From Words to Images: How a Top Film School Teaches Screenwriters to Work with AI
In a world where artificial intelligence has ceased to be a futuristic concept and has become a working tool, the creative industries face a pressing question: adapt or fall behind. The Sam Spiegel Film and Television School in Jerusalem, an authoritative institution consistently ranked among the world’s best, has chosen the former. It has launched a unique course designed to train not just storytellers, but creators of visual worlds—”storyshowers.”
A New Subject in the Curriculum of Future Screenwriters
While Hollywood guilds debate the boundaries of using neural networks with IT corporations, practical work is already underway in a Jerusalem classroom. This pioneering course on AI for screenwriting, the first of its kind globally, has become part of the school’s program.
The course is led by Israeli content strategist and screenwriter Omri Marcus. According to him, the goal is not to replace the creator with an algorithm, but to provide them with a new set of brushes and paints.
The Storm Has Already Arrived: Why Ignoring Reality is Futile
“We are residing in a turbulent period. The storm is approaching, and we need to prepare for it,” said Marcus. “The storm does not care whether we are wearing a coat or not. But even if we deny reality, the storm will arrive, and we will get wet.”
At the same time, the specialist emphasizes that the essence of the craft remains unchanged. “In the end, this is still a deal of attention in exchange for a good story. The romance of the tortured writer does not have to disappear,” he explained. “But the goal of this course is to teach how to use artificial intelligence as a tool that makes us better: as an efficient assistant that saves time on research, a skilled editor that highlights structural weaknesses, a sounding board for ideas, and countless other possibilities we discover every day.”
From Text to Multimedia: The Birth of the ‘Universal Creator’
Marcus also noted a broader shift in the field, describing a transition from “storyteller” to “storyshower.”
“Ultimately, a screenplay is a tool—words meant to transfer a vision from the writer’s mind to the producer and the director,” he said. “When used correctly, screenwriters today can amplify their stories with images, video, and sound, without relying on additional institutions or intermediaries. Even non-technical writers can become a one-stop shop for video creation.”
Marcus described the Sam Spiegel School’s decision to integrate such a program as one of the first in the world as forward-thinking. “It is impressive that Sam Spiegel understood early on that the filmmakers of tomorrow must be given the most advanced tools available if they are to remain relevant,” he concluded.
Thus, the legendary film school is betting on a synthesis: the classical foundations of dramaturgy plus digital technology. The result of this experiment will be a new generation of filmmakers for whom AI is not a magical black box, but a familiar and precise brush in the artist’s palette.