Staircase Studio AI is turning Hollywoods anxiety into opportunity

The use of AI was a key point of contention in the 2023 writers’ and actors’ strikes, with guilds specifically demanding stringent protections against AI-generated content and performances.Now, a new startup called Staircase Studios AI is trying to find a compromise, using the technology to make cheaper content while still employing dozens of creatives.“The best stories come from artists,” Brett Stuart, 40, head of AI-filmmaking at Staircase Studios AI, told NYNext.“And these are tools that are empowering, not replacing them.”Many content producers in the AI space are using video-generators, like OpenAI’s Sora, that create photorealistic videos based on a few keywords in a matter of seconds.Staircase’s approach is fundamentally different and aims to infuse the technology with a human element. Artists are involved in every step of production: scripts are written by writers, storyboards and shot-plans are devised by directors, and characters are voiced and mimed by actors.“It just allows artists to do more … a lot more quickly,” Stuart told NY Next.

The studio, which launched in the first week of March, is currently in production on its first feature, “The Woman with Red Hair.”Set against the backdrop of World War II, the movie tells the true story of Johanna “Hannie” Schaft, a young woman who joined the Dutch resistance, evolved into a lethal assassin and became one of the Nazi’s most-wanted enemies.The script, written by Michael Schatz in 2016, made “The Black List” — an annual survey of the most-liked screenplays in Hollywood.But, like many deserving stories, it languished in development limbo for years.Staircase — which was founded by “Divergent” producer Pouya Shahbazian, 47, and is backed by NYC venture capitalist Kenneth Lerer, 72, formerly the chairman and co-founder of Huffington Post — is aiming to produce seven or eight projects per year, each for under $500,000.That’s a relatively reasonable sum compared...