I grew up in the era of computerization. I remember my first experience with computers at college and writing software. I later owned a technology company. As a CPA, my specialty was writing code to calculate net pay. If you ask the next generation how to do that, they'd say, " Go to this website and enter your number of dependents, state, and then your gross pay." Again, people thought computers would replace humans, but instead - the computer industry has added over 800 types of jobs. For example, I'm a programmer, software designer, and database administrator -- but not a web designer. But that job has changed. Web designers used to write HTML code with an editor and then "publish" or upload it to a website. This job is changed by web design software like Squarespace and Wix. These tools are taking us into the next era - visualization.
What is visualization? It involves AI - Artificial Intelligence to create what you "see" in your mind's eye. For example, imagine a flying army of cats that put out fires. Hmm... that visualization is hard to create. It would require animators to ask, "How do they fly - wings?" The next chore would be to determine color and breed - and start drawing. Computerization has improved drawing tools, but you'll need a story before you move forward. Who organized this army of firefighting cats? Who is the lead cat, and why does she do this? Who doesn't like flying cats, and what are they doing to stop them? Story software can create this by answering questions like this, but like the person who designs and maintains the machines and computers - we'll need someone to come up with the idea of flying firefighting felines and then visualize the story. I know you're thinking of the pitch - it is like Cats - meets Fireman Sam. I expect there to be software where you'll put in two unrelated movies and have it spit out a new movie. But someone will still need to think of it. That is called visualization.
The age of visualization is upon us. Today, we have hundreds of thousands more filmmakers. As in Field of Dreams, "if you build it, they will come." YouTube, Dailymotion, Vimeo, Twitch, DTube, Vevo, Flickr, and Veoh built the platforms. Amateurs have dipped their toes in the filmmaking arena by using Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram to get their work out there. The tools are amazing - you can make a film on an iPhone and edit it on the flight home. I bought the latest iPhone before my big European vacation after I sold my software company, so I wouldn't need to pack a camera, video camera, or GoPro. If you're a worker in the film and TV industry, these "amateurs" who haven't been to film school or don't have their MFA in Screenwriting might scare you - but it is like computerization and automation. We still need someone to develop the idea (screenwriter) and think of the story. A director needs to visualize the story and know how to film it. Thousands of talented and craft people must take that vision and make the show. Producers must combine all the pieces and get the show funded, filmed, sold and distributed. But the tools to make this process easier means thousands of new jobs are coming.
I addressed this issue in my script, Technically Soccer - where a software mogul decides to coach a soccer team with a droid. The players are initially upset that a robot has replaced a human - taken the coach’s job, but the development and maintenance of that cute little droid created dozens of jobs. Plus, the old coach was pond scum - so a win-win! I've created a new website that is more "visual" for my new screenwriting career - visit it at SandraJerome.com
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