there's logic in backing experimental ideas. Having access to powerful AI tools doesn't automatically make someone a great filmmaker. However, giving creators the resources to experiment might bring unexpected breakthroughs. Out of the 100 funded projects, Runway hopes a few will prove the real value of AI-generated video, potentially demonstrating how the technology can enhance storytelling in ways previously unimagined. With giant partners like Lionsgate, Runway is pulling out all the stops to make sure these projects have support from experienced voices. The real test, however, will be whether filmmakers can use AI effectively enough to create meaningful work. Some may see it as an easy way to secure funding, but for others, this fund might be the key to pioneering a new era in filmmaking. In the end, the Hundred Film Fund is a bold experiment. While it's uncertain how many filmmakers will truly embrace AI, it only takes one or two breakthrough projects to shift the perception of AI in the film industry.

Runway Announces $5 Million Fund For Filmmakers That Use Its AI Video Generator

Runway has allocated $5 million in cash to help fund up to 100 original films that use the company's AI video generator in some way. According to a report by TechCrunch, Runway has set aside $5 million of its own money to award as grants to filmmakers in a bit to jump-start the AI film. In a blog post on Thursday, Runway announced the "The Hundred Film Fund" which is designed to support the launch of any video-based project that incorporates the company's AI generative video model in some capacity. Runway is dedicating the $5 million fund to filmmakers creating "features, shorts, documentaries, experimental projects, music videos," or some as-yet-unknown format. The awards could also come with Runway credits. At present, Runway says that the fund sits at $5 million with the potential to grow to $10 million. Applications are now open and grants range from $5,000 to $1 million with an additional $2 million in Runway credits to be awarded. Runway describes "The Hundred Film Fund" as an effort to help filmmakers who make use of AI to tell their stories. "We believe that the best stories are yet to be told, but that traditional funding mechanisms often overlook new and emerging visions within the larger industry ecosystem," the company writes in the blog post. Runway Head of Creative Jamie Umpherson tells TechCrunch that the company wants to be "as flexible as possible in how we're approaching the scope of this fund" and that "each project will be assessed on its own particular production needs when it comes to grant considerations." The publication reports that Runway will itself assert any form of ownership or control over the projects, only requiring that awardees send biweekly production updates and that the AI video company is allowed to showcase the final result as it sees fit. Runway's announcement of the fund comes as the AI video company tries to make inroads with the film industry. Earlier this month, Runwway announced a partnership with Lionsgate that will see a custom video model trained on the Hollywood studio's extensive catalog. Nonetheless, AI technology is still considered highly controversial by many filmmakers and movie fans alike. Last week, California Governor Gavin Newsom signing two bills into law that will protect actors and performers from unauthorized AI clones. The laws aim to protect actors from AI replicas of their likeness or voice being used without their consent.

After Inking Studio Deal, Tech Firm Says It Will Fund Moviemakers If They Use Its AI Tools

The artificial intelligence company that inked a notable partnership with Lionsgate to train its AI model on the studio's massive 18,000-title movie and TV library is now looking to encourage the use of the emerging tech with a fund for indie filmmakers. Runway, led by CEO Cristóbal Valenzuela, unveiled The Hundred Film Fund, which it says will provide grants ranging from $5,000 up to $1 million in order to hasten the production of movies powered by artificial intelligence. The fund will have an advisory panel that includes Tribeca Festival co-founder Jane Rosenthal, Television Academy emerging media exec Lee Storm, Company 3 founder Stefan Sonnenfeld, NVIDIA exec Richard Kerris and artist will.i.am. In order to be considered for a grant, "You must use the grant to work on AI-powered films (leveraging Runway prominently within the project)," the fund's FAQ page reads. Runway, which counts Google, NVIDIA and Salesforce Ventures among investors, unveiled its deal with Lionsgate on Sept. 18, in which the studio will grant the company access to its library (home to the John Wick, Hunger Games, Twilight and Saw franchises). The pact marks the first publicly announced such deal with a major studio and a large AI firm, as a heated debate plays out in court and in boardrooms over the mining of film, TV, writing and art for AI models. While major media brands (Condé Nast, News Corp, Vox Media, The Atlantic and more) have made deals with AI companies that allows the publisher's writing to be used in training data, there hasn't been similar pacts by Hollywood studios announced. "The history of art is the history of technology and these new models are part of our continuous efforts to build transformative mediums for artistic and creative expression," Valenzuela stated in announcing the Lionsgate deal. "The best stories are yet to be told."

