Thursday, June 16, 2016

A computer wrote a script -- this is the result

You have GOT to see this. Filmmaker Oscar Sharp and techie Ross Goodwin built a computer that could write screenplays. They loaded tons of screenplays, provided a title (SUNSPRING), a setting in the future and a brief premise. The computer did the rest.

Then they filmed it using three terrific actors – Thomas Middleditch (SILICON VELLEY), Humphrey Ker, and Elisabeth Gray (whose final emotional monologue brought her to tears – THAT is acting).

The result is hilarious, and I think (at least for the moment) that our screenwriting careers are safe. Minimal Intelligence still beats Artificial Intelligence. Enjoy.

21 comments :

Jason said...

Now, to be fair, this only indicates that *Ross Goodwin* can't write an AI for screenwriting...

But as a Computer/AI professional (with nothing to do with media other than reading a few blogs), I'd like to thank you sincerely for this post :)

Mary Ann Lewis said...

The opening line!

emily said...

"Memorizing and emoting lines that make absolutely no sense" should now be added to all three actors' resumes. Wow.

1955david said...

They pulled it off. Brilliant.

Stephen Marks said...

Rear Windows

The Big Guy said...

Jibberish. Makes no sense whatsoever. Your mind works hard to follow along but there's nothing to follow.

Barry in Portland said...

Got thru about 6 minutes. Should I have stayed for the end?

Barry in Portland said...

OK, I watched the rest. It was worth it.

Dodgerdawg said...

Get ready for a lawsuit from a room full of chimpanzees on typewriters.

Unknown said...

I cannot imagine how the actors were able to remember unconnected sentence fragments as if they meant anything. as well as emote to complete gibberish They made you think you were listening to something real. They were truly wonderful.

Unknown said...

This was completely unintelligible, confused, unwatchable with a witless plot and unthinkable as to how such a show would ever be made.

Still, better than Batman v Superman.

John Hammes said...

But, computers are GOOD for us... Artificial Intelligence can only make our lives BETTER. Have we learned NOTHING over the years from Robby The Robot, The B-9 Robot (Danger, Will Robinson), The Jet Benny movie's android, Devo, Sifl And Olly ("Sifl's Robot"), the NOAA Severe Weather Radio Voice...

(...you're right: should have given up after the B-9 Robot...)

DBenson said...

Clearly the actors are bringing their own logic, especially in the interactions. I can see where a computer spits out something like this and a minimum-wage lit major takes a single pass at editing, imposing rational language and best-guess logic on the fly. Then it's handed to a writer with a list of settings, effects and commercial requirements (one sex scene, two gunfights, chase and final confrontation). Writer overlays and inserts those by prevailing cliches; maybe two days' work. Soon enough you'd have commercially viable scripts, with a couple of low-paid, interchangeable writers putting in a less than 40 hours per script.

Philip said...

I think this might be an adaptation of a Burroughs novel

VP81955 said...

Nice to know a computer couldn't create a romantic comedy like my STAND TALL! As long as they limit themselves to chess.

Fred said...

What does the writer's guild say about the rights to the screenplay? To whom does one write the royalty check?

Chris C said...

I've read worse.

Rashad Khan said...

Well, it was certainly better than a lot of movies that computers DON'T write these days.

AndrewJ said...

STILL more intelligible than Sarah Palin.

Brian Drake said...

Best line in the film: "I am not a bright light."

Me and some coworkers at the office have been saying this to each other today, and other coworkers are giving us the strangest looks.

Johnny Walker said...

The first thing my AI teacher ever said in class was: "Why do we want AI? Computers are great at everything humans are bad at, and vice versa. They help us tremendously in this way, so we really have to ask ourselves why we want AI."

I'm still unsure.