Is Hollywood Dead?
In an industry known for its grueling development process and countless rewrites, a groundbreaking approach is emerging from an unexpected source. Branch Out Productions, the female and Black-owned production company out of Michigan, has developed a method that can produce a functional rough draft of a screenplay in just 24 hours. Their secret weapon? Artificial Intelligence.
The Innovators
Branch Out Productions, led by president Lisa Mathis, has already made waves with their recent Juneteenth comedy, “Block Party.” Now, they’re set to shake up Hollywood’s development process. The team, including Mathis, her husband Matt Allen, and writer Krista Suh, has been at the forefront of integrating AI into the screenwriting process.
“We’ve developed a technique that allows us to use AI as a powerful tool in the creative process,” explains Mathis. “It’s not about replacing human creativity, but enhancing and accelerating it.”
The Challenge
When the Branch Out team approached a senior executive at a major studio with their idea, they were met with skepticism. The exec challenged them to produce a screenplay based on a single sentence: “A Media executive does his best to right the corporate ship as lay-offs and takeovers loom.”
What happened next was nothing short of revolutionary.
From Concept to Script in 24 Hours
Using their “writing is rewriting” technique, which leverages AI tools like Claude 3.5 and ChatGPT4, the team transformed that simple premise into “Hollywood Is Dead,” a thrilling tale of murder, conspiracy, and cutting-edge technology in the entertainment industry.
“We can take an idea from concept to story, to character bible, to a full treatment in less than an hour,” Allen explains. “And a full rough draft in 24 hours.”
The result is a script that, while admittedly not polished, showcases the potential of AI-assisted writing in the creative process. It’s a rough draft that would typically take weeks or even months to produce through traditional methods.
AI as a Tool, Not a Replacement
The team is quick to point out that their process isn’t about replacing human creativity with AI. “This entire draft would be human rewritten,” Allen emphasizes. “Nothing would be just left to AI. Quite the contrary.”
Instead, they see AI as a powerful tool for rapid ideation and initial drafting, allowing writers to explore ideas and storylines at an unprecedented pace. The human touch remains crucial in refining and elevating the material.
Sharing the Knowledge
Not content with just using this technique for their own productions, the Branch Out team is actively teaching others how to incorporate AI into their writing process.
“We believe this approach can democratize screenwriting to some extent,” says Mathis. “It allows writers to generate ideas and drafts quickly, giving them more time to focus on refining and perfecting their scripts.”
The Future of Screenwriting?
This approach could revolutionize the film and TV development process, allowing for much faster turnaround times on initial drafts and potentially opening up new avenues for creativity in the industry.
“It’s not about creating a perfect script in 24 hours,” Suh adds. “It’s about generating a solid foundation that we can then refine and develop. It gives us a head start in the creative process.”
A New Era for Hollywood
As the entertainment industry grapples with changing viewer habits, streaming wars, and the impact of AI, methods like Branch Out’s could become increasingly valuable. By embracing technology as a creative partner, writers and studios might find new ways to tell stories and connect with audiences.
Want to see the results for yourself? You can read the entire rough draft of “Hollywood Is Dead” here, and check out a short story adaptation on Branch Out Productions’ Medium blog.
As Hollywood continues to evolve, one thing is clear: the fusion of human creativity and artificial intelligence is opening up exciting new possibilities for storytelling. The 24-hour screenplay might just be the beginning, and Branch Out Productions is leading the charge.