What Runway and Lionsgate Partnership Tells Us About Hollywood

Snippet: Runway's very own AI Film Festival, similar to the one in Cannes, is an exclusive celebration of artists who use emerging AI techniques in their short films. History is in the making. Runway, an AI video startup, collaborated with Lionsgate, the maker of Hunger Games, to bring AI to film. Runway's goal is to help the artistic community with state-of-the art tools to bring their stories to life, and now with this deal, perhaps even on the big crean as well. Interestingly, the Oscar winning movie "Everything Everywhere all at Once" employed Runaway's tools for special effects for its famous rock scene, which saved a lot of time, costs, and manual effort. Lionsgate Entertainment is a Hollywood heavyweight which has previously produced award-winning movies and shows like Twilight, John Wick, and Hunger Games. Under this deal, Lionsgate would be able to use Runway's AI tools, exclusively, to create content. Runaway was launched by NYU alumni in 2018. The founders - Cristóbal Valenzuela, Anastasis Germanidis, and Alejandro Matamala - were in the talks for a whopping $4 Billion valuation for their startup earlier this year. Runway also released Gen-3 Alpha, which is trained on both videos and images, and enables Runway's text-to-video, image-to-video, and text-to-image tools. This model is publicly available to everyone. "The history of art is the history of technology and these new models are part of our continuous efforts to build transformative mediums for artistic and creative expression; the best stories are yet to be told." said Cristóbal Valenzuela, one of the founders at Runway. The future of cinema is AI, but not how you might think. Tangibly, AI can be meaningfully employed in films during the pre production and post production processes, and even for generating characters. But in a larger sense, it lowers the barrier of entry and allows many to venture into this otherwise difficult, and legacy driven space. Runway's very own AI Film Festival, similar to the one in Cannes, is an effort to exclusively celebrate artists who use emerging AI techniques in their short films. Started two years ago, the festival is a bid to open dialogue on the (inevitable) role of AI tools in the film community, and engage with creators from all backgrounds to understand their perspectives. "If we had the kind of deepfake face swapping technology back in the day, a movie like The Irishman would look different than it did, and would not have taken ten years to make. While we were waiting for finances to complete the movie, we were also waiting for a newer technology to come," said Jane Rosenthal, a leading American film producer, in an interview with Cristóbal Valenzuela. She is also a member of the dean council at NYU Tisch, one of the world's best film schools, and is enthusiastic about AI's defining role in today's zeitgeist, especially newer filmmakers. For context, The Irishman, directed by Martin Scorsese, and produced by Rosenthal, is an interesting case study of how cinematic experience can be improved (when AI is employed responsibly), while also saving a lot of time and resources in the process. "Experimentation with AI is fantastic. Speaking of speed, you know how things work, for instance if an actor was injured or cut themselves during shaving, there is no makeup for it and you have to stop shooting. But now, with AI tools, you can just continue shooting and fix it. You can fix anything," she added on how AI is not new, but the variety and speed of it is what is new. Apple's 'Shot on iPhone' campaign was a cultural reset, and showed how moving forward with technology could foster artistic expression, and not curtail it. The fulcrum of any movie or piece of art still remains an artist's vision, and embracing AI in the process is a logical progression in today's world. Despite the very visible upside, last year, the Screen Actors Guild and the Writers Guild of America protested against the growing use of AI in the creative space, fearing the loss of jobs and artistic freedom. This protest culminated into certain checks and balances to ensure AI is used as a complement and not replacement for the industry. The wounds from the SacrJo's controversy with OpenAI still remain fresh in memory. Nonetheless, the general sentiment remains to find ways to collaborate with these AI startups. As more models emerge and the race to AGI seems to be tightening up, it's likely that AI models will start training themselves, if Hollywood studios don't come forward and voluntarily collaborate. Lionsgate has a first mover advantage here. As for consumers, these AI tools could usher in a new paradigm of filmmaking by leveling the playing field, allowing low-budget films to compete with high-budget ones without compromising on its quality. OpenAI's dominance in this space is still coveted, despite never making Sora, its text-to-video generator, available to the larger public. While privately available to some, it is unknown why OpenAI hasn't released a ChatGPT-like subscription model of Sora yet. Sora's capabilities are wild. OpenAI even teased more of Sora, with videos earlier this month, leaving people wanting for more. Sam Altman reportedly attended Hollywood parties in Los Angeles earlier this year, possibly to make inroads before Sora's official launch. Altman is obsessed with sci-fi movies in the industry, and hopes to see more of it in the future. He has repeatedly spoken about favourite movie, Her, directed by Spike Jonze, and its influence on him. Post the launch of Sora, OpenAI's lobbying in Hollywood has been quite fruitful, with many studios and artists, including the famous Ashton Kutcher, endorsing the AI video generator. Yet, Runway's attempt to score a massive deal of this scale, is undoubtedly a notch ahead. Sora's announcement was one of the first, and most sought after breakthroughs early this year, which led to a bevy of launches by its competitors. "It's very easy to copy something once it works, so I think the two ways you can succeed are: say we're going to be a great fast follower or we're going to move the frontier," said Altman in a recent interview hinting at the impending rollouts of OpenAI.

