I Spent 3 Years Trying To Write A Screenplay With AI... Here's The Truth

I Spent 3 Years Trying To Write A Screenplay With AI... Here's The Truth - Russell Palmer

Artificial intelligence has been heralded as a revolutionary tool in various industries, but when it comes to writing screenplays, the expectations and reality don’t quite align. Over the past three years, I’ve dedicated significant effort to exploring the capabilities of AI, particularly ChatGPT, in generating a full-length screenplay. Here’s what I’ve learned.

The Misconceptions During the Strike

One prevalent misconception that surfaced during the strike was that AI could fully replace human screenwriters. This belief has been significantly overstated. Despite attempts, even advanced versions of ChatGPT can manage only about half a page at a time before the quality degrades.

Limitations of AI in Screenwriting

Paragraph Generation Limits: ChatGPT has a hard limit on how many questions it can answer before it locks you out for a period. This makes it impractical for generating long-form content in a single go.

Degrading Quality: The quality of text generated by ChatGPT declines significantly over longer outputs. This degradation, often referred to as "hallucinations," results in incoherent or completely rogue screenplay elements.

In experiments, even using the API version of ChatGPT, the narrative quickly breaks down over multiple pages, making it unreliable for sustained creative writing.

Practical Applications and Edits

While ChatGPT helps expedite the "vomit draft" stage by quickly generating initial ideas, it requires significant human intervention for coherence and to align with the creator’s vision. This need for constant editing diminishes its utility as a stand-alone tool for writing entire screenplays.

How Long Should a Screenplay Take with AI?

Speed in writing should not compromise quality. Writers value producing their best work over merely fast results. Realistically, a screenplay can take anywhere from several weeks to a few months with AI, contingent upon the degree of human editing required.

The Reality of AI Tools

ChatGPT and Alternatives: Many AI tools claim to offer complete screenplay generation capabilities, but none effectively deliver on this promise. Key limitations in existing AI tools necessitate a reliance on structured human input.

Storyboarding Tools: Current storyboarding tools, like MidJourney, show promise with high-quality visuals but have steep learning curves involving coding and command prompts.

Video and Virtual Performance Tools: Advanced tools like Runway Gen 2 and Flawless AI are revolutionizing video editing and virtual performances, saving production costs and time through AI-enhanced retake options.

Success Stories?

As of now, there are no confirmed cases of screenplays fully written by AI being sold and produced by Hollywood. The common applications remain limited to assisting with beat sheets and set lists.

Conclusion

Despite prevalent fears, AI like ChatGPT cannot replace human screenwriters. Its utility lies in assisting the creative process by speeding up initial drafts and aiding with specific writing tasks. The future may hold more sophisticated AI tools, but for now, human creativity and meticulous editing remain irreplaceable in screenwriting.

Keywords

Artificial Intelligence
Screenwriting
ChatGPT
Limitations
Vomit Draft
Human Editing
AI Tools

FAQ

Q: Can AI like ChatGPT write an entire screenplay?

A: No, AI currently cannot generate a full-length, coherent screenplay without significant human editing.

Q: What are the main drawbacks of using AI for screenwriting?

A: Key drawbacks include limited output length, quality degradation over extended text, and a mismatch with the creator’s vision which necessitates constant human edits.

Q: How long should it take to write a screenplay with AI assistance?

A: It varies, but generally, it could take several weeks to a few months, accounting for the necessary human editing to ensure quality.

Q: Are there any AI screenwriting success stories?

A: No known screenplays written solely by AI have been sold and produced in Hollywood. AI is primarily used for beat sheets and set lists.

Q: What AI tools are recommended for screenwriters?

A: Currently, beyond ChatGPT, tools from Google Docs, Microsoft Word, and dedicated storyboarding tools like MidJourney offer valuable but limited assistance.