While everyone in Hollywood is talking about artificial intelligence, few truly understand its capabilities. Secret Level wants to change that.
The AI studio behind those infamous Coca-Cola ads launched Secret Level Academy on Monday, a master class-style program designed to teach people — particularly in Hollywood — how to best take advantage of generative AI.
“We’re doing it in a way that upskills anyone coming from the traditional entertainment world,” Jason Zada, founder and chief creative officer, told TheWrap.
The class comes at a time when AI remains a sensitive topic in Hollywood, with persistent fears that the technology will replace the human creative spark the industry is known for. But with studios more openly embracing AI, it would be smart to understand how the technology works — if only to get a handle on how it could impact your life.
“It’s just going to be a level of ignorance if you don’t understand that world,” Zada said.
Secret Level is one of the “oldest” AI studios having started working back in 2023 just as the generative AI wave was picking up. Beyond the Coke ad, it has partnerships with Google, Intel and Black Eyed Peas, among others, while also producing original short-form content. Zada said that while on the speaking circuit, he is frequently asked by professionals where they can find resources to learn about AI, which led to the creation of the Academy.
The sessions, which start at $849 but will eventually return to their regular price of $1,299, offer a series of videos, guides and suggested prompts designed to help users understand how to work with AI models. In addition, program members will gain access to an online community called “Level Up,” which will feature live sessions with Hollywood professionals already working with AI.
Notably, Academy does not actually show you how to use tools like Runway, Google’s Nano Banana or Midjourney, only asking you to familiarize yourself with the platforms. That’s because the advancement in the tools happen so quickly a program like this would be outdated within weeks.
Instead, Academy focuses on ways to utilize tools from a workflow or pipeline perspective, analogous to how a film or show gets produced. The sessions go through steps like ideation and creation, production and post-production, and where AI fits in those standard workflows.
“There’s a right way to do it, a way that’s collaborative,” Zada said.
Specifically, there’s a session that teaches you about quality control and how to spot erroneously generated images, and another one on video continuity or consistent characters. There’s also a session that focuses on working with synthetic characters, and another that deals with integrating real actors into AI-generated scenes.
There’s also a session about ethics, noting there’s onus on the person using the AI model to respect creator work.
“If you’re prompting ‘Star Wars,’ it’s your fault, not the model’s fault,” he said. “We’re trying to be responsible.”
While there are many AI master classes and guides out there, most of them speak to the technie crowd. Zada said he believes his stands apart for the entertainment community because it speaks directly to the Hollywood crowd.
“When traditional (entertainment) people move into this space, I’ve seen the quality of work massively improve,” he said. “They’re already some of the best storytellers.”