Lionsgate and Runway AI Sign Deal for AI-Powered Production

Major Hollywood studio, Lionsgate Entertainment has signed a deal with AI company Runway AI, giving them access to its entire content library to train its AI models, The Wall Street Journal reported. The studio intends to use custom AI models for the editing and production process. Michael Burns, Vice Chairman of Lionsgate Studio, said that the company will be able to save "millions and millions of dollars" from using the new model. It will initially use the AI tool for internal purposes like storyboarding -- i.e. crafting a scene graphically to see how it will be filmed -- and will then employ it for backgrounds and special effects. Special effects union contracts dictating using AI for digital effects The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) representing special effects and visual effects artists, in July 2024, signed an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), a body consisting of major studios, television broadcast services and streaming services, charting out the rights of and protections for artists that also covered AI. The agreement stated that an employer cannot compel an employee to provide prompts to an AI model that displaces another worker. It also mandated that the employer must protect an employee from liability and necessary costs in case they require legal defence for using AI systems. Further, it calls to fairly compensate employees, pay them when they use their own kits, and provide them with training. Complaints against Runway AI Runway AI has come under scrutiny in the past for copyright infringement. In January 2023, three artists Sarah Andersen, Kelly McKernan, and Karla Ortiz filed a class action lawsuit against Stability AI, Deviant Art and Midjourney and later added Runway AI to the complaint. The artists accused the AI companies of training their tools on billions of copyrighted images scraped from the internet. These images were part of the LAION-5B dataset. The AI companies downloaded and used the images without "compensation or consent from the artists." According to the lawsuit, Runway AI "worked with, helped train, and then distributed" Stable Diffusion, Stability AI's text-to-image generative AI model. They stated that Runway AI made a text-to-image generator available via its online image product AI Magic Tools. While Runway AI argued that the artists failed to adequately prove their allegations, a US court dismissed this and noted that Runway "helped train and develop Stable Diffusion" and thus was aware that the product allegedly "uses or invokes the training images in its operation." It also remarked that these allegations and claims that Runway 'actively induces' others to download Stable Diffusion warrant infringement proceedings. Protecting Artist's work from AI Lionsgate has not specified how it intends to contend with training AI models on scenes that contain actors' faces and if the models will use their likeness to create an output. AI and personality rights were a major topic of contention between SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP, during the 2023 Actor's strike. An agreement between the parties stated clearly that studios must gain consent from actors before using their likeness to train an AI model or create a "digital replica." The agreement also covered "Synthetic Performers" which it defined as "digitally-created assets" that perform an artist's function but do not resemble an individual i.e. AI-generated figures created by training on data based on actors' features. The agreement called for negotiations in these specific instances. In case the asset is based on a specific performer's "principal facial feature" (eyes, nose, lips), etc., studios must take the performer's consent. Studios have also agreed to meet regularly to discuss remuneration in these cases. Recently, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed two bills into law that require media studios to obtain consent before using actors' or deceased artists' likenesses for AI-generated 'digital replicas' too. The laws are aimed at ensuring the responsible use of AI and that the industry grows "while strengthening protections for workers and how their likeness can or cannot be used," Governor Newsom said.

