English For Cool Dudes

Hollywood 2.0: The AI Video Revolution

Upper Intermediate (B2-C1) | Topic: Tech & Creative Media

📺 1. Watch & Analyze

Time: 7 mins

Context & Reading

Can Artificial Intelligence replace Hollywood filmmakers? WSJ journalist Joanna Stern put this to the test by creating a short film using only AI tools like Google Veo and Runway. The result is a mix of impressive technology and hilarious bloopers.

While the AI could generate stunning visuals from a simple text prompt, the team faced a major challenge: keeping the characters consistent. In some shots, the protagonist looked like a video game character; in others, she defied the laws of gravity.

To fix this, they had to dissect the process, using reference images to guide the AI through multiple iterations. Even the voice acting was tricky—AI tools struggled to capture the correct human inflection and sarcasm.

Ultimately, the experiment showed that while these tools can optimize workflows, human creativity is still the essential ingredient.

🔗 2. Tech Vocabulary Match

Match the term to its definition. Correct pairs will vanish.

❓ 3. Comprehension Check

Based on the video, select the correct answer.

1. Who is "Dr. Chip Motherboard" in the video?

  • A real robotics expert interviewed by Joanna.
  • An AI character controlled by a human (Joanna).
  • A fully autonomous robot that wrote the script.

2. What was the biggest technical challenge mentioned?

  • The AI cost too much money.
  • Keeping the character's appearance consistent across scenes.
  • The AI refused to generate workout videos.

3. How was the script for the film created?

  • It was written by humans.
  • It was generated by ChatGPT.
  • It was improvised by the AI voice actors.

📝 4. Contextual Gap Fill

Complete the sentences using the vocabulary from the video.

Word Bank

prompt bloopers consistent generated optimize inflection

1. If you write a detailed ____, the AI will produce a better image.

2. The robot voice sounded robotic because it lacked natural ____.

3. We watched the ____ reel to see all the funny mistakes the actors made.

4. It is difficult for AI to remain ____; the character's face often changes between shots.

5. Companies use new software to ____ their daily workflow and save time.

6. All the background music in this video was ____ by a computer program.

📖 5. Grammar: Describing Process

⚙️ Passive Voice & Process

When describing how something was made—especially in tech or science—we often use the Passive Voice because the action is more important than the person doing it.

Active: Humans wrote the script.
Passive: The script was written by humans.
Active: We fed the image into the tool.
Passive: The image was fed into the tool.
Active: AI generated the audio.
Passive: The audio was generated by AI.

🎯 Practice: Passive or Active?

Choose the correct form to complete the description of the film's creation.

1. First, the characters _______ using Midjourney.

  • designed
  • were designed

2. Then, the team _______ the images into Runway.

  • uploaded
  • was uploaded

3. Finally, the clips _______ together in Adobe Premiere.

  • edited
  • were edited

🎉 Lesson Complete

Great job! Review your new tech vocabulary below.

  • Prompt
  • Bloopers
  • Consistent
  • Generated
  • Optimize
  • Inflection
  • Dissect
  • Iterations

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