The new platform aims to democratise access to enterprise-grade visual development tools for independent filmmakers
Writer/director/producer Dan Hartley (pictured right) has teamed up with Chris Bird (pictured left), former MD of Amazon Prime UK to launch CineMe, a “visual development tool” for filmmakers powered by proprietary AI.
CineMe enables content creators to build a visual world from script to screen, enabling collaboration between producers, director, production designer, DP, locations, costume designer and VFX.
CineMe takes a script and automatically creates a visual storyboard of photo-realistic images in seconds, building the filmmaker’s visual world in pre-production.
As the platform scales, the developers say CineMe will introduce generative AI VFX capabilities, enabling productions to create complex visual effects such as explosions or large-scale set pieces through AI, reducing the need for practical VFX shoots.
HawksHead AI
Separately to CineMe, Bird has also launched a predictive data analytics platform called HawksHead AI
HawksHead AI helps content creators predict how their projects will perform with audiences at the earliest stages of development from script or synopsis.
Using proprietary AI tooling and private databases, HawksHead analyses the likely performance of a project within specific audience cohorts and provides actionable guidance on how to adjust a script, casting, or creative approach to improve its resonance with target demographics.
The platform is designed to support creators in winning commissions or securing investment from broadcasters and streamers by backing creative instinct with robust data.
HawksHead also offers a “Synthetic Panel” capability, making it possible for creators to test changes and gauge results in advance, getting feedback in hours.
Hartley and Bird say CineMe simplifies the way ideas are shared, saving time and money for producers. It was born out of Hartley’s frustration with the barriers to entry faced by independent filmmakers who haven’t historically had access to affordable visual development tools.
Hartley and Bird has also set up the CineMe Future Fund which will provide 5% of the company to a charitable trust, with the goal of providing enterprise-grade artificial intelligence to the screen-based creative industries workforce.
CineMe is currently in the beta phase of its development.
Hartley said: “Over a 20-year career I’ve had the opportunity to work with some of the leading luminaries in the British film industry, and I’ve seen first-hand how important it is to align teams around a creative vision. I see CineMe’s role as supporting the next generation of storytellers and filmmakers, by giving them access to affordable tools that will transform how they develop, produce and distribute films. Before CineMe you used to have to wait until you’d made a film before you could see it, now you don’t.”
Bird added: “After 15 years at Amazon, seeing first-hand how new technologies can help reduce cost, improve decision-making and increase efficiency, I’m excited to bring that ethos to the UK content creation space with CineMe. We sit on the precipice of significant change in our industry, and CineMe is perfectly placed to help creators bring their vision to screen more easily than has ever been possible.”
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