AI entrepreneur Guy Gadney, CEO of Charismatic.ai and co-founder of Cine Pro Lab, explains why the AI training course is a must for anyone looking to capitalise on the new tech to get ahead in TV and film production.

What gap in the professional training market did Cine Pro Lab set out to address when it launched?

We set out to make courses that were specifically relevant and useful for existing TV and film creatives to build on their foundation skills, adding AI tools to their capabilities. There is a big difference between doing a software tutorial and showing someone how to make a great production come to life with AI, and we felt there was a big gap in the market for courses that enable creatives to make great work with AI.

How does Cine Pro Lab differentiate itself from other AI-tool training programmes?

Our courses have been designed by the best AI filmmakers in the world who know all the tools inside out and are sharing their knowledge and tips on how to achieve broadcast-ready and award-winning quality. In addition, we are pleased to announce that Cine Pro Lab’s AI Filmmaking course is now available through UK training body ScreenSkills, so creative practitioners looking to boost their skillsets can now apply for funding to have the training paid for by ScreenSkills.

How did you structure the course to reflect the reality of production rather than theoretical AI capability?

We follow traditional production processes from initial story all the way through to the end broadcast production. This reflects the important differentiator that Cine Pro Lab has been designed by award-winning AI filmmakers to ensure we are providing the best-quality courses available.

That said, there are important differences between traditional production pipelines and AI production pipelines, and we highlight these in the training modules. For example, VFX will go to pre-viz, wireframes and block animations, whereas AI goes straight to fully rendered tests. This can be a surprise for traditional filmmakers, but it actually makes the whole process much more agile.

How strong is demand for AI training from established TV and film execs versus emerging digital creators? And how is this changing?

With the pressure on existing budgets for film, TV and animation, knowledge of AI production has moved from curiosity to mandatory in recent months, and this will only accelerate throughout this year. There are specific parts of the production process – like pre-visualisation – where AI can deliver massive time and budget savings, allowing the tighter budgets to spend more on the final on-screen results. Naturally, creators with less budget are faster to adopt and, like advertising, can be a funnel for filmmakers of the future, so we are seeing new filmmakers emerge into the mainstream with these skills. As a consequence, it is super important that execs understand this world to be able to work with them, as well as to spot opportunities for established directors and producers to realise their visions.

Do you see AI training becoming a standard professional requirement in the same way editing software or CGI previously became essential?

Software is already a part of all aspects of production now, from in-camera AI through to virtual production and editing. So yes, I think it will be part of the mix. This is why training now is so important. We’re seeing huge adoption of AI for production in other markets like the US and Europe, so it’s vital the UK’s industry remains competitive. We are a creative nation, and it’s important that we make sure we can keep skills current in a global market.

What production stages do execs typically underestimate when considering AI integration: development, production or post?

We are seeing cost and time reductions of over 50% across the board using AI. However, that doesn’t mean it is a ‘magic button’ that is just pressed to create a series or film. There is still a sense that all the costs of using AI are technology licences and that anyone can produce great content, but that’s not the case at all, and creatives are still involved at every stage of the process. Part of the reason we see such success with Cine Pro Lab courses at the executive level is so they can then decide for themselves where best to deploy AI in a production. Each production will be different, so knowledge is the first step towards a successful AI strategy.

Are you seeing a shift in what buyers and commissioners expect from production teams in terms of AI literacy?

We have seen useful steps from broadcasters – notably Netflix – in setting out their AI frameworks and expectations, but in the UK we could do better in order to help production companies pitch better and more efficiently. Behind the scenes, we’re seeing AI being used pretty much everywhere for production companies to be sustainable. Having a clear framework will boost the UK industry hugely.

How are production companies approaching copyright, licensing and data ownership within AI workflows?

This is a complex landscape currently. We were recently called to the House of Lords as a witness to share our experiences, and we have been involved in making the voices of the creative sectors heard for over eight years now, and we continue to contribute to the government’s debate. Our position always has been to generate more money for creators with AI, not less, and Cine Pro Lab is a way to show what some of the opportunities are.

The current state of play is that many broadcasters are making enterprise agreements to use specific AI models, so our recommendation always is to ask, as it could influence how a production is commissioned and made. For example, you can see that the recent deal between Disney and OpenAI will favour that technology platform.

Are you seeing AI enable new content categories that require entirely different commissioning strategies?

We look into the future through a rear-view mirror, as Marshall McLuhan said, so what is being created at the moment reflects existing content styles, genres and categories. However, personally speaking, some of the scripts and projects that have come across my desk are astonishing, crossing into the ‘transmedia’ space and telling stories in ways that simply could not be done before. With moves by the BBC and Channel 4 to focus more on YouTube and digital outlets, you can already see a more agile way of direct audience testing and engagement. This favours new voices, more diverse voices, and plays to AI’s strength in its ability to visualise and test concepts faster.

Analysts like Evan Shapiro have been very vocal on how the media landscape has already changed seismically, and the success of Cine Pro Lab has shown there is a rising tide of creators wanting to learn how to tell their stories in this new form.

What will a fully AI-native production company look like by the end of the decade?

A fully AI-native production company will likely operate as a hybrid creative and technology studio, using an integrated AI pipeline to develop, test and produce content far faster and at a greater scale than traditional models. Teams will be smaller but more multidisciplinary, blending storytelling with technical workflow design while projects will be developed as scalable IP ecosystems that span film and digital platforms simultaneously. However, the real competitive advantage won’t just be production capacity, but distinctive creative vision with strong world-building and the ability to rapidly adapt content based on audience engagement and data.

AI entrepreneur Guy Gadney, CEO of Charismatic.ai and co-founder of Cine Pro Lab, explains why the AI training course is a must for anyone looking to capitalise on the new tech to get ahead in TV and film production.

What gap in the professional training market did Cine Pro Lab set out to address when it launched?

We set out to make courses that were specifically relevant and useful for existing TV and film creatives to build on their foundation skills, adding AI tools to their capabilities. There is a big difference between doing a software tutorial and showing someone how to make a great production come to life with AI, and we felt there was a big gap in the market for courses that enable creatives to make great work with AI.
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