Consortium secures £1.04 M funding to explore AI-driven storytelling for TV & Film industries

18 September 2024

A new consortium plans to create an Artificial Intelligence prototype and publish new research into how AI could support under-represented content creators and established producers to enhance storytelling in film and television.

 

The Charismatic consortium - which has received £1.04million from the government’s Innovate UK programme – will research the opportunities for the creative industries to better leverage the potential of AI technologies. The project will explore how creators could use AI to generate new material such as storyboards, scenes and settings.

 

The project is led by Charismatic.ai, Channel 4, UAL Creative Computing Institute, Falmouth University, Aardman Animations, Sound Reactions and digital ethicist Lisa Talia Moretti – and is being backed by Innovate UK to ensure AI is at the heart of the economy.

 

A key element of the consortium’s work is to develop business models that enable creators to be remunerated for their ideas, and specifically to support creators disadvantaged through lack of access to funds or the industry to compete with better funded organisations. Charismatic will also be used by established, larger producers to prototype and previsualise their productions more easily and efficiently.

 

Access to diverse creator talent, independent producers and wider industry relationships plus latest viewer insight and audience testing will be provided by Channel 4. Ambitions will be further delivered through the combination of Charismatic.ai's creative AI knowhow, creative expertise and IP from Aardman Animations, and access to research and knowledge from Falmouth University and UAL Creative Computing Institute.

 

Guy Gadney, CEO of Charismatic.ai said: "Charismatic is a much-needed project to ensure that diverse, new and existing creators have access to the best tools and technologies in this new AI-focused content era. It is about how humanity can create new forms of storytelling in ways that were not previously possible, rather than recreating what already exists. This is the perfect group to make sure that creative industries become valuable key players in the exciting and rapidly changing technology environment."

 

Grace Boswood, Technology & Distribution Director, Channel 4, said: “Channel 4 has a strong commitment to representing unheard voices – from diverse communities and emerging writers and producers. We're thrilled to be partnering on the Charismatic project, looking to understand how we make cutting-edge transformative tech like AI accessible to all creators, irrespective of experience or budget. Our mission with the Charismatic project is to empower creators with AI, not replace them.”

 

Dr Kingsley Marshall, Head of the School of Film & Television at Falmouth University said: "Creatives have a rich history of adopting and adapting to new technology, which is why at Falmouth University our research focuses on exploring the connection between creativity and technology. As creatives and filmmakers ourselves we’re equally interested in the ethics of how emergent technology affect our sector, including how it can help in raising underrepresented voices, alongside how it can aid creatives to tell previously untold stories in new exciting ways on our screens.

 

“Projects of this kind provide great value to the creative sector, academia, and wider economy. Importantly, the work will inform our teaching so our students are best equipped to contribute to the screen industries and take their place as the leaders of tomorrow. 

 

Professor Mick Grierson, Research Leader, UAL Creative Computing Institute said: "It's fantastic to be part of a national project to bring these sophisticated Creative AI tools to UK creators. We look forward to contributing our research expertise in Generative Machine Learning to help place UK creative industries at the forefront of AI."

 

Notes to editors: 

 

The Charismatic.ai team has extensive experience in interactive storytelling, such as adapting John Wyndham’s classic novel The Kraken Wakes into video game form, developing writer-centric AI tools, running writers rooms and adapting graphic novels into interactive immersive stories. 

Channel 4 will be utilising their experience working with new and under represented creators to coordinate workshops with a broad and diverse group of creators. 

Falmouth University’s Film and Television department will be researching creative developments in storytelling art, and how this is influenced by new technology developments. 

UAL CCI will be harnessing their experience researching AI technologies, model training, and advanced technological trends and developments. 

This is one of almost 100 projects being backed by Innovate UK to ensure AI is at the heart of the UK economy.