Introduction to Brilliant Pictures and Largo.ai
With all the glamour and star power on the red carpet, Sean O’Kelly and Sami Arpa may have gone unnoticed at this year’s Venice Film Festival. However, together they have a wealth of knowledge behind the scenes, with an innovative platform that simplifies the process of shooting films and series. O’Kelly is the Executive Chairman of Brilliant Pictures, a production company and sales dealer based in London, known for films like "Blood of the Bull," a documentary about Oscar winner Guillermo del Toro. Arpa, on the other hand, is a filmmaker and computer scientist who founded Largo.ai, a software company that creates data-controlled tools for companies like Netflix and Amazon.
The Concept Behind Largo.ai
Arpa explains that the big streaming platforms rely heavily on technology to order the right content. However, these tools were not available to the rest of the industry. The motivation behind Largo.ai was to give everyone else the same insights – about audience size, demographics, and emotional reactions. This pitch resonated with O’Kelly, who believes that the most difficult part of filmmaking is no longer the creative side, but the financial. With Largo.ai, they can carry out a scene-by-scene analysis and show that an audience not only responds to it but also provides quantitative and qualitative feedback.
The 360-Degree Production Platform
Together, O’Kelly and Arpa have built what they call "one of the world’s first 360-degree production, sales, and financial platforms." This platform is designed to help producers and writers make more informed decisions. One example of this is a system that replicates focus groups. Instead of weeks of testing, filmmakers can get public feedback in just one day. This replaces traditional focus groups, allowing filmmakers to ask simulated target groups about their content with the same confidence level as a live test, but with a fraction of the time and cost.
The Technology Behind Largo.ai
Both founders want to emphasize that the technology is not meant to replace actors, writers, or directors. The core creative aspect of filmmaking is irreplaceable. Instead, Largo.ai aims to make the process more intelligent, faster, and better. Their first case study is "The Crane," a disaster thriller about a father-daughter team of crane operators trapped in an earthquake. The project has already undergone Largo’s complete analysis suite, generating sales materials and teaser visuals informed by AI.
The Future of Filmmaking
The hope is that more films will make it to a larger audience worldwide by giving independent producers the same forecasting tools as the streaming giants. Arpa notes that producers who use Largo.ai have tripled their chance of getting greenlit. It’s about leveling the playing field. By providing independent producers with the same tools as the big streaming platforms, Largo.ai aims to give them a level of self-confidence that has been difficult to access in the past. Instead of being at the mercy of the platforms, they can finally speak the same language, giving them and the films they believe in a fighting chance.
