Production Productivity Hack: The Insane Witchcraft of imgn AI

As humans, we tend to overcomplicate our lives and create obstacles to our own goals. I, for instance, am plagued by an uncontrollable need to research the world’s smallest cat when I’m on my tightest deadline. 

I sometimes think artificial intelligence is another example of this. As much as it’s important to debate and explore, I wonder whether spending money on global conferences to talk about the maybe-good maybe-evil future is the best use of our time. Perhaps it would be more helpful if we thought about ways we could improve our today. 

This is exactly what imgn AI, an operating platform for the film and TV industry, is doing: it’s designed to solve real world problems. Co-founder Yaron Klainer, who used to run music festivals before moving into the tech space 12 years ago, noticed there was a distinct lack of software that dealt with specialised long-term projects. So he, and his two co-founders David Ring and Oz Vidal, started digging. ‘We investigated two industries, construction and film production because they both involve a long process on a large scale.’ 

‘A lot of assistant directors were afraid that we’d take their jobs, but when they use our programme, they understand that we are an efficiency tool.’

What they discovered in the movie industry astounded them: almost all productions, from student films to Hollywood blockbusters, use an archaic software from the 90s. ‘It’s little more than an upgraded excel,’ Yaron says. ‘We couldn’t believe it. The industry is worth half a trillion and is managed by this ancient software, with 90% of the operation, communications and reports done manually.’ 

This was more than a gap in the market, it was an opportunity bigger than anything they could have dreamed of to improve the working lives of millions in this sector across the globe. 

Built and helmed by a trio of tech veterans, imgn AI benefits from their knowledge in fintech and blockchain, which brings a different expertise and viewpoint to film. They understood how cutting-edge tech could be applied to the industry when others thought it was impossible. ‘We knew the technology was there, we just needed to design and build the algorithm and product to cater to industry needs,’ Yaron shares. 

If each project takes less time, production crew can take on more projects each year, turbo-charging their earning potential.

imgn AI can take a script and perform an almost complete breakdown and scheduling in minutes, including storyboards to visualise the script scenes. Everything can be exported with a quick click and shared with ease. In the scouting area, there’s a feature that takes information from the script and complies it for the scouter. It understands what set the scene takes place in, whether it’s day or night. Scouters can upload addresses, images and include costing notes. 

‘We also cater to documentary and reality,’ Yaron adds. ‘If you have a script at least there are some solutions out there, but for unscripted content there’s no tools at all – which is insane! Loads of information just sits on Google Drives.’

Perhaps unsurprisingly, imgn AI’s greatest challenge lies in convincing the industry that they’re not coming for human jobs. In the wake of SAG-AFTRA strikes and the meteoric rise of ChatGPT, concerns about artificial intelligence have exploded. We’re not wrong to ask questions, but technology does have the potential to help us, so it’s important to keep an open mind. ‘A lot of assistant directors were afraid that we’d take their jobs’, Yaron shares, ‘but when they use our programme they understand that we are an efficiency tool that gives them control over the technology, not the other way around.’

On an operational level, imgn AI can minimise scheduling, preproduction, and rescheduling by about 90%, which is one hell of a saving.

The rise of VFX and CGI – which really did replace many jobs, from make-up artists to set creation – has shaken the arts. ‘The industry focussed on optimising what you can see, developing animatronics and CGI,’ Yaron explains, ‘money was poured into that.’ Meanwhile the backend of production has seen no innovation for decades. 

But unlike VFX and CGI, imgn AI is likely to lead to an increase in work for professionals. 

On an operational level, it can minimise scheduling, preproduction, and rescheduling by about 90%, which is one hell of a saving. Complicated processes that normally take months can be whittled down to a few days. This is powerful – if each project takes less time, then production crew can take on more projects each year, turbo-charging their earning potential. 

These tools naturally support women, who are more likely to drop out of the industry after having children due to time constraints. Yet if they harness these optimisation programmes, they’re able to produce the same amount of work in less time, and thus maintain their career. 

imgn AI are equally passionate about introducing students to new tech. Yaron, who lectures at film universities in Israel, understands that digital natives are used to seamless integrations and intuitive solutions. They have much less tolerance for clunky programmes and won’t use them just because it’s a pre-internet remnant that got stuck in the industry. 

‘Ultimately, people want more and more content,’ Yaron continues, ‘the content might take different shapes, but we are hungry for entertainment. The process of movie creation forms a bottleneck, and it’s almost impossible to manage several productions simultaneously.’ In his perfect world, professionals in film and TV will have more work and more flexibility, supported by imgn AI. 

‘The people working in the film industry are amazing,’ he continues enthusiastically, ‘it’s very hard work at an extreme pace. Hearing we’ve revolutionised their day-to-day – that’s awesome.’

Image credit: CC BY-SA 4.0 // ATLANTIC MEDIA via Wikimedia Commons

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