Manufacturing company End Signal has introduced an in-house AI-powered workflow software designed to assist producers, streamers, and studios in streamlining their script coverage, scheduling, and budgeting processes as the entertainment industry grapples with how AI will affect the business.
The set of tools, known as RivetAI, analyzes potential projects and reduces the amount of time producers spend planning and producing content, as well as streamlining text coverage for projects. After using it internally on a number of its tasks, most recently the romance film “The Story of Sound,” starring Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor, the business is now offering it to the wider world production area.
“We’ve been interested in how AI was being used over the past few years, and it’s more about streamlining processes that we felt would directly benefit us,” said Andrew Kortschak, co-founder at End Cue. “Working with writers and directors and fostering their own individual creativity is one of the best aspects of my career, but using tools to improve and expedite those processes greatly appealed to us. While there is a consensus in the industry that AI will change things, our goal with this program is to empower everyone and enable them to work more efficiently and make informed decisions without simply pressing a button and seeing what new information appears.”
Close Cue co-founder Walter Kortschak, a board director at Caltech, recruited two Caltech AI scientists, Debajyoti Ray and Sadaf Amouzegar, to form RivetAI and develop and market these internal tools for the international marketplace.
Amouzegar, the co-founder and CEO of RivetAI, is in charge of the development and creation of the company’s AI platform. She has a wealth of knowledge in using natural language processing, predictive analytics, anomaly detection, and deep learning to create data-driven solutions across a variety of industries. She worked as a software engineer and senior data scientist at organizations like Qualcomm, Smartrac, and SpaceX before becoming co-founder and chief data scientist at an AI development agency known for its work with large companies like Siemens. Prior to RivetAI, she made her mark as co-founder and chief data scientist at an AI development agency.
The platform of RivetAI aims to give producers what it calls “unprecedented control” over movie production budgets, with a key feature being the ability to optimize crucial factors that affect production costs. Through the technology, producers can run detailed “what-if” cost scenarios, gaining insights into making informed decisions on production expenses. Additionally, the platform is built on a foundation of Large Language Models, which has been enhanced through specialized training on End Cue’s own distinctive screenplay data, requiring sophisticated Natural Language Processing methods to comprehend and analyze scripts.
RivetAI makes use of cutting-edge deep learning and optimization algorithms to ensure effective resource allocation and production planning at the lowest possible cost.
“We are aware of the difficulties faced by independent filmmaking on a grassroots level, and we were excited to be able to use emerging technologies to help creatives navigate some of the areas where projects most frequently get stuck,” said Andrew Kortschak. “The goal is to give independent producers, line producers, and production companies access to a purpose-built program that rivals the proprietary internal technology that the streamers and studios use to guide their approval processes. The biggest influence on whether feature films are approved is the optimization of the factors that affect production costs, as the cost of production has increased significantly in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, union rate increases, and inflation. Users can enter the production phase with RivetAI more informed than ever before.”
Amouzegar continued, “I am so proud to be able to solve some of the biggest roadblocks in film and television content production. I have a background in data science and a passion for the arts. We’ve combined a lot of research, innovation, and drive to get this tool to the point where it can be made available for public use, and AI can provide meaningful support for producers and creatives. When used properly, technology like this can help project managers navigate the various complexities of cost projects, planning, and scheduling.”
