ChatGPT is a tool that never ceases to amaze us. Since its launch in November 2022, we have seen that it can do everything: help you cheat on exams, do SEO, program, etc. It is even said that it could kill Google in just two years, which has caused the company to activate its “code red”.
But is she as good as they say? Let’s see, its texts may not yet be at the height of what a human mind can write (and thank goodness), but it is not far off. One of the most repeated uses when talking about the tool is that it is capable of writing movie scripts, so we wanted to check if this is true.
To test how far his “imagination” can go, we’ve spent the day asking him to write movie scripts, using various concepts we’ve added to a previous version. And his results, of course, are surprising and hopeless… what will become of writers and screenwriters in the future?
Let’s start at the beginning… what does he write if you ask him to write a script?
The first thing we have done is to see how the “mind” of this AI works without previous ones. That is, we asked it to write a synopsis of a 500-word script (more would be too much for an article like this). And, well, this is what it generated:
The film follows the story of a young boy named Jack, who lives in a small town surrounded by mountains and forests. Despite his apparent tranquility, Jack’s life is full of uncertainties and fears, especially after losing his mother in a car accident as a child.
One day, Jack begins to have strange dreams and visions, in which he sees a mysterious woman who seems to be trying to tell him something. Although no one else seems to be aware of these dreams, Jack begins to feel obsessed by the woman and decides to investigate on his own.
As he goes on his quest, Jack discovers an ancient book in the local library that seems to contain information about the mysterious woman. With the help of the librarian, he discovers that the woman is actually a witch who was condemned to live in the woods by a group of villagers centuries ago. The witch has been searching for someone to free her from her curse for centuries, and seems to have chosen Jack to do it.
With the help of a group of friends, Jack begins to explore the forest and discovers that it is full of dangers and mysteries. Despite the risks, Jack feels he must go forward to discover the truth about the witch and free her from her curse.
As he goes on his quest, Jack discovers that the witch is not as evil as he thought, and that she was unjustly condemned by the villagers. He also discovers that his own life is closely tied to the witch’s, and that his destiny is more important than he ever imagined.
Eventually, Jack and his friends manage to free the witch from her curse and discover that her true mission is to protect the forest and its inhabitants from an ancient and powerful threat. Together, they fight the evil force and save the town from destruction.
In the end, Jack discovers that his purpose in life is much greater than he thought, and that his destiny is closely tied to that of the witch and the forest she protects. With a new sense of purpose and a renewed sense of hope, Jack looks to the future with optimism and determination.
In a basic script analysis, in this first story we can already discover some good and some not so good things about the app:
- ChatGPT knows perfectly how to structure a screenplay. The script has a 3-act structure, turning points, thesis, dramatic tension and everything that, a priori, should be in a movie.
- ChatGPT uses clichés. You only have to take a look at it to see that there are a lot of clichés that appear in this story, from the name of the protagonist to the plot itself, including the death of the protagonist’s mother. But hey, if you take information from the web, we can’t ask too much.
- ChatGPT doesn’t go into details. Everything he writes is very generic and not very descriptive. He prefers not to get wet, although I understand that. If I were an AI I wouldn’t either.
- Pulling genre cinema. A witch, a curse, an enchanted forest… he seems to like horror. Could it be because his scripts are the ones with the most clichés to grab hold of?
Let’s go into detail: what does he write when you give him very specific instructions?
Well, we know what happens when ChatGPT has absolute freedom to write a script, but what happens if we do the opposite? This time, we have asked the AI to write a very specific movie. The request is as follows:
“Write a 500-word synopsis of a screenplay for a movie. The movie should be about a romance between a peasant from France and a scientist from Japan. A cow must appear. The ending has to be open-ended for a possible sequel.” Let’s see what ChatGPT is able to write now….
The film centers on the love story between a young French farmer named Pierre and a Japanese scientist named Sachi. Pierre lives in a small village in the French countryside, where he dedicates himself to farming and taking care of his small farm. Sachi, on the other hand, is a brilliant scientist working in an important laboratory in Japan, who is in France to conduct research on a new variety of plants.
