Film schools and arts programs are increasingly offering courses that teach students how to use artificial intelligence (AI) and generative tools in filmmaking. The shift responds to demand from studios and producers for candidates who already know these tools, which many executives consider easier to hire for than to develop by retraining internal teams.
Runway and the NYU course
Cristóbal Valenzuela, chief executive officer of Runway, said studios commonly ask, “How do we find people who already know how to use this?” Runway launched its inaugural AI filmmaking course in 2024 at New York University’s Martin Scorsese Virtual Production Center, marking a notable collaboration between an AI vendor and an academic production facility.
Where these skills are being taught
Runway’s tools and curricula are now taught at institutions including the University of Southern California (USC), the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, and similar programs are appearing at universities across Europe and Latin America.
Tech companies teaching creatives
Other AI research labs and companies building creative tools, such as Google and OpenAI, are also instructing filmmakers and creative professionals on integrating AI into production workflows. Google, for instance, offers a residency for creatives experimenting with its AI studio Flow; the residency aims to bridge the gap between filmmakers and Google engineers.
Is AI fluency becoming a requirement?
While fluency with AI tools is not yet a universal prerequisite for filmmaking, some participants expect it will be. Brad Tangonan, a longtime filmmaker and alumnus of Google’s Flow residency, said, “You’re going to have to learn how to use [these tools] if you do want to be in the industry.”
Implications
Academic courses and industry-led residencies are accelerating the supply of filmmakers who can immediately apply AI tools in production. Graduates entering the market with those skills offer studios and producers a quicker route to adopt new technology than relying solely on internal retraining.
