What happened
Jon Erwin, director of 'The Old Stories: Moses' and 'The House of David' series, extensively integrated AI into commercial productions at Amazon MGM Studios. His 'Moses' prequel filmed in one week with a 100-person crew, entirely in Los Angeles, for a production typically requiring months and multiple locations. 'House of David' Season 2 featured 400 AI-generated shots, up from 70, with episodes costing under $5 million, defying studio estimates of $12-15 million. Erwin also launched Innovative Dream, an Amazon-backed company, to offer virtual production facilities and training.
Why it matters
AI-driven virtual production significantly reduces film and TV production timelines and costs, challenging traditional studio economics. This hybrid filmmaking workflow, combining live-action with AI, allows asset generation in days, not weeks, as demonstrated by 'Moses' filming in one week and 'House of David' episodes costing under $5 million. Procurement teams and investors in entertainment technology must evaluate these efficiencies, as this mechanism shifts production from outsourced visual effects to in-studio virtual sets, potentially re-localising some jobs despite broader AI-driven job displacement concerns, as recently highlighted by Sandra Bullock.
