Culver Cup Kicks it Off
LA Tech Week 2024 began for me with the Culver Cup, a GenAI filmmaking competition held at the historic Culver Theater and put on by FBRC.ai and Amazon Web Services (AWS). The event brought together many of the emerging pioneers in AI filmmaking including an all star list of judges including:
David Slade, renowned for his directorial work on groundbreaking and critically acclaimed projects like Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and Twilight: Eclipse.
Dave Clark, an award-winning filmmaker, has been a pioneer in the space since its inception.
Rachel Joy Victor, Co-Founder of FBRC.ai and always one of the smartest people in the room.
The sponsors of the event were represented by Jon Jones, Vice President and Global Head of Startups at Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amit Jain, CEO of Luma and Skylar Thomas, CTO of Playbook3D.
Of the 50 Top Creators, only 8 finalists were chosen with judges scoring each for on the basis of technical and artistic merit. In the end the winner was Meta Puppet with a touching story that had a personal angle for the filmmaker.
NOTE: I made the top 50 but not top 8. Here is my submission. I hope you find it as weird as I intended it to be. It is an extension of what is now a 3 part series I’m working on.
Discussions & Insights
Our second day had us at two panels with some outstanding speakers including.
Sander Saar – Futurist & Creator
Don Allen III – Creativity Speaker
Curt Cameruci – Flosstradamus
Shelby Ward – Curious Refuge
Nem Perez – Storyblocker
Fred Grinstein – Machine Cinema
Ben Relles – Reid Hoffman
Highights
The event was hosted at The KINN, a funky coworking space near Venice Beach.
Fred Grinstein, co-founder of Machine Cinema, highlighted how AI is transforming content creation by democratizing access. As Grinstein noted:
AI lowers the cost of entry, giving more filmmakers access to the same advanced tools that once were the domain of big studios.”
Fred Grinstein, co-founder of Machine Cinema
He emphasized that AI allows filmmakers to move faster, fail quicker, and iterate on ideas more effectively—essentially enabling a more dynamic and fluid creative process. Grinstein and Perez are collaborating on an upcoming feature using AI, which represents a significant milestone in the field.
Grinstein’s approach to AI adoption challenges traditional assumptions about filmmaking, moving it from a resource-intensive process to something more agile and accessible. However, Grinstein also stressed that these innovations come with ethical challenges, particularly around intellectual property and transparency in training data.
Nem Perez, founder of Storyblocker, highlighted the potential for AI to democratize the filmmaking process:
“Our mission at Storyblocker is to democratize filmmaking, allowing anyone to use AI to create feature films. With projects like our t2 remake, we blend traditional methods with AI-driven tools to empower filmmakers in a way that’s never been done before.”
Similarly, Ben Relles discussed his work with Reid Hoffman’s digital twin, reflecting on the ethical complexity of AI-generated content:
“Working with Reid Hoffman’s digital twin using AI showed me the potential complexity of AI creativity. It can create songs, scripts, or even replicate personal memories, which raises profound ethical considerations.”
Kurt Cameruci, better known by his stage name Flosstradamus, discussed AI’s growing role in the music industry and its crossover into film. He shared how AI tools, such as voice cloning and language translation, are now making it possible to turn a single song into a “global hit,” translated seamlessly into multiple languages. Kurt described AI’s ability to break down creative barriers, explaining that “AI eliminates the friction that used to slow down creativity. I can now go from concept to finished product faster than ever before.” He spoke about the phenomenon of staying in a “flow state,” with AI accelerating the creative process by removing many of the logistical hurdles creators once faced.
AI eliminates the friction that used to slow down creativity. I can now go from concept to finished product faster than ever before.”
Flosstradamus
Both Grinstein and Kurt presented AI not as a novelty but as a fundamental shift in how content will be produced and consumed. Grinstein pointed out that AI is particularly well-suited to unscripted content and documentaries, where authenticity and realism meet the efficiency of AI-generated elements. He shared an example of how deepfake technology was used to tell sensitive stories while protecting the identities of those involved, demonstrating AI’s potential to solve problems beyond simple automation.
The key takeaway from LA Tech Week 2024 was clear: AI is quietly reshaping the film industry. Watch this space.