Lionsgate's AI Deal Sounds a Lot Like It Wants to Replace the Jobs of Storyboard and VFX Artists

The goal is to save "millions and millions of dollars," the studio says. Lionsgate, the studio behind hit franchises ranging from "John Wick" to "The Hunger Games" to cult classics like "American Psycho," is entering into a major partnership with the AI firm Runway, The Wall Street Journal reports. As part of the deal, announced Wednesday, Runway receives access to Lionsgate's treasure trove of movies and TV shows -- which in return the startup will use to develop a new AI model exclusively for the Hollywood studio. Runway claims that the AI model will be capable of generating "cinematic video." And Lionsgate vice chairman Michael Burns says the tech will save the company "millions and millions of dollars," per the WSJ -- remarks that suggest an aim of slashing jobs if the project is successful, with Burns saying the goal is to use the tool for roles that have traditionally been done by humans, like storyboarding and the creation of visual effects. "We do a lot of action movies, so we blow a lot of things up and that is one of the things Runway does," Burns told the paper. This is the first deal of its kind that Runway has signed with a major Hollywood studio. Though for Lionsgate, the timing could be better: it was only last month that it came under fire for using totally made up, AI-generated quotes purporting to be the words of famous movie critics in a trailer for "Megalopolis," Francis Ford Coppola's forthcoming sci-fi epic. Runway also enters this relationship with some baggage: along with several other generative AI companies like Midjourney, it was sued by artists for committing copyright infringement by using their artwork to train its AI models without permission. In signing this deal with Lionsgate, Runway avoids those copyright hurdles, which could pave the way to a more legally scrupulous expansion of the technology into the industry down the road. It's this aspect of the deal that makes Runway's unique among partnerships between other studios and AI companies, because they usually don't involve allowing AI firms to access their film and TV libraries to train their models on, Jeff Katzin, a partner at the firm Bain & Co which worked with Lionsgate on its AI strategy, told the WSJ. As the significance of this deal shows, the movie industry is at an AI crossroads. Major studios are increasingly experimenting with the tech, even though it remains controversial among creatives. These tensions came to a head last year, when actors and screenwriters joined forces in a major strike that, among other concessions, successfully sought landmark AI protections. This week, California expanded on those AI safeguards with two new pieces of legislation that make it illegal to use AI to replicate an actor's likeness and voice without explicit permission. For now, Runway's AI tools aren't capable of generating images of a high enough quality to be used in movie and TV productions, the WSJ notes. But now that the startup has access to Lionsgate's extensive library, maybe it eventually will.

