It’s okay, fellow writers, AI is only taking artists’ jobs.
A few days ago I was talking with my Dad about AI and he sent me this link that supposedly writes your movie for you. I’ve tried a few of these before but they were basically Mad Libs that put your characters’ names in the blank spots. I opened the link expecting the same thing but I was instead met with a box to write my prompt in and a place to pay. “Fifteen bucks for a movie,” I said. It seemed a little too good to be true. I took the plot from a superhero movie I wrote when I was a kid in seventh grade and pressed submit. I submitted my prompt and paid at six thirty pm and got my script at seven thirty the next morning. I opened the email and was surprisingly underwhelmed. The first words were “Plot outline” I MEAN COME ON! I know what my plot is, I described it in one paragraph to get an outline. I’m being a little too harsh. The AI also generated character suggestions and scene suggestions as well. One of the scenes was when he gets his powers which was cool because I immediately went to my movie and looked at what I had done to compare.
EXT. TRACK – DAY
We see Jasper running down the track.
JASPER(V.O.): Lucky for me, while I was training, McElroy was winning the science show.
INT. STAGE – THAT MOMENT
A boy (McElroy) stands on the stage next to a large contraption.
McELROY: This device allows you to use electricity, but it runs on water. Allow me to demonstrate.
McElroy takes out a dropper and squirts two drops into a funnel. The machine hums to life and powers a lightbulb very bright.
McELROY: Now it is very important not to use too much water because…
A jerk (Carl) stands with other jerks as they watch McElroy give his demonstration. Carl interrupts him.
CARL: NERD!
Carl throws a water balloon. In slow motion it flies through the air, Carl and his friends high-five, and McElroy panics. The balloon hits the funnel, explodes, and all the water falls into the funnel overloading the system.
McELROY: Do you know what you’ve done, you imbecile?
The light bulb on the machine glows incredibly bright, then explodes. An energy field emits from the machine shattering all the lights.
EXT. TRACK – THAT MOMENT
Jasper pulls out a stopwatch and sees the time says “6:31” and he stops it and he is breathing hard. The energy field from the lab hits him on the field hits him and he falls over. He has a seizure. A group of kids crowd around him, and a nurse runs over and checks that he is OK.
Slow pan out. Dissolve.
INT. JASPER’S BEDROOM-MORNING
Jasper wakes up in a cold sweat and panting. He looks down at his hands, which appear to be shaking.
A simple science experiment gone wrong, how every good superhero gets their powers. When I told the AI that Jasper got his powers through a science experiment, this is what it gave me:
Scene: Jasper’s Discovery
The scene opens with Jasper sitting in a hospital room, hooked up to various machines and monitors. His doctor, Dr. Green, is checking his vitals and going over his test results.
Dr. Green: (concerned) Jasper, I have some concerning news. We’ve found traces of an unknown energy source in your system.
Jasper: (confused) What does that mean?
Dr. Green: (hesitant) I’m not entirely sure. But I want to run some more tests to see if we can figure it out.
Jasper agrees and the tests begin. However, during one of the tests, an unexpected accident occurs and Jasper is exposed to the energy source. Suddenly, he feels a surge of energy coursing through his body.
Jasper: (surprised) What’s happening to me?
Dr. Green: (shocked) I don’t know, but we need to get you out of here.
Jasper and Dr. Green quickly leave the room, but as they do, Jasper starts to notice that he can move faster than he ever has before. He starts to run down the hall and soon realizes that he can run at incredible speeds.
Jasper: (excited) This is amazing!
Dr. Green: (worried) Jasper, we need to figure out what’s happening to you and how to control it.
Jasper: (determined) I’ll figure it out, I promise.
The scene ends with Jasper leaving the hospital, eager to explore his new abilities.
I can’t lie, it’s not awful, just not human. No one would ever react like that when they get powers. Even my peanut-sized seventh grade brain understood how someone would react.
EXT. TRACK – DAY
Jasper stretches, then pulls out a stopwatch and gets into running position. He clicks it and then starts running. He doesn’t notice but everything has slowed down. The birds in the sky have slowed. He gets to the start point and clicks the watch to see it says three seconds. The birds continue flying.
JASPER: What the hell?
Jasper speeds over to his backpack. Jasper looks at his hands.
JASPER: What is happening?
Clearly, Jasper is confused and scared of his new powers. Later in the scene, he talks to his friend McElroy who convinces him to hide his powers because he’s worried for his friend. I wish they would have elaborated a little more on the scene so I would know what happened after and if he was actually human. I’d probably have to pay another fifteen dollars for it, though. But if you’re willing to spend that kind of money on a plot generator your money would be better spent on books like “Save the Cat,” “How To Write a Movie in Twenty-one Days,” or “No Plot? No Problem!”
I get that everyone wants everything now but if you set aside one or two hours every day then you’ll have a movie written in no time. If it’s a good or bad movie, that’s entirely up to you. I’m not sure this kind of thing is worth fifteen dollars if you’re getting an A in tenth grade English, like I am.