Memoir-to-Screen to Beat the AI Machine
As Hollywood undergoes a myriad of changes from a post-strike hangover to streaming consolidations, questions around the future impact of AI on the industry remain. AI technology is only in its infancy stages of what it’s capable of doing or, more importantly, what it’s capable of creating.
In addition to the threat of AI replacing actors’ name, voice, and likeness, its capacity in storytelling is yet to be fully determined. We know it’s being fed and learning past stories, the copyright-ability of which is being litigated in courts. Regardless of the legal outcomes, it’s clear that creatives (who want to create original content) must outsmart and ultimately out-experience AI for purposes of future storytelling.
One of the best ways to accomplish this will be through memoir.
Anyone in the publishing industry will tell you that getting a memoir published is difficult “unless you’re Britney Spears or Kim Kardashian.” And yet the genre continues to grow with career writers successfully entering the scene every day. The genre produced a remarkable 400% growth spurt in 2008-09, but has dropped from those highs since. That being said, from my anecdotal research I see memoir gaining in popularity. On a recent trip to Barnes & Noble, two of the front displays were memoir.
Books have always been a go-to acquisition for filmmakers and studios because of their pre-vetted and pre-marketed status. From Girl, Interrupted to Beautiful Boy, memoirs have created a plethora of movie hits. Recently, we saw the memoir hits, Cheryl Strayed’s Tiny Beautiful Things, Maid, and The Summer I Turned Pretty (loosely based on author’s life), turn into TV series. Unlike a biography, a memoir focuses on a specific time, or theme, or experience, making it adaptable-friendly for screen.
Of the many clever picket signs during the 2023 strike, I especially liked the one that said, “AI doesn’t have childhood trauma.” This is where memoir can become the darling of future storytelling, all while the mundane AI machines write using the predictability of the past.
AI will shine when it comes to genres involving fantastical world-building, animated characters, and otherworldly creatures. But for deep and gritty dramas, memoir will be a reliable genre for screen acquisitions to give audiences real characters experiencing real life challenges and overcoming them in extraordinary ways.
And, yes, being in year two-ish of writing my memoir, I’m probably a bit biased.