“I'm not scared of lightning, cliff-faces or ice storms,” says Evan B. Stone, “but I am afraid of people.”
One of the world’s premier adventure filmmakers and storytellers, Stone says “There's only a few of us out there who can embrace the suck enough to go out on serious wilderness expeditions and produce a quality TV show from it. I can handle all that. But people…?”
Trained as a climber, he knows how to gauge his limits; when to push and when to retreat. “But one time we were shooting in Egypt, in these reeds, searching for this famous local monster. I was dressed like a full Ghostbuster, and I emerge from these sugar cane fields, and suddenly I’m face to face with these militia guys – you know, in fatigues – with AKs and they're pointing ’em right at me. I’m wondering ‘What do they think of me? I'm hiding in their bushes, looking like a Ghostbuster, staring down the barrel of a semi-automatic.’ I don't mind admitting it, I was scared.”
On the whole, though, Stone’s career has been full of discovery, adventure, and fun. “I love the adventure – being close to the action. It’s really about listening. I'm listening for story. For real moments. For the unexpected shot that is totally unproduced or polished. That’s the beauty of what I’ve done for years.”
COLLAPSE AND REBIRTH
And then, with Covid, Stone’s entire business vanished. “Suddenly nobody’s working. Everything disrupted. All my guys are scrambling for work.”
That’s when Stone stumbled upon an entirely new adventure, one that has landed him at the forefront of Hollywood innovation.
“AI began bubbling up in my awareness and then came ChatGPT. Then [Adobe’s] Premiere – this system that does text-based editing. I'm an editor as well as an all-around filmmaker. And so I start working with Premiere, which transcribes footage. You just cut and paste the words like you do [in] a word doc. It’s building in a whole new way. Suddenly you don’t need those old technical editing skills anymore. It was a new era.”
Fast-forward and Stone is now a leading expert in Hollywood on post-production through a complete AI workflow, using multiple new tools.
“I'm beta testing new AIs all the time and it seems I’m the only guy in Hollywood doing this with this intensity. It’s crazy. With my AI workflow, I can take 10 hours of footage and cut it in an hour. I wanna get in there and edit. If I can get my hands on some sound bites, some B-roll, a little extra music.... Hang a little. Now, ramp up a little.... This is my world. This is my style. It’s like a mini adventure every day.”
THE GREAT WHEEL IS TURNING
Stone’s world isn’t the only one changing.
“The whole storytelling paradigm has shifted. I can take photo stills and make them move and talk. Whole animation departments are gonna go away. I just need a photo or two and I can make these characters come alive. In the broader market, content creators are already a multi-billion dollar industry that's gonna double in two years. Everyone wants to get into it. And there are no gatekeepers, nothing stopping them. With these tools, they can create Hollywood-level videos. It’s so cool.”
Today, Stone is getting approached by the major studios, and he’s mostly put away the night-vision goggles and ice cleats. “Because of AI, now I’m gonna make my mark on filmmaking and storytelling in a whole new way. I can do it by helping out all kinds of people. Pull out your phone in the car and start talking! I can create from that! Put me in the zone and together, we can create magic.”
Written by Adam Gilad
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