10 months ago
Casting Directors Discuss AI and New Oscars Category at Thessaloniki
Imagine you're picking the best players for a sports team.
Casting directors do something similar for movies, finding the right actors for the roles.
Recently, some casting directors met at a film festival to talk about two big things.
First, they discussed if computers (AI) can help them pick actors.
They think AI could help with boring paperwork, like organizing lists of actors.
But they strongly believe AI can't replace their creative job of understanding directors and stories to find the perfect fit.
Second, they were happy that awards like the Oscars are finally adding a category to recognize the important work of casting directors, just like they recognize directors and actors.
This shows that casting is seen as a vital part of making movies.
Veteran casting directors met at the Thessaloniki Film Festival to discuss AI and the future of film casting.
They believe AI can assist with administrative tasks in casting but cannot replace the creative and relational aspects of the job.
Casting directors emphasized that their role involves deep understanding of directors, stories, and actors, which is not quantifiable by AI.
The European Film Academy and the Oscars have recently added competitive casting categories, recognizing the profession's importance.
The addition of a casting category to the Oscars is the first new category since 2001, acknowledging casting directors' hard work.
- Who
- International casting directors Lucinda Syson, Tanja Grunwald, Yngvill Kolset-Håga, and David Zitzlsperger (founder of software company Denkungsart GmbH)
- What
- Discussed the role of Artificial Intelligence in filmmaking and the addition of a competitive casting category to the Oscars.
- Where
- Thessaloniki Film Festival in Greece
- When
- Morning of the panel discussion (specific date not provided, but during the Thessaloniki Film Festival which runs until Nov 9)
- Why
- To share perspectives on the evolving landscape of film casting, including technological advancements and industry recognition.
Key facts
- Event
- Thessaloniki Film Festival Panel
- Topics Discussed
- AI in filmmaking, casting process, new Oscar category
- Key Speakers
- Lucinda Syson, Tanja Grunwald, Yngvill Kolset-Håga, David Zitzlsperger
- AI Perspective
- AI can assist with administrative tasks but not replace creative casting
- New Oscars Category
- Confirmed for 2024
Quotes
Lucinda Syson
veteran casting director
“Maybe sometimes that’s useful for quick reference, but the trouble with casting, as everyone’s trying to express here, is that it’s a very creative backstage process. It is very hands-on. It’s to do with your relationship with the director or showrunner and the story. It’s a much deeper process than AI just making a few suggestions.”
deadline.com
“Technology could really support us in organizing our records and things like that. That could make our lives a lot easier. It’s been amazing to see how technology has been able to take actors all over the world over the years. We even have read-throughs on Zoom now. That is phenomenal.”
deadline.com
David Zitzlsperger
founder of the Germany-based software company Denkungsart GmbH
“AI doesn’t need to be able to replace, distract, or obstruct the things that happen in our industry. To put this into an example, when you look at the process of the casting director, a producer could very easily think it’s a replaceable role. But they’re not accounting for the amount of knowledge a casting director has that is not quantifiable and is behind every decision.”
deadline.com
“So for us, as a tech company, we make software, and it is our opinion that there will be a huge change, and we believe in it as well, but we don’t think technology has to replace.”
deadline.com
