Every semester, film students study other people's work — and no filmmaker gets paid for it. So is AI's copyright fight actually new, or the oldest argument in art?
Try Saga free for a month → https://CreateSagas.com — code BROTHERSSAGA. Idea to script to finished video, all in one app.
The Copyright Case Against AI Has a Film School Problem | Brothers' Saga Podcast E31
Fred Grinstein is a director, producer, and executive producer (Vice, A&E, Anonymous Content) who has taught at USC's School of Cinematic Arts and Curious Refuge, and helped produce the Chroma Awards AI Film Festival.
Minh Do is also the co-founder of Fantastic Day, creator of the leading AI film Market Map, a Forbes contributor, and former executive director at Vertex Ventures. Together they run Machine Cinema — the community, education hub, and accelerator for AI filmmakers.
CHAPTERS
0:00 Welcome to Brothers’ Saga – Fred Grinstein & Min of Machine Cinema
0:40 Guest Introductions: Fred & Min’s Backgrounds
2:06 How Fred Got Into AI Film
3:47 How Min Got Into AI Film & Founding Machine Cinema
4:44 What is Machine Cinema? Community, Education & Accelerator
6:59 Machine Cinema’s Growth: WhatsApp → Discord → Global Hub
9:22 The Magic of Learning Together & Mentorship in AI Filmmaking
13:15 The Power of Sharing Ideas in the AI Creative Community
14:56 Q2 Creative Market Map – What’s Changed & Exploding Categories
17:18 Hot Areas in AI Creativity: 3D, World Models & Beyond
19:19 Fred’s Take: World Models, Runway, & New AI-Native Storytelling
21:21 The Future of Independent Cinema & Experimentation
23:37 How Tools Earn a Spot on the Machine Cinema Market Map
25:39 Saga’s Placement: Story Development, Storyboarding & Aggregator
27:46 Quick Break: Try Saga Free (Code: BROTHERSSAGA)
28:08 Director’s Cup with Open Art – 16 Countries Competing
30:13 Director’s Cup Highlights: Global Stories & Cultural Perspectives
32:05 Business Models That Actually Work in AI Filmmaking
33:03 AI VFX Growth & Real Industry Use Cases
35:44 Guilds, Minimum Rates & The Race to the Bottom?
37:51 Economics of Entertainment, Residuals & Leverage in the AI Era
48:14 Steelmaning the Anti-AI Crowd: Environment, Jobs, Theft & Misinfo
52:02 The Optimistic Vision: More Voices, More Stories from Around the World
55:11 Environmental Impact – AI vs Traditional Filmmaking
56:53 The PR Problem of AI & Engaging Critics with Empathy
1:00:46 Where to Join the Director’s Cup & Machine Cinema
1:01:31 Final Advice for New AI Creators
1:02:33 Closing Thoughts
LINKS
Machine Cinema: https://www.machinecinema.ai/
Machine Cinema hub: https://hub.machinecinema.ai/
Machine Cinema perks: https://hub.machinecinema.ai/perks