Unlocking the Future of Film Marketing: How AI Eye-Tracking Technology is Revolutionizing Audience Engagement

If you don’t know your gaze path from your saliency rating, it might be time to sharpen up on attention metrics, especially if you have a movie or series to promote. AI-driven eye-tracking tech is now being used to customize and optimize all manner of content that puts wind in the sails of films and series, from trailers to key art and posters and everything in between.

AI in Action
Deadline’s recent investigation into AI-enabled fake movie trailers caused a stir, leading YouTube to quickly turn off ad revenue for two of the channels monetizing them. Meanwhile, AI and algorithm-based tools are being employed by agencies to create legitimate trailers, promos, and materials for streamers, studios, and broadcasters. One such agency is Once Upon a Time, known for its award-winning work on movies like Venom and series such as The Crown.

The Power of Dragonfly AI
This agency uses Dragonfly AI, a technology developed by UK academics that employs a patented algorithm to track what captures human attention. In the entertainment industry, these insights are used to enhance various materials, but its real-world application comes after the design of the key art.

Toby Richards, Once Upon A Time’s strategy and planning director, explains, “It has enabled us to algorithmically unpick the human eye. The very premise of Dragonfly is that it’s an algorithm-based way of looking at something visually, we are looking to understand what draws visual attention.”

Understanding Visual Attention
Dragonfly AI isn’t the only tool designed to reveal what people will notice most in a design, but it stands out during a visit to Once Upon A Time’s east London office. By analyzing the hot and cold spots on any piece of content, a gaze path is created. This technology surpasses simple heatmaps, tracking not just where someone looks, but the order in which they look at it.

While many industry professionals express concern about AI tools impacting their jobs, Richards emphasizes that this technology is additive, not a replacement for human creativity. “It does not replace creativity; if anything, it empowers it,” he states. “You can be confident in knowing something stood out. But this type of tool does only half the job. There is still a need for whatever is standing out to evoke something, and this tool is not currently doing that, the storytelling.”

Optimizing Content Across Platforms
The practical use of Dragonfly AI comes after key art has been created, ensuring that assets tailored for various platforms are optimized for each environment. A movie might transition from a theatrical release to premium sell-through, then to a streaming platform, and finally to a broadcaster. Each stage has unique requirements.

Richards explains, “You think about how something might be applied in lots of different contexts and markets and channels. What this enables you to do is take whatever creativity is there and optimize it.”

For content owners and creators, ensuring materials are customized for every environment can extend the life of their intellectual property, enhancing the so-called long tail. “How can you make sure you’re going to get the most of something throughout the whole life of a title, and not just its launch?” he asks. This is where Dragonfly AI shines, particularly as content increasingly transitions to streaming platforms.

The Synergy of Human and AI
Henry David Thoreau once wrote, “The question is not what you look at, but what you see.” In today's AI-enabled entertainment industry, tools exist to interpret visual engagement, but human intelligence remains crucial. Richards notes, “I don’t think this is a panacea. I think it’s an additional, incredibly effective addition to the toolkit. It’s helping us observe differently, but we’re still doing the observing.”