Blumhouse Teams up with Meta on AI Video Tool
The horror studio is working with select filmmakers to experiment with Meta’s Video AI Tool, Movie Gen.
Meta has teamed up with Blumhouse Productions to explore the potential of its new AI-powered video generation tool, Movie Gen. Known for horror hits like The Purge and Get Out, Blumhouse will work with select filmmakers to experiment with the technology as part of this partnership. Meta announced the collaboration shortly after introducing Movie Gen last month, which the company claims can produce naturalistic video and audio content based on user prompts. Meta believes this tool could compete with offerings from other media generation companies like OpenAI and ElevenLabs.
Filmmakers Aneesh Chaganty, The Spurlock Sisters, and Casey Affleck have been tapped by Blumhouse to test the capabilities of the AI. Chaganty’s short film, created using Movie Gen, will debut on Meta’s platform, with projects from Affleck and The Spurlock Sisters to follow. Blumhouse CEO Jason Blum highlighted that storytelling remains at the core of the industry, noting that tools like Movie Gen could support creators. Blumhouse is embracing the opportunity for some of their filmmakers to explore this technology and provide feedback while it's still in development. They emphasize that these tools have potential, but it’s essential to involve creatives in shaping them to fit industry needs.
Meta’s collaboration with Blumhouse comes at a time when the entertainment industry is navigating concerns around generative AI. Many creators and copyright holders have raised alarms about the unapproved use of their work to train AI models, leading to multiple lawsuits. Meta, like other tech companies, maintains that its training practices fall under the fair use doctrine, but the tension around copyright remains high.
While challenges persist, Meta and other tech firms are also pursuing deals to gain industry cooperation. Alongside the Movie Gen initiative, Meta recently announced partnerships with celebrities like Judi Dench, Kristen Bell, and John Cena to provide voices for its AI chatbot. Similarly, OpenAI, backed by Microsoft, has been in talks with Hollywood figures about potential collaborations involving its own video generation model, Sora. Though no formal agreements have been reported from those discussions, Lionsgate struck a deal last month with AI startup Runway, signaling the entertainment world’s growing interest in these tools.
With Movie Gen still in its early stages, the partnership with Blumhouse offers Meta a chance to fine-tune its AI model while building goodwill with filmmakers. Whether these new tools will become integral to the creative process remains to be seen, but the involvement of names like Chaganty and Affleck suggests that at least some in the industry are willing to explore what AI can bring to the table.