What a major movie studio's AI deal could mean for the future of Hollywood

Generative AI might save studios 'millions and millions of dollars,' but at what cost? When Hollywood's actors took to the streets last year for a 118 day strike, many wielded signs reading "no digital clones," "AI is soulless," and "AI is not art." These ticked-off thespians were expressing a sentiment shared by a growing share of writers, video games voice actors, and many other creatives: generative AI tools, trained off their work, may threaten their jobs and shrink the entertainment industry. When the strike ended, actors were awarded new, hard-won protections against AI-generated clones. Since then, California has passed several landmark laws limiting Hollywood's use of certain generatrice AI use cases. But none of those efforts will outright stop major studios from using generative AI to try and cut costs around new movies and shows. Lionsgate, the studio behind popular films series' like The Hunger Games and John Wick, recently announced it's letting a startup mine its catalog works with the goal of creating an AI model capable of creating storyboards and other pre- and post-production work. The deal represents the first of its kind between a studio and an AI maker but it's unlikely to be the last. As part of its new deal, Lionsgate will let New York-based AI research firm Runway AI create a generative model trained on its corpus of 20,000 titles spanning 27 years. The custom generative AI model will then create "cinematic video" which the companies say will initially be used as inspiration during storyboarding sessions or pre-production meetings. Lionsgate believes these tools will help filmmakers and other creatives "augment their work" to deliver "capital-efficient content creation opportunities." AI, in other words, could help cobble together more movies and shows with lower investment costs. Eventually, according to statements made by Lionsgate founder Vice Chairman Michael Burns during an interview with The Wall Street Journal, that same tools could be used to generate explosions or other background effects in films. "We do a lot of action movies, so we blow a lot of things up and that is one of the things Runway does," Burns said during an interview with the Journal. Burns went on to say he hoped the tool could save the studio "millions and millions of dollars." The announcement comes weeks after Lionsgate distanced itself from a trailer for its film Megalopolis, which reportedly featured inaccurate, AI-generated movie reviews. A Deadline report claims the marketing consultant in charge of the materials for the trailer has reportedly since been removed from the marketing team following public backlash. For now at least, it looks like this particular model will steer clear of generating AI "clones" or replicas of actors. A person with knowledge of the agreement told Popular Science Runway AI model won't be used to generate new AI characters or replicate existing actors. Instead, it will primarily be used as a tool to enhance and augment existing projects, the person said. But even if Lionsgate avoids using Generative AI to create digital actors there's no guarantee other studios will follow a similar approach. Critics of AI's impact on the film industry, including many background actors, worry studios could simply replace them with their AI doppelgangers, essentially making them redundant. SAG-AFTRA, the union representing Hollywood actors recently added language to its bargaining agreement requiring producers to explain to actors how a digital replica of them would be used, and to obtain their consent, before including the replica in a show or film. The union agreement was viewed widely as a win, but not all actors walked away satisfied. Some balked at their work ever being used to train an AI model. The Writers Guild of America (WGA), a separate union representing many Hollywood screenwriters, reached their own agreement clarifying that writing generated by cannot be considered "literary material." "We view AI as a great tool for augmenting, enhancing and supplementing our current operations," Burns said in a written statement. Runway, meanwhile, is currently fighting a class-action copyright lawsuit brought against it by multiple visual artists who alleged the company trained its models on their work without permission. Runway has field motions to dismiss that case. The Lionsgate agreement comes less than one day after California governor Gavin Newsom signed two bills into law setting guardrails in places over how Hollywood can use certain generative AI features. The first bill, AB2602, prevents employers from using digital replicas of a performer in a project instead of the real person, unless that person consents and knows how the replica will be used. AB1836, meanwhile, makes it clear studios and entertainment employers need to receive consent from a deceased performer's estate before they can use an AI replica of them. SAG-AFTRA sponsored both of the bills. None of the provisions in the new Hollywood AI laws, however, appear to prevent Lionsgate or other studies from letting other companies use their content to train models. So long as the companies steer clear of using the models to generate AI versions of actors, existing laws don't prevent studios from using AI-generated videos to shape ideas or even appear as effects or backgrounds for a production. The agreement between Lionsgate and Runway could serve as a template for others to follow. Disney has reportedly set up a taskforce to study how generative AI can be used across its entertainment offerings. Paramount, according to the Journal, has also reportedly been in discussion with generative AI companies. By training new models exclusively on a studio's catalog AI companies like Runway can potentially avoid opening themselves up to more copyright lawsuits creators who say their works were scrapped against their will. Other, less tailored generative AI models that scrape large swaths of the open internet, like those offered by OpenAI and Stable Diffusion, are currently operating in legal gray areas as related copyright suits wind their way through the courts. Studios and AI-makers mostly sidestep those headaches by simply limiting an AI's training set to material the studio already owns. And while protections are now in place regarding AI replicas, little is stopping future movie-makers from creating entirely new-looking "Synthetic Performers" pieced together from training data. In this case, an AI could compile data from a studio's catalog (including actors' performance) and use that as the foundation to generate an AI character film. Some, like prominent actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, argue they should be compensated when their work is included in training data used to build a synthetic performer. "AI can't do our jobs yet, but it might be able to soon," Gordon-Levitt wrote in an op-ed for The Washington Post. "And people whose jobs are threatened by AI will be the same people who produced the data used to train it."