Exploring the Creative Potential of AI in Filmmaking
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Time: 1-5 PM BST, 23 June 2025
Time: 1-5 PM BST, 23 June 2025
In-Person Location: Room HH203, 2nd Floor, Creative Computing Institute, University of the Arts London, 272 High Holborn, London WC1V 7EY
In-Person Location: Room HH203, 2nd Floor, Creative Computing Institute, University of the Arts London, 272 High Holborn, London WC1V 7EY
Publication now available at: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3698061.3728393
We invite filmmakers, AI researchers, creative practitioners, media scholars—and anyone with an interest in the intersection of AI and filmmaking—to participate in our workshop Exploring the Creative Potential of AI in Filmmaking, held at C&C ’25 (June 23–25, 2025). As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in creative workflows—from video content analysis and generative storytelling to audience cognition modeling and ethical decision-making—your expertise is essential.
This workshop is designed to foster meaningful dialogue and hands-on exploration across disciplines. We believe that only through collaboration between technologists, artists, and theorists can we fully understand and shape AI’s role in cinematic creativity. Your insights will help define how AI is applied not only as a tool for production, but as a co-creative partner and ethical agent in the filmmaking process.
Whether you're investigating new forms of narrative, developing AI tools, or studying audience engagement, we welcome your voice in this timely conversation. Join us in co-creating the future of AI-augmented storytelling.
Note: Participation requires registration for the ACM Creativity and Cognition 2025 conference.
Workshop Registration Link (by Fri 20 June): https://forms.gle/twgNchLJ1Rjub59c9
Abstract
Abstract
This workshop explores the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into filmmaking, focusing on AI-driven video content analysis (VCA), AI-assisted content creation, and ethical considerations. As AI continues to reshape creative workflows, it opens new possibilities for filmmaking while raising important questions about human-AI collaboration. The workshop aims to bridge perspectives between creative practitioners, industry professionals, and AI researchers, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue on AI’s evolving role in creative practice. We will discuss how AI-powered VCA advances film grammar analysis and audience cognition research, informing creative decision-making, and how generative AI supports production processes while expanding artistic possibilities. Additionally, we will examine how AI-driven analysis can inform ethical practices, alongside addressing the risks associated with generative AI. Through a combination of theoretical discussion and practical demonstrations, participants will gain hands-on experience with AI filmmaking tools while critically engaging with the future directions of AI-augmented creativity.
Dr. Sergio Benini, Associate Professor, Department of Information Engineering, University of Brescia, Italy.
Dr. Sergio Benini earned his MSc in Electronic Engineering (cum laude) in 2000. He worked as a software analyst at Siemens Mobile Communications until 2003, before pursuing a PhD in Information Engineering at the University of Brescia. In 2005, he was appointed Assistant Professor and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2019 in the Department of Information Engineering. Dr. Benini has conducted research at several international institutions, including Siemens (Ulm, Germany), Queen Mary University of London (UK), British Telecom Research (Ipswich, UK), and the Vinča Institute of Nuclear Science (Belgrade, Serbia). In March 2012, he co-founded Yonder s.r.l., an academic spin-off specializing in Natural Language Processing, Cognitive Computing, and Machine Learning, where he serves as Chief Scientific Officer.
Dr. Mattia Savardi, Research Fellow and Associate Lecturer, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of Brescia.
Dr. Mattia Savardi received his M.Sc. in Communication Technologies and Multimedia (cum laude) and obtained his Ph.D. with merit in Technology for Health at UNIBS, focusing on Deep Learning for Medical Image Analysis. Awarded the GTTI PhD prize in 2020 for the best thesis, he has worked with brain functional MRI, CXR, hyperspectral, and RGB biomedical images in collaboration with international institutions. His research spans media psychology—analyzing formal cinematic features that elicit measurable effects on viewers—and neuroscience, where he explored brain decoding through fMRI to identify film features perceived during viewing sessions.
Prof. Tim J. Smith, Professor in Cognitive Data Science, Creative Computing Institute, University of the Arts London, UK.
Prof. Tim Smith earned his Join Honors BSc from the University of Edinburgh in Artificial Intelligence and Psychology. During his PhD, also at Edinburgh Informatics he developed an Attentional Theory of Cinematic Continuity which is widely influential across cognitive psychology, vision science, computational modeling and filmmaking education and practice. He is head of the Cognition in Naturalistic Environments (CINE) Lab, at the Creative Computing Institute, University of the Arts London. Researchers in his lab apply empirical Cognitive, Developmental Psychology, Neuroscientific and Computational methods to questions of Media Cognition and has published widely on the subject both in Psychology and Media journals. His research has informed media practices through collaborations with Dreamworks Animation, BBC, Channel 4, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Prof. Mick Grierson, Professor and Research Leader in Creative Computing, Creative Computing Institute, University of the Arts London, UK.
