OpenAI’s video generation tool Sora officially rolled out widely on Monday, following a limited February pilot program that gave select filmmakers early access to the technology. The AI-powered platform generates short video clips—up to 20 seconds maximum—from simple text prompts, and can also modify existing footage. This capability is sparking conversations across Hollywood and film schools about how artificial intelligence might fundamentally reshape the movie production landscape.
Michaela Ternasky-Holland, one of the first directors to create a complete short film using Sora, premiered her work at Tribeca in 2024. She sees significant potential for the technology to reduce filmmaking development costs by creating elements like sizzle reels and proof-of-concept materials. However, she’s quick to acknowledge current limitations, noting that “just because someone has a 4K camera, it doesn’t make them a Steven Spielberg.”
Film professors at prestigious institutions like NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television are cautiously optimistic about AI’s role in cinema. Dana Polan from NYU observes that AI video generators aren’t triggering the same concerns as text-based AI tools, partly because Hollywood views the screenplay as the “first act of creativity,” while visual production has always involved multiple interpreters of that original vision.
Current pricing tiers make Sora accessible to various users: ChatGPT Plus subscribers ($20/month) receive up to 50 generations monthly at five seconds maximum, while ChatGPT Pro users ($200/month) get unlimited generations up to the full 20-second length.
Despite the excitement, industry experts acknowledge Sora isn’t quite ready for prime-time production. The technology still struggles with complex tasks like placing multiple characters in scenes and suffers from image quality issues that fall into an “uncanny valley.” Ternasky-Holland noted that improvement pace has actually slowed in recent versions.
However, practical applications are already emerging. Filmmaker Michael Gilkison used a free AI app to create a car-crushing scene for his Amazon Prime Video project “The Finish Line,” achieving effects that “would have cost a lot more 20 years ago.” Meanwhile, competing platforms like Runway have already gained traction with major productions, counting “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and the Oscar-winning “Everything Everywhere All At Once” effects team among their clients.
Chapman University student Tahsis Fairley represents the next generation of filmmakers who view AI as a natural tool for expediting storyboarding and testing visual concepts without significant financial investment. UCLA professor George Huang predicts AI could appear in completed films “by the end of the next year easily,” suggesting rapid mainstream adoption is imminent.
Key Quotes
These things are giving you an illusion of control. And no matter how good the generations are, there’s still someone behind them prompting it. Just because someone has a 4K camera, it doesn’t make them a Steven Spielberg.
Michaela Ternasky-Holland, one of the first directors to premiere a Sora-created short film at Tribeca 2024, emphasizes that AI tools don’t replace artistic vision and filmmaking expertise, despite their technical capabilities.
We think AI is now coming to destroy all of us, and that’s a narrative that Hollywood created. It’s embedded in our culture.
George Huang, professor at UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television, points out the irony that Hollywood’s decades of dystopian AI narratives have shaped negative perceptions of the very technology now entering the industry.
As a producer, I would use it to keep the cost down, but it is all about balance.
Filmmaker Michael Gilkison, whose work appears on Amazon Prime Video, acknowledges the practical cost benefits of AI while recognizing potential downsides, such as eliminating extras which can diminish a film’s authentic spirit.
We will be able to test out new visual ideas without investing significant amounts of money.
Tahsis Fairley, a creative producing student at Chapman University, represents the emerging generation of filmmakers who view AI as a natural tool for rapid prototyping and creative experimentation without financial risk.
Our Take
Sora’s launch represents a watershed moment where generative AI transitions from novelty to practical production tool, though the technology clearly remains in its adolescence. The most telling insight comes from Ternasky-Holland’s observation about “illusion of control”—a reminder that AI tools are collaborators, not replacements for human creativity and vision.
What’s particularly fascinating is the generational divide in reception: students embrace these tools naturally while established professionals remain cautiously skeptical. This pattern mirrors historical technological disruptions in cinema, from sound to CGI. The real question isn’t whether AI will transform filmmaking—it already is—but rather how the industry will balance efficiency gains against job displacement and artistic integrity. The $200/month unlimited tier suggests OpenAI is positioning Sora as a professional tool, not just a consumer toy, signaling serious intent to capture the production market. Huang’s prediction of AI in finished films by late 2025 may prove conservative given the rapid pace of improvement in generative models.
Why This Matters
Sora’s public release marks a pivotal moment in the intersection of artificial intelligence and creative industries, with implications extending far beyond Hollywood. The technology promises to democratize filmmaking by dramatically lowering financial barriers to entry, potentially enabling independent creators and marginalized voices to produce professional-quality content previously accessible only to well-funded studios.
This development arrives amid ongoing tensions in the entertainment industry over AI’s role, following the 2023 writers’ and actors’ strikes where AI protections were central negotiating points. The dual nature of this technology—simultaneously empowering indie creators while threatening traditional jobs—exemplifies the broader societal challenge of managing AI’s disruptive potential.
For the business world, Sora represents how generative AI is moving beyond text into complex multimedia creation, with major studios likely to leverage these tools for cost reduction in big-budget productions. The technology could fundamentally reshape production economics, affecting everyone from extras and animators to visual effects artists. As film schools integrate these tools into curricula, we’re witnessing real-time adaptation to an AI-augmented creative future, offering a preview of how other industries might navigate similar transformations.
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Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/sora-ai-film-movies-openai-who-uses-special-effects-2024-12