Meta has announced a new AI-powered video generator known as “Movie Gen,” which can create new videos and edit footage using text prompts. The videos include audio that matches the visuals, but the product is still in development and is not expected to be released soon due to production costs and long execution times.
Announcing Movie Gen
A new AI video generator from Meta produces high-definition footage complete with sound, the company announced today. This announcement comes several months after OpenAI unveiled its text-to-video model, “Sora,” although public access to “Movie Gen” has not yet happened.
How Movie Gen works
“Movie Gen” uses text inputs to automatically generate new videos, as well as edit existing footage or still images. According to The New York Times, sound is automatically added to the videos using AI, matching the imagery with ambient noise, sound effects, and background music. Videos can also be produced in various aspect ratios.
Movie Gen video editing capabilities
In addition to producing new clips, Meta says “Movie Gen” can also create custom videos from images or edit an existing video by altering various elements within it. An example shared by the company shows a still image of a woman, and the resulting video shows her sitting in a pumpkin patch while sipping a drink.
Editing footage and adding creative changes
“Movie Gen” can also be used to edit existing footage, change styles and transitions, or add new elements that were not previously present. In another example, a video of a runner is edited to look as though it is drawn: in one frame, they hold pom-poms; in another, the background is modified to depict a desert; and in a third, they wear a dinosaur costume. These changes can be executed using text prompts.
The evolution of AI video generator technology
Nearly two years after AI image and video generators became widely available, specialized companies in this field have pushed the technology forward. Over just the past six months, major tech companies like Google and OpenAI have been working on similar tools, alongside smaller startups. OpenAI’s “Sora” has not yet been launched publicly; this week, a co-lead working on the video generator left the company to join Google.
Current challenges in developing Movie Gen
Meta’s Chief Product Officer, Chris Cox, wrote on Threads that the company is “not ready to launch this product anytime soon,” given that it remains costly and takes a long time to produce.
