THE BENDS is an AI-generative short film produced through the Entertainment Technology Center at the University of Southern California (ETC@USC), built to test how far generative AI tools can be pushed toward studio-quality output. This session walks through the film's full production workflow and the technology choices that carried the director's creative intent and visual vision from concept through final delivery.


What collaboration with AI means to the whole film crew? A Deep Dive to Entertainment Technology Center's "The Bends"

Wendy Mitchell is a contributing editor at Screen International and the host of The Screen Podcast. She is a programme delegate for the San Sebastian International Film Festival as well as curating their Creative Investors Conference. She also moderates and consults for Cannes Marche and Cannes Investors Circle, Berlinale's European Film Market, BAFTA events and more.

Wendy Mitchell

Contributing editor at Screen International, host of The Screen podcast.

Picture This is a one-day event dedicated to exploring the intersection of storytelling, technology, and visions for the future of filmmaking.

Picture This Conference

PICTURE THIS: SARAH IVY

A graduate of the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Sarah Ivy has built an extensive career working with major studios and production companies including Warner Bros., DC Entertainment, Jerry Bruckheimer Films & Television, and CBS's Criminal Minds, among others. As Vice President and Producer at Master Key
Productions, she led international shoots for hit shows including Scandal,
Covert Af airs, and Royal Pains. Sarah has also produced and directed two
critically acclaimed feature documentaries, earning awards for impact-driven
storytelling. Passionate about the intersection of film and technology, she
actively explores machine learning's role in the creative process and educates
fellow filmmakers on the transformative potential of generative AI.

Sara Ivy

Producer, "The Bends", Entertainment Technology Center

This session walks through the film's full production workflow and the technology choices that carried the director's creative intent and visual vision from concept through final delivery.

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What collaboration with AI means to the whole film crew? A Deep Dive to Entertainment Technology Center's "The Bends"

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