Netflix has bought InterPositive, the AI filmmaking technology company Ben Affleck started in 2022 without much fanfare. This is a big step for Netflix into AI tools for post-production. The deal brings all 16 of InterPositive’s engineers, researchers, and creatives to Netflix, and Affleck will be a senior advisor.
InterPositive’s own AI models are trained on the daily footage of a production to help with tasks that come after filming, such as relighting shots, color mixing, adding visual effects, removing stunt wires, and fixing continuity problems. Affleck made it clear in Netflix’s announcement video that these tools are different from generative AI, which makes content from text prompts. Instead, they focus on improving existing footage while giving human artists creative control. Netflix wants to give this technology to its filmmakers without selling it to anyone else.
Affleck started InterPositive to use AI for boring parts of filmmaking. This cut costs and made things easier while keeping the “human judgment” that is so important to storytelling. He built the system on a controlled soundstage dataset that mimics real productions to make sure it fits with how cinematographers work and keeps the editing consistent. This is in line with Netflix’s unusual acquisition strategy, which just a few days ago dropped a bid for Warner Bros. Discovery.
