Usually in these posts, I make some statement about writing, or the state of television, or even a ranked list of the hotness of all Disney Princesses.
But today, I’m doing something a little different: I’m asking a question.
And it’s a question I don’t exactly know the answer to.
What do we do when we don’t know the answer to a question? We ask ChatGPT. I mean, can you imagine what people did in prehistoric times before we had GPT?
But this time, I’m going to refrain and ask humans instead, because AI happens to be my topic (and as much as I love you, ChatGPT, it would be like asking a defendant on trial to give his opinion on himself).
When it comes to the ethics of filmmaking and AI, I think many of us have a visceral reaction.
The film industry is massive, and so many people want to work in it—so isn’t AI the bad guy here?
And yes, I get that same gut feeling when I think of filmmaking’s relationship with AI. It’s a kind of David-and-Goliath story, except Goliath is using a Grok-made club. (Does Goliath have a club? I’d ask ChatGPT, but...)
However, when it comes to indie filmmaking, we’re looking at something different. Indie filmmakers have creativity, spirit, and encyclopedic levels of film knowledge—but what we don’t tend to have a lot of are money and resources.
We’re borrowing cash from grandparents, renting whatever gear we can from ShareGrid, breaking into junkyards to film on an airplane.
We’re at a severe disadvantage. We’re the David in this situation.
So what happens when David gets the AI club? Or I guess... AI rock? (Okay, fine, I asked ChatGPT.)
It’s complicated, because using AI can give us the advantage to at least somewhat catch up with the giants of Hollywood. It can help us make those “big ideas on small budgets” that so many of us indie filmmakers dream of—and that’s literally Candie TV’s tagline.
But many of the ethical problems still remain. AI is still a growing power that threatens to take jobs away from artists. It’s a shortcut that sometimes produces total slop. And yes, it learns and grows from what we feed it—becoming more powerful in the process.
I promised to just ask the question, but you know I can’t resist at least trying to answer it. Or at least to share a few thoughts.
I do think we can strike a balance. Given the disadvantage we’re at, maybe we can use it for special effects—but still have artists collaborate with it to craft those effects. Maybe we can use it in writing—not to create ideas, but as a fellow brainstormer that helps us solve logistical issues or fact-check in the writers’ room. Maybe it can generate assets—but guided by us, working with us.
And maybe we should never use it to replace actors, but to fill in for extras (who, let’s be honest, are always a pain to find).
In other words, not as creator, but as a tool for the creator.
But there’s still a line—and I guess my next question is, where is that line?
I won’t answer. I won’t ask ChatGPT. (Okay, I probably will—but I won’t rely on the answer.)
Instead, I want to hear from fellow indie filmmakers and fans of indie film:
What do you think?