Effectively Indistinguishable
Following Wednesday’s launch of Google’s Veo3 & Flow video generation tool, which now incorporates audio/speech, I have heard from a number of people asking for my take on it. It’s definitely stunning what can be done – it’s the closest we’ve got to being able to be visually indistinguishable from regular video, particularly to those doom-scrolling through the average video platform on a small cellphone screen now.
It’s Got There
Over the last two years, we have all questioned the ability of these platforms to create genuinely life-like video. The argument ran that while there were still problems with the generations, it was hard to know what was going to be fixable and what was an insurmountable challenge in the generation of AI video. With this latest advance, this argument has been put to bed. For most ways it will be seen as more or less indistinguishable from traditionally shot video. There is, of course, room for improvement, but we have seen now that we will get there.
“Is this the Death of the Graphic Designer?”
In many ways, this is the video’s ‘Photoshop Moment’. Back in 1990 design magazines carried headlines asking:“Is this the Death of the Graphic Designer?”or claiming”Designers are Finished!”as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator started flooding desktops everywhere. But here we are, decades later, with more than 200,000 designers thriving in the U.S. alone. It turns out that rather than replacing all the creative roles in the process, technology reshapes them.
We’re seeing the same thing now with AI-generated video. Platforms like Veo3 are allowing anyone to produce short video clips using text prompts. They still take a fair bit of work to shape a specific narrative, but the power and potential capability are undeniable.
Video GenAI is different to Photoshop
So, should we all be pronouncing the “End of Filmmakers!”?
I’m not so sure. Before we all say – well, look at that number of designers as proof that we’re all good, there are a few key ways that video generation is different to the way Photoshop works. For instance, generation engines can conceptualise as well as execute. Feed a simple prompt and it will generate an entire video scene. They are also accessible to non-pros. Anyone who has tried to use Photoshop knows that it helps to know your way around. So, with that proviso, how will these platforms change the way we work?
1. The Evolution of Corporate/Brand Filmmaking
AI-generated video tools like VEO3 will disrupt the routine, high-volume, repetitive aspects of corporate filmmaking. Internal comms videos, simple explainers, product walk-throughs, and short-form social videos will rapidly move towards AI-generated production due to massive cost and speed benefits.
However, high-value, nuanced content – strategic brand films, impactful storytelling pieces, or emotionally nuanced campaigns – will still require the human touch. Creativity, authenticity, strategic insight, and deep emotional connection remain distinctly human strengths.
2. Role of Filmmakers Will Shift Dramatically
Traditional filmmakers won’t vanish, but their roles will fundamentally shift:
From execution to curation: Filmmakers become skilled curators and editors of AI-generated footage, shaping prompts, refining AI output, and ensuring it fits strategic objectives.From production to strategy: Human filmmakers will increasingly be responsible for strategic oversight, ensuring alignment with audience psychology, brand voice, and complex narrative structures.
3. Human-Driven Content Gains Premium Status
As lower-tier video production becomes commoditised via AI, truly creative and original human-crafted videos will stand out as a premium product. This is particularly true in terms of finding human narratives, which take space and time to tell.
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This film we produced for Hilton is a perfect example of a producer being on location, meeting and talking with other humans. They recognised his amazing story and were able to produce this sweet, heartfelt film.
Brands aiming to differentiate themselves with genuine authenticity, purpose-driven narratives, or sophisticated creativity will continue investing in skilled filmmakers and storytellers.
4. The Market will Split
Expect a clear bifurcation in the corporate filmmaking market:
Commodity Video (AI-driven):Lower costs, massive volume, speed, consistent quality, but less original.Premium Video (Human-led):Higher budget, longer production, deeper storytelling, more emotional depth, higher strategic impact.
This split mirrors what we’ve seen in many industries disrupted by technology, from photography to music production.
5. Raw imagery vs. Glossy Visuals
As AI floods the market with sleek, sanitised visuals, gritty, realistic films are gaining new value. Audiences crave authenticity, emotional truth, and relatable imperfection, especially as the look of AI production content becomes commonplace. Brands embracing raw storytelling will stand out by signaling honesty and genuine human connection – qualities increasingly prized in an AI-driven world.
6. Collaboration, Not Replacement
Most likely, AI tools and filmmakers will collaborate closely. AI handling tedious tasks – edit versions, minor adaptations, rough-cuts – while humans provide strategic vision, emotional nuance, and quality oversight. The result: a hybrid future, not extinction.
7. Price
Video GenAI platforms will reduce the cost of routine corporate video by automating high-volume, repetitive productions. This will significantly lower barriers to creating decent-quality content, driving costs down dramatically – making the most powerful communications tool available to more businesses, charities, and organisations.
Premium storytelling and strategy-driven video content will likely retain or even increase in value, as human creativity and emotional depth become more distinct and sought-after commodities in a market flooded with inexpensive, AI-generated alternatives.
Although it falls outside the remit of this blog, the ability for independent filmmakers, which have always been starved of cash, to be able to produce the film of their dreams is a great thing.
The Bottom Line: The Best is Yet to Come
Veo3 isn’t the death of filmmakers but it will transform their jobs significantly, changing the skills they need and elevating the most creative, curious, and strategic storytellers.
GenAI is and will reduce demand for many routine corporate filmmaking roles. But complete extinction? Unlikely. Instead, anticipate a rapid evolution of corporate filmmaking: less mechanical, more strategic and results-focused, human and AI workflows interacting to create better work than we could ever imagine possible.