Netflix has announced the acquisition of InterPositive, the filmmaking technology company founded by Hollywood actor and director Ben Affleck that develops AI-powered tools built by and for filmmakers.
Netflix said that InterPositive’s mission — to use emerging technology in ways that protect and expand creative choice — is “deeply aligned” with its own long-standing belief that “innovation should serve storytellers and the creative process”.
InterPositive’s team of 16 staff will be brought into Netflix via the acquisition, with Affleck joining as Senior Advisor to Netflix.
Explaining the origins of Interpositive, Affleck said: “I knew I had a responsibility to my peers and our industry, to protect the power of human creativity and the people behind it. In creating InterPositive, I sought to do just that.”
“From the invention of the moving image to the transition to digital, from motion capture to virtual production, technology has evolved alongside the artists who use it. Our shared commitment to continuing this legacy makes joining together a natural next step, in addition to Netflix’s decades of experience applying and scaling technology responsibly. Our values, combined with our complementary strengths, will ensure these tools are used with the same care and responsibility with which they were built. I couldn’t be happier for this work to continue with the team at Netflix, and look forward to providing the broader creative community with access to what we build and the future we’re working towards together,” concluded Affleck,
Elizabeth Stone, Netflix Chief Product and Technology Officer, commented: “Our approach to AI has always been focused on meaningfully serving the needs of the creative community and our members. The InterPositive team is joining Netflix because of our shared belief that innovation should empower storytellers, not replace them. InterPositive’s impressive technology is purpose-built for filmmakers and showrunners to work with tools that naturally support their creative visions and how they want to bring them to life. We’re excited to welcome the InterPositive team to Netflix and continue building towards a future of entertainment where technology plays a part in how stories are made, but people — and their ideas, craft and judgment — remain at the core of great storytelling.”Bela Bajaria, Netflix Chief Content Officer, added: “Our relationship with artists has always been grounded in trust: supporting the full range of their creativity and ensuring they have the power to decide how their films and shows are made. We believe new tools should expand creative freedom, not constrain it or replace the work of writers, directors, actors, and crews. Ben and his team at InterPositive are part of a long tradition in our industry of artists leading the way in how innovation is used in storytelling. Their work is about giving filmmakers more choices, more control and more protection for their vision. We’re excited to build on that legacy together, with creators and their artistic intentions at the center of everything we do.”