Meta Partners with Blumhouse to Develop AI Video Tool: Meta Movie Gen

Meta has recently introduced Meta Movie Gen, a suite of AI models designed to simplify video production. With just simple text inputs, Meta Movie Gen can produce custom videos and sounds, edit existing content, and even transform personal images into unique videos. At launch, Meta showcased how the AI models generate high-quality 1080p HD videos with corresponding audio tracks, and announced plans to work closely with filmmakers and creators to gather feedback for continued development.

Pilot Program with Blumhouse and Select Creators

As part of this initiative, Meta launched a pilot program in collaboration with Blumhouse, the renowned horror production company, and select creators. The goal of the pilot is to gather feedback from the creative industry to refine Meta Movie Gen before its public debut in 2025.

Blumhouse handpicked a group of filmmakers, including Aneesh Chaganty (Searching, Run), The Spurlock Sisters (The Breakline, participants in Blumhouse’s first annual Screamwriting Fellowship), and Casey Affleck (I’m Still Here, Light of My Life), to test the technology and provide feedback. These directors worked closely with Meta’s generative AI researchers to experiment with the Movie Gen tools, using the AI-generated video clips as part of larger creative projects. Some of these short films and experimental videos are now available on Meta’s Movie Gen page, with additional films from Affleck and The Spurlock Sisters expected soon.

Engaging the Creative Community Early

Meta’s Vice President of GenAI, Connor Hayes, emphasized the importance of engaging the creative community early in the development process:
“While we’re not planning to incorporate Movie Gen models into any public products until next year, Meta feels it’s important to have an open and early dialogue with the creative community about how it can be the most useful tool for creativity and ensure its responsible use.”

Jason Blum, founder and CEO of Blumhouse, also highlighted the value of involving artists in the development of these tools:
“Artists are and forever will be the lifeblood of our industry. Innovation and tools that can help those artists better tell their stories is something we are always keen to explore... These are going to be powerful tools for directors, and it’s important to engage the creative industry in their development to make sure they’re best suited for the job.”

Early Feedback from Filmmakers

The filmmakers involved in the pilot program provided invaluable feedback. While they noted that nothing can replace hands-on filmmaking, the Movie Gen models were seen as useful for quickly expressing creative ideas and exploring visual direction, tone, and mood. The AI’s ability to respond to text prompts in unexpected ways inspired new ideas and creative directions. Additionally, Movie Gen’s audio capabilities helped directors experiment with background audio and sound effects.

The longer the filmmakers engaged with the tools, the more potential they saw for AI to become a valuable collaborator in their creative processes.

Extending the Pilot Program into 2025

Based on the success of the initial pilot, Meta will extend the program into 2025, allowing for continued collaboration with filmmakers and digital content creators. This extended phase will give Meta's internal teams more opportunities to work directly with directors, resulting in practical feedback for improving the AI models and user interfaces.

Meta hopes that by giving creatives a powerful new suite of tools, Meta Movie Gen will enable more people to bring their unique stories to life and share them with the world.

Industry Collaboration and AI Development

Meta’s collaboration with Blumhouse comes at a time when other tech companies are also partnering with the entertainment industry to integrate AI into filmmaking. For instance, OpenAI had discussions with film executives about its AI video generator, Sora, and Runway recently partnered with Lionsgate to use its film and TV library to train an AI model. These partnerships underscore the need for tech companies to work closely with the creative community to address copyright and consent issues surrounding AI in filmmaking.