Our spring sale is now live — get full access for just $2/week, 50% OFF for 12 months. Lock in your rate before the offer ends. Howdy, folks! In this newsletter: AI in Cannes, Dropout CEO on his winning subscription strategy and more. This year's Cannes Film Festival has been a change of pace from previous years. Whereas lauded movies like "The Substance" and "It Was Just an Accident" and "The Secret Agent" were discovered and Hollywood films like "Top Gun: Maverick" added a dash of star power, this year's lineup has been devoid of blockbusters and somewhat middling in substance, according to those in attendance. This year, our Steve Pond writes that — midway through the festival, at least — it's a pretty disappointing Cannes. A couple of standouts here and there, and Jordan Firstman's "Club Kid" sold to A24 for $17 million, but the vibes appear to be "meh." Perhaps more interesting at Cannes is the conversation around AI. Our Sharon Waxman spoke with several film professionals at the festival who expressed more curiosity about the technology when it comes to its role in the filmmaking process. “People don’t know how to talk about it,” Scott Mann, co-founder of Flawless, said. “Assistive AI is safe and everyone is using it. But it’s like The Force. It has a good side and a dark side. The dark side is a devastating story that will destroy the industry. But things have fundamentally changed where it is accepted technologically. That’s not a question anymore.” On the one hand, you have Darren Aronofsky openly embracing generative AI in moviemaking and Peter Jackson comparing it to special effects, but at the same festival... Adam Chitwood | ||||||||||||
