Read the pitch deck an AI startup tackling time-consuming tasks in Hollywood used to raise new funds

• Filmustage raised $1.5 million in seed funding led by Raw Ventures.
• The AI startup analyzes scripts and performs pre-production tasks to save filmmakers time.
• Filmustage has 15,000 users, including notable clients like Roger Christian and Guy Ritchie.

Filmustage, which uses AI to analyze scripts and do other pre-production tasks, raised $1.5 million in seed funding led by Raw Ventures, a London-based venture capital firm. It's the startup's second fundraise after a $550,000 raise in 2023.

Started in 2020, Filmustage analyzes scripts in various categories including characters, locations, and props. It also performs other tasks like creating shooting schedules and analyzing scenes for risk elements like sex and weapons. In this way, it says it saves filmmakers time and money.

Users pay $49 a month for a Basic plan that allows them to upload three projects a month or $149 a month for a Studio plan that allows them to upload five projects per month. There's also a free plan with limited features.

Filmustage said it has 15,000 users and 1,200 paying clients, from independent filmmakers to large studios. They include Roger Christian, an Oscar-winning set decorator known for his work on "Star Wars"; Byron Saltysiak, a former VP at WarnerMedia; and Callan Green, who used Filmustage in the TV series "Masters of the Air" and "Gangs of London."

The 15-person company also said it recently was used in the pre-production of Guy Ritchie's Netflix series "The Gentlemen" and is now being used during the shooting of Universal Pictures' film " Nobody 2 ."

AI tools have found applications in Hollywood , which is known for its lengthy and costly process of making TV shows and movies. Other well-known companies using tech to read scripts are Jumpcut's ScriptSense, Scriptbook, and Avail. Investors have jumped on board , seeing AI tech's potential to streamline how entertainment is made .

Egor Dubrovsky , one of Filmustage's founders, has said he came up with the idea for the company while shooting pilots for Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. He plans to use the funding to build out AI-powered features, including a tool that provides different budgets based on location, AI-based storyboards, and an AI voice assistant.

Dubrovsky said clients' biggest need that he's trying to solve for is time, as studios are pushing to fill their slates after production shut down for much of 2023 during the Hollywood labor strikes.

"People need more time to shoot new productions; people need more content," he said.

Generative AI has an uneasy relationship with Hollywood, where it's gained use alongside fears that it'll take people's jobs and steal creators' work and likeness. Filmustage's founders said their tech does eliminate some routine tasks, although it doesn't eliminate the need for human judgment in things like script analysis. They said the company doesn't train on clients' scripts but on scripts that are in the public domain, helped by synthetic data and seeing how people are using the tool.

Here's the pitch deck Filmustage used to raise its newest funding round:

Filmustage started in 2020 with a focus on script analysis.

The company is trying to streamline outdated production processes.

Filmustage identifies the problems it's trying to solve, including time-consuming processes and limited collaboration between teams.

Filmustage wants to use AI to reform film and animation.

It wants to streamline script breakdown and build a collaborative platform for production teams.

Filmustage's pitch is that it helps teams coordinate.

Filmustage says it saves time and frees up resources.

Filmustage lists its key features.

It provides AI-driven script analysis, script summary, shooting schedules, and more.

Filmustage talks up its script analysis tool.

Filmustage lists some of its clients and press coverage.

It says it has saved its users more than $50 million.

Filmustage says its users have created nearly 18,000 projects on its platform by the end of 2023, saving 1.2 million hours of work and more than $50 million.

Filmustage sizes up the market it's trying to capture.

Filmustage believes it has a $586 million business opportunity, based on the size of the film, animation, and VFX market it can capture.

The company compares itself to rivals.

It lists Movie Magic, Studio Binder, and Jungle Software as competitors.

The company cites testimonials by users.

It quotes Roger Christian, a set decorator; Catherine Craig, a director and producer; Joseph Strickland, a director and producer; and Callan Green, a photography director.

Filmustage shares user reviews.

Saving time and money are common in the feedback shared by reviewers.

Filmustage lays out its product road map.

Up next are production calendar and call sheet tools and AI-based budget estimates and storyboards.

Filmustage says its founders and advisors are heavy on tech and media experience.

They are Egor Dubrovsky, Ruslan Khamidullin, and Andrei Karaklou. Advisors are Chris Ledoux, Byron Saltysiak, Barry Loudis, and Vadim Rogovskiy.

Filmustage details how its script analysis tool works.

Filmustage says its tool can break down a script in two minutes, allow users to create their own categories, and create an automatic synopsis.

The script analysis tool helps manage risk.

It can identify a script's needs like COVID safety measures, copyright clearance, and stunt requirements.

Filmustage tries to organize information about scripts in a clear format.

Filmustage says its breakdown gives users a clear overview of all the elements in a script.

Its tools are heavy on visual features.

Its shooting schedule tool is designed to make it easier to plan shoots.

Filmustage lets users order scenes by things like number and location, add locations from Google Maps, estimate shooting time, and more.

Read the original article on Business Insider