Mick Grierson is Research Leader at UAL Creative Computing Institute. His research explores new approaches to the creation of sounds, images, video and interactions through signal processing, machine learning and information retrieval techniques. Hardware and software based on his research has been widely used by world leading production companies, tech start-ups and artists including the BBC, Channel 4, Massive Attack, Sigur Ros, Christian Marclay, Martin Creed, Jai Paul and many others. He led the first BSc programmes in Creative Computing in the UK, and the first creative programming MOOC in the world, with over 250,000 learners. Work by his students and research group was instrumental in the development of the field known as Creative AI. He was Principal Investigator on the £1 million Artificial Intelligence project MIMIC, a partnership between Durham University, Sussex University, Goldsmiths College, and Google’s Project Magenta, and is currently CO-I on the AHRC's Transforming Collections project (£3 million, led by Susan Pui San Lok). He was the Academic Research Lead for the £1million 2018-2020 Wellcome Trust Hub, in collaboration with Heart n Soul, RCA Helen Hamlyn Centre and UCL CRAE, and Principal Investigator for the Institute of Coding's £1.4 million Future Projects Fund Project, "Creative Solutions to Digital Transformation", in collaboration with FutureLearn, Lancaster University, Goldsmiths College, and Nesta.
Dr. Luis Pinto Arandas, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Creative Computing Institute, University of the Arts London, UK.
Artist and Researcher in Creative AI and Signal Processing currently based in London (UK). Post-Doc Research Fellow and Associate Lecturer at UAL Creative Computing Institute, previously Ph.D. from the University of Porto alongside INESC-TEC research centre. Work focuses on language applied to music and moving image; has previously been in xCoAx (Italy, Germany), ICLI/WAC (Norway), VAF (Denmark), Artificial Creativity Conference (Sweden), EvoMUSART (Italy), Semibreve Festival (Portugal), FILE festival (Brazil). In production has collaborated with entities such as Aardman Animations, Braga Media Arts UNESCO, Criatech, Openfield Creativelab, Serralves Museum, Madeira Photography Museum, Supernova Ensemble and occasionally private studios. Practice around topics such as contemporary audiovisual practices, intelligence and behavioural simulations, computing networks and philosophy of mind. https://luisarandas.com/
Zhijun Pan (Aldrich), Research Fellow, Creative Computing Institute, University of the Arts London, UK.
Zhijun Pan, also known as Aldrich, is a researcher in the field of AI storytelling, utilising multimodal AI models. He earned a first-class BSc in Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science from The University of Edinburgh in 2023. Prior to his work as a Research Fellow and his current studies as a PhD student at the University of the Arts London, he studied at the Royal College of Art and worked at The University of Edinburgh and Ubisoft. His research has been published in ACM and IEEE conferences and journals. Additionally, projects he has contributed to have won the Red Dot Award and The Lumen Prize. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
1:00 - 1:15 PM
1:00 - 1:15 PM
Welcome and introduction to workshop objectives, themes, and structure.
1:15 - 2:30 PM
1:15 - 2:30 PM
Section 1: AI in Video Content Analysis – Presentations, live demonstrations, and interactive discussions on VCA methods, audience cognition modeling, and their applications in creative workflows including the ethics arising. Participants will explore AI-assisted film grammar analysis, shot scale classification, and camera usage analysis through guided experimentation. 15-minute open discussion.
2:30 - 2:45 PM
2:30 - 2:45 PM
Short break and informal networking.
2:45 - 4:00 PM
2:45 - 4:00 PM
Section 2: AI-Assisted Creative Workflow – Presentations and demonstrations of generative AI models integrated into the filmmaking workflow, including scriptwriting, visual design, music scoring, and editing. Participants will engage in hands-on activities to explore AI’s role as a co-creative partner. Discussions will address the evolving dynamics of human-AI collaboration, creative agency, and ethical issues such as authorship, ownership, and cultural sensitivity. 15-minute open discussion.
4:00 - 4:50 PM
4:00 - 4:50 PM
Open discussion. Summary discussion on key insights, participant reflections, and open questions.
4:50 - 5:00 PM
4:50 - 5:00 PM
Closing remarks, follow-up collaboration plans, and next steps for research and practice.
Zhijun Pan (Aldrich)
Research Fellow, Creative Computing Institute, University of the Arts London, UK
Dr. Sergio Benini
Associate Professor, Department of Information Engineering, University of Brescia, Italy
Prof. Mick Grierson
Professor and Research Leader in Creative Computing, Creative Computing Institute, University of the Arts London, UK
Dr. Mattia Savardi
Research Fellow and Associate Lecturer, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of Brescia, Italy
Prof. Tim J. Smith
Professor in Cognitive Data Science, Creative Computing Institute, University of the Arts London, UK
CCI Nerve Lab
CCI Nerve Lab
Contact Email: a.pan@arts.ac.uk
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