Happening under two weeks since its deal with Warner Bros. Discovery fell through.
Last Friday, March 6, streaming giant Netflix, Inc. announced the acquisition of InterPositive, the filmmaking technology company founded by actor Ben Affleck that develops AI-powered tools built by and for filmmakers.
According to the global streamer, InterPositive’s mission of using emerging technology in ways that protect and expand creative choice aligns with Netflix’s view that “innovation should serve storytellers and the creative process.”
“By bringing InterPositive’s entire team into Netflix through this acquisition, and with Affleck joining as Senior Advisor, we’re investing in creator-led innovation that keeps filmmakers at the center of the process,” noted Netflix in its press release.
Affleck, who also has won an Academg Award as a producer, writer, director, and actor, shaded that he came up with the idea of setting up the company in 2022.
“In 2022, I spent a lot of time observing the early rise of AI in production. As a filmmaker, I could see how these models came up short. For artists to apply these tools towards telling the stories we dedicate our lives to, they need to be purpose-built to represent and protect all the qualities that make a great story: the nuances of filmmaking, the predictable — and unpredictable — challenges of production environments, the distortion of a lens or the way light shape-shifts across a scene,” he said.
The Hollywood personality furthered, “We also need to preserve what makes storytelling human, which is judgment. The kind that takes decades to build, experience to hone and that only people can have. I knew I had a responsibility to my peers and our industry, to protect the power of human creativity and the people behind it. In creating InterPositive, I sought to do just that.“
Through intensive research and development, the team ay InterPositive was able to come up with the first model, that was trained to understand visual logic and editorial consistency, while preserving cinematic rules under real-world production challenges such as missing shots, background replacements or incorrect lighting.
“The results of this foundational work were deliberately smaller datasets and models focused on filmmaking techniques — rather than performances — creating tools that artists can use, control and benefit from,” he also shared.
Affleck also underscored, “Our shared commitment to continuing this legacy makes joining together a natural next step, in addition to Netflix’s decades of experience applying and scaling technology responsibly. Our values, combined with our complementary strengths, will ensure these tools are used with the same care and responsibility with which they were built.”
“I couldn’t be happier for this work to continue with the team at Netflix, and look forward to providing the broader creative community with access to what we build and the future we’re working towards together,” he concluded his statement.
Representing Netflix, its Chief Product and Technology Officer Elizabeth Stone said, “Our approach to AI has always been focused on meaningfully serving the needs of the creative community and our members. The InterPositive team is joining Netflix because of our shared belief that innovation should empower storytellers, not replace th,” adding that they are excited to bring the other company’s purpose-built technology for filmmakers as the streamer builds the future of entertainment.
Meanwhile, Netflix Chief Content Office Bela Bajaria noted, “Our relationship with artists has always been grounded in trust: supporting the full range of their creativity and ensuring they have the power to decide how their films and shows are made.“
“We believe new tools should expand creative freedom, not constrain it or replace the work of writers, directors, actors, and crews. Ben and his team at InterPositive are part of a long tradition in our industry of artists leading the way in how innovation is used in storytelling. Their work is about giving filmmakers more choices, more control and more protection for their vision,” added the executive.
To end, “We’re excited to build on that legacy together, with creators and their artistic intentions at the center of everything we do.”