We take a look at what the industry might look like in the next year, as with new AI-enhanced tools and emerging technologies, the way we consume and create content is set to undergo a significant shift. Fasten your seatbelts, here’s our ‘big 5’ – based on our Committee meeting dedicated to 2023 predictions.
Meeting attendees: Melissa Beth, Antonella Scoliero, Robert Payton, Scott Pugnetti, Etienne Proulx, Jakub Laskus, Agnieszka Celej.
AI IS THE NEW BLACK
As any ground-breaking technology, there are both great things about AI, as well as some aspects which might cause problems as we go on. On one hand, it’s an incredible tool that might push the creativity level to another dimension. It allows for the creation of things that were never created before, which to some may serve as a ray of hope in times of creative blocks and repetitively exploited ideas. For those working in tabletop, the good news is that the new technology will probably not take over as fast as in other cases, and not entirely. We all remember the times when CGI was the ‘new thing’ and even though it slipped into the field of food films, it proved to be only partly effective (liquids, for example, always look better when real). In tabletop’s case, the switch will probably take one or two more years to actually happen.
ADAPTATION
While technology and the industry are so dynamically changing, it’s becoming impossible for the professionals immersed in that world not to change too. Adapting to the circumstances is in the job description. Refusing to adjust is pointless and risky, as, soon, the ones who chose to do so might find themselves disposable from the clients’ standpoint. Directors should ‘follow the wave’ and keep developing new skills in order to.. ‘keep surfing’. As difficult to accept as it may be to some, it’s an undeniable fact that the directors who are eager to try new things and obtain new skills are the ones who win projects.
FINAL SHIFT TO SOCIAL MEDIA
It finally will be a year of video content in social media and there is no way clients can just reformat their TVC shots to feed their feed on Instagram, TikTok, Youtube and any other emerging platform. The target groups of each of them are well established and the trends inside them differ extremely – no longer making dozens of video ad formats out of one 16:9 makes any sense. And this will bring a lot of new space for smart amplification. Opening streaming platforms to advertising will most certainly be a lifebuoy to our good old 16:9, but it’s really high time to put equal attention to vertical formats.
‘THE GREAT DISAPPEARING PROJECTS’
An issue that seems to stem from social media formats being so popular is that many projects around a bigger shoot are being pitched without getting accepted by the client first. Be it ideas hunting or ordinary ghosting. That means a lot of work is going to waste. Unfortunately all directors from the Committee were affected by this and believe this tendency will only get worse in the times to come.
GOING GREEN
Sustainability and green production will become more than just a buzzword and something to pay lip service to. This is why remote shooting will represent a significant portion of work, and tabletop as a genre of film making lends itself very well to this. We should see a big move towards virtual production, as clients begin to recognize the cost savings associated with green production and the importance of being environmentally conscious. Green production may become mainstream this year.
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One thing is sure, we can definitely say the industry will keep changing rapidly and this will be a wild ride. But isn’t it what creativity is all about? Trying new things and adjusting – that’s what we should all focus on to stay ahead of the curve and simply, embrace the change.