Despite their cultural differences and backgrounds, Pierre and Sachi meet in the village and begin to feel a mutual attraction. Sachi falls in love with the tranquility and beauty of the French countryside, while Pierre is impressed by Sachi’s intelligence and curiosity. Together, they discover that they share a passion for nature and discovering its mysteries.
However, life in the village is not as idyllic as it seems. One night, one of Pierre’s cows mysteriously disappears, and Pierre and Sachi decide to investigate the case. They discover that the cow has been kidnapped by a group of corrupt scientists looking to conduct experiments on it. Together, Pierre and Sachi decide to rescue the cow and stop the scientists, but they soon find themselves in the middle of a dangerous conspiracy that endangers not only their lives, but also the lives of the cow and all of nature’s creatures.
With the help of a group of friends, Pierre and Sachi fight against the conspiracy and manage to stop the scientists, but discover that the threat is much bigger than they imagined. In the end, Pierre and Sachi decide to join forces to protect nature and discover its secrets.
In the finale, Pierre and Sachi say goodbye with a passionate kiss, knowing that their love and their mission continue. The film ends with a scene in which we see Pierre and Sachi embark on a new adventure together, opening the possibility for a sequel.
Wow, I have to admit that the latter was surprising. ChatGPT certainly has a unique ability to follow specific requests. Nothing we asked for is missing and, strangely enough, it has managed to consolidate everything into a more or less plausible story.
However, there are some conclusions that we can also draw from this story:
- The tropes are repeated: it is clear that the AI knows how to write a synopsis, but it does not have too many alternatives. Ideas and expressions like “it’s not all so idyllic” or “with a group of friends” are repeated over and over again, looking for the script twist that any film needs.
- ChatGPT gets messed up when you give him specific details. I mean, yes, the cow appears and has importance in the plot, but what is this “endangers not only his life, but also the life of the cow and all the creatures of nature”? You don’t seem to be very clear on the idea of putting a cow in here.
- You can do a synopsis… but writing the full script? We’ll explore this in another article, but this last synopsis is so “just because” in some respects (e.g., evil scientists) that I think it would cost a lot to carry through in a more detailed development.
The best movie ChatGPT can write
Although we could spend hours playing with ChatGTP (and, well, actually we have been) what remains for us is to check what the tool considers a good movie. We have asked it to write the best movie it can think of, as subjectively as it can (although I am not clear if subjectivity exists in an AI). And, well, the synopsis he gave us was the following:
The film is titled “The Journey Within” and follows the story of a young man named Alex, who struggles with his identity and his place in the world. Alex feels trapped in his everyday life and his boring job, and dreams of finding something more.
One day, Alex wakes up in a strange and magical world, a place he has never seen before. There, he meets a wise old man named Maestro, who explains that he has been sent to this world to complete an important mission: to find the lost treasure of inner wisdom.
With the help of the Master, Alex begins a journey through different worlds and dimensions, facing challenges and overcoming fears. Along the way, he meets a group of fun and endearing characters, each with their own story and important lesson to teach him.
As he progresses on his journey, Alex begins to understand the true nature of inner wisdom and his purpose in life. He discovers that the treasure is not a physical object, but the peace and happiness he finds within himself.
Finally, Alex finds the treasure and returns to his real world, where he discovers that he has completely changed. He no longer feels trapped and bored, but full of purpose and peace. With his newfound wisdom, Alex is able to embrace life and find his true self, living happily and peacefully ever after.
“The Journey Within” is an exciting and moving film that combines adventure, fantasy and introspection. It is a film for all ages, inspiring and motivating everyone to discover their own path to inner wisdom and happiness.
Sorry, guys, I think I just threw up a little. Let’s see, it’s clear that “Inner Journey” (funny that he gave us the title of the movie, it’s the first time he does it) is not The Godfather. However, by simply telling him to write the best movie he’s capable of imagining, he’s pulled out of his sleeve an epic of fantasy and dimensional travel that, ahem, has little to envy from Everything Everywhere All at Once.
We may not yet be ready to see ChatGPT’s ideas turned into movies (although there are already series created by AI). But it’s certainly a very interesting exercise to do… and one that is sure to shape the future of the entertainment industry.
For now, I’m left wondering if I can submit “Inner Journey” to Netflix (anyone have a contact number?), but you can keep trying ChatGPT all you want to write movies and stories of all kinds.
