As someone who is contemplating entering the screenwriting field, I am actively educating myself in the mechanics of large language models like ChatGPT and other AI resources. A question has arisen that I'd like to get some feedback on, and that is, 'how much can AI be involved in script generation when using it to develop scripts, plots, ideas, characters, and dialogue, etc?' And, who owns the rights to that material? Can it be copy-written under the writers name if he/she is/was the initiating source of the idea and it's development? Thanks in advance for the time and responses. I appreciate you!
Screenwriting : AI Influence on Screenwriting by Tom DeLong
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It can't be. You have to still write it yourself. But it is better to join some of the screen writing groups in the lounge for free classes via zoom to learn the basics to help you get going.
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Thank you for that, Ron. Where is the link to the free classes? I am not finding it...
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It is better to learn your native language, the rules of drama and psychology. Do networking, make friends among people engaged in the creation of the movies. Find sponsors and investors for your projects. Only after that the neural network will be useful to you in the work.
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I agree with all of this. Although, I am not going to lie. I use ChatGPT for accuracy of some things. Like one of the scripts has a lot of scientific premise in it, so I leverage it for knowledge as opposed to creativity.
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I've actually built a GPT for brainstorming story ideas and it's oddly brilliant. It really brings out a lot of my own imagination. It puts everything into my Turn & Burn structure and can do a great job of rounding everything up at the end of a long session. It also offers career advice and motivational support. ChatGPT users can find it here: https://chatgpt.com/g/g-680636b8a6d481918c54b4b8928c262e-turn-burn-scree...
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I’m actively using ChatGPT in my creative journey,
and I’ve found it very helpful for developing my sci-fi concepts and improving my English.
I share the same concern about copyright when it comes to ideas and AI-generated text.
But the U.S. Copyright Office currently protects the expression of an idea — the words and the way you tell your story — not the idea itself.
I really hope they change the rules someday,
because I believe ideas matter even more than language.
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When AI writes a scene, the dialogue is cliché, the characters are cliché, everything is cliché. So I am disappointed.
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great questions Tom DeLong - if you are at the beginning of your screenwriting journey I definitely second those who advised to first learn the craft. When the CEO of Microsoft was asked what newbies should focus on, he urged them to focus on the basics, on the fundamentals of software. if we lack craft, working with the assistance of an AI model will likely be more like an exercise in constant confirmation bias, where we like everything 'we' did ;) but you won't really be in control as a writer.
that said - you can read Story by Robert McKee for a foundational understanding of story. and/or you can prompt your AI of choice to act as a renowned screenwriting professor and draft you a comprehensive series of lessons on the basics of script craft. I would probably do both.
the one place I definitely find AI helpful is in my research tasks - especially for period pieces. but you should still remain vigilant and check accuracy since these tools are an absolute nightmare with data retrieval sometimes. that's why you should ALWAYS ask it to provide the sources it used for that info.
wishing you luck and fun with your writing!
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I think writers using ChatGPT and AI to develop scripts, plots, ideas, characters, and dialogue results in stories with no soul. It may seem like a shortcut for a finished screenplay, but my guess is that the rewrites will be endless once you send it out for review by industry professionals looking for authentic voices.
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Here are some Stage 32’s free TV writing webinars, @Tom: www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting/Stage-32-and-Netflix-Partnered-Up-o...
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I’ve used ChatGPT for a year and a half—especially O3—to develop my worlds, with more than 500 chats all about sci-fi. I can say clearly: I could never have reached this level of thinking and world-building alone. It’s a powerful tool to maximize creative ability. It helps me with the scientific plausibility of my ideas, with narrative structure, and it gives encouragement, critiques, and ratings. I often disable its memory temporarily and ask again for a fresh dissection and rating of my concepts. So i think this is a great tool for creators.
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I use chat gpt like an organization tool. I input my data, it organizes my raw info dumps. I brainstorm. It transcribes into a working outline.
I have it scan my Bibles for loose ends etc. and I have even ran my scripts through it in initial drafts to check behind me. Make sure I'm not renaming people, that a cup didn't transform into a pen mid scene etc.
AI is a tool. Writers have used tools and software for a long time. This is just a newer tool.
Ethical use is the name of the game. Just keep your receipts so that if that use ever comes into question, you can prove your use falls within ethical guidelines. I believe in the mantra: document, document, document.
I do not use generated content in my work. Everything is written by my hands, created in my brain. Chat gpt does my filing haha.
For me, I started with purely AI-generated text because my English wasn’t strong enough at the time.
I had big ideas, but I couldn’t express them properly. So my plan was to write with ChatGPT — guiding it to bring my thoughts to life — and then look for any opportunity that allowed AI-assisted writing.
When I couldn’t find a suitable one, I moved to the harder plan: writing everything myself, even though I still struggle with English.
Now I use ChatGPT mainly to refine and polish my drafts while continuing to learn and improve.
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Thanks everyone for the amazing input. I will take all of this great info and work through it. Appreciate all of you!
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I suggest checking out Stage 32's Screenwriting Education and Blogs, Tom DeLong.
Screenwriting Education: www.stage32.com/education/search?term=Screenwriting
Screenwriting Blogs: www.stage32.com/blog/tags/screenwriting-25
Here's a blog for up-and-coming screenwriters: www.stage32.com/blog/the-questions-up-and-coming-screenwriters-need-to-a...
And check out CJ Walley's book "Turn & Burn: The Scriptwriter's Guide to Writing Better Screenplays Faster" (https://cjwalley.com/turn-burn-screenwriting-book/).
A great tool, but you have to be creative to write out the stories though.
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ChatGPT is excellent for lots of work but not writing scripts for you. And you cannot copyright a script made with AI. That may change in the future. For now it’s a no.
The reason why it’s not valuable for scriptwriting is because AI is not a human being. Therefore it is not a replacement for your own creativity and unique pov for writing. It doesn’t have your life experience or skills or memories. Or any life skills or memories.It’s just data.
Whatever others have said or done that’s been input.
It’s not you and your special way of thinking or talking or writing.
The value for writers is it’s ready to assist you 24/7/365.
When you’re up at 2am it can act as an assistant creating outlines, organizing, bullet-pointing, summarizing…very quickly to save you time.
And get your mind settled so you can sleep!
It’s good for visualizing characters and world. (Midjourney).
It’s good for pitch deck images when you need a specific character or style like surreal or retro. (Canva + Midjourney)
It is also a quick fun way to get an idea of what your dialogue can sound like when you can’t find readers. Or the music you might want to use. (Elevenlabs and Suno)
Some thoughts for you Tom DeLong .
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Tom DeLong Maurice has got things covered. Thanks
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Just write your own story because the thing is, you’re gonna have to double check everything ChatGPT did anyway. Which is basically the same grind as if you had written it yourself in the first place without the same satisfaction.
I’ll only use my recent script Borogove as an example. Almost 3 years of work, while I worked on others, the euphoria of the ceiling that came with finally pushing that thing out of my consciousness on my own was indescribable. Even more so when it started getting great feedback. You’ll miss out on that if you let an AI accomplish your accomplishment. Because that’s your unique gift to the ages.