Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is collaborating with production company Blumhouse and select creators to refine its AI-powered video generation tool, Meta Movie Gen, before its public release.
Meta Movie Gen, capable of producing custom videos and sounds from text inputs, editing existing videos, and transforming personal images into unique videos, is currently being tested by a group of filmmakers chosen by Blumhouse. The pilot programme, set to expand in 2025, aims to gather creative industry feedback to enhance the tool's capabilities.
Connor Hayes, VP of GenAI at Meta, underlined the importance of early dialogue with the creative community: "While we're not planning to incorporate Movie Gen models into any public products until next year, Meta feels it's important to have an open and early dialogue with the creative community about how it can be the most useful tool for creativity and ensure its responsible use."
Filmmakers participating in the pilot include Aneesh Chaganty (Searching, Run), The Spurlock Sisters, and Casey Affleck (I'm Still Here, Light of My Life). Their collaborative efforts with Meta's generative AI researchers have resulted in short films and experimental videos, some of which are available on Meta's Movie Gen page.
Jason Blum, founder and CEO of Blumhouse, highlighted the potential impact of the technology: "These are going to be powerful tools for directors, and it's important to engage the creative industry in their development to make sure they're best suited for the job."
Initial feedback from directors suggests that Movie Gen models can help quickly express creative ideas and explore visual direction, tone, and mood. The tool's unexpected responses to text prompts have also inspired new ideas, positioning it as a potential collaborator and thought partner in the creative process.
Meta plans to continue the pilot programme into 2025, working with both entertainment industry partners and digital-first content creators. The company aims to implement actionable feedback before releasing these tools to the public, with the goal of empowering more people to share their unique visions through advanced AI-generated video technology.