Film Ideation: Finding the Core Idea
Film Ideation
The 2023 Hollywood writers' strike put AI and creative originality on the front pages for the first time. Since the settlement, the studios have moved cautiously but steadily toward AI-assisted development — while the writers' side monitors for contract violations. The core argument, beneath the labour dispute, is philosophical: what constitutes an original idea in a medium that runs on genre?
WGA 2023 Strike Settlement: AI-Generated Material Barred as Source Material for Writer Credits
The Writers Guild agreement prohibits studios from using AI-generated material as source material under the contract, protecting writers' credits and separated rights. Studios cannot require writers to use AI tools during writing services, though writers may volunteer to use AI if company policy permits. If studios provide AI-generated materials to writers, they must disclose their AI origin. The WGA also reserved rights to challenge exploitation of writers' work to train AI systems.
"The rule requires disclosure. Disclosure requires documentation. Documentation is optional."
Source ↗Spec Script Sales Surge to 28 Deals in 2025: Studios Return to Original Material After Years of IP-Only Strategy
Major studios and streamers have purchased 28 original specs in 2025 after years of franchise-focused development. The surge—from 11 deals in 2023 to 24 in 2024—reflects a shift away from expensive pre-packaged projects toward 'naked' scripts without A-list talent attached. Natan Dotan's spec script *Alignment* (about a rogue AI) sold for $1.25 million upfront against $3 million if produced. Industry figures cite Netflix's content appetite and franchise fatigue as drivers. Studios increasingly prefer original material to offset the risk of bloated IP projects.
"The spec market crashed for two decades. Studios just realized they need original ideas."
Source ↗Cinelytic Launches Global AI Greenlight System: 88% Accuracy in Predicting Top-Quartile Box Office Performance
Cinelytic's upgraded predictive platform now delivers forecasting with over 88% accuracy at the individual title level across 80 territories. The AI system analyzes production budget, genre, cast, creative talent, franchise potential, release timing, and premium formats to generate territory-by-territory revenue projections in seconds. Rather than automating greenlight decisions, Cinelytic functions as 'utility AI'—augmenting human judgment. The platform enables studios to test multiple release strategies simultaneously and make greenlighting decisions earlier in development before major budgets are committed.
"It finds hits. It can't find surprises."
Source ↗Adobe Commissions Two AI-Assisted Films at Sundance 2026: 'Wink' and 'MythOS' Showcase Hybrid Generative Workflows
Adobe commissioned two original short films at Sundance 2026 blending traditional craft with generative AI. 'Wink,' directed by Momo Wang, used hand-drawn sketches converted to 3D via Adobe Firefly, then refined with 2D aesthetics. 'MythOS,' directed by Taryn O'Neill, featured live actors composited against AI-generated backgrounds built with Firefly Boards. O'Neill noted that 'late adjustment would have been far more costly and time-intensive' in traditional workflows. Both directors emphasized generative AI enhanced rather than replaced professional craft. The films premiered as part of Adobe's $10 million commitment to fund filmmakers integrating AI into creative workflows.
"AI as collaborator, not ghost-writer. The director still directs."
Source ↗If a film concept was developed using AI tools that generated the premise, character arcs, and central conflict, and a human writer then wrote the screenplay from that brief, should that writer receive the same credits and residuals as one who originated the story?
Three Parts
A concept is not a vibe. Three parts carry it, and if one is missing the trailer dies on screen.
- A named character. Not "a woman" — Detective Mara Voss. A name forces a point of view.
- A forced change. Something rips the character out of normal life and they cannot go back. No change, no story.
- Real stakes. What is lost if they fail — and we have to believe it.
Counter-example. "A moody film about loneliness in a big city, with rain and neon." That is an aesthetic, not a concept — nobody wants anything, nothing changes, nothing is at stake. Pretty, and dead.
Step 0
A vibe walks in
"A lonely lighthouse keeper. Storms. Isolation." Atmospheric — but is it a story yet? No want, no change, no stakes.
{"A":{"missing":"forced change","note":"A mood and a job, but nothing rips him out of normal life."},"B":{"missing":"real stakes","note":"Named character, but nothing is at risk — an ordinary shift is not a story."},"C":{"missing":"named character","note":"High stakes, but \"someone\" has no point of view — who, and what do THEY lose?"}}Draft Concept
Draft your own trailer concept in one paragraph. It must contain a named character, a forced change, and real stakes. Use AI to flood yourself with variants (the Concept Variant Flood workbench), then CUT — pick the one with the strongest engine and write it in your own words. You will pitch it in the room.