Where Art Meets Algorithm: Inside Sixteen By Nine (SBN) Media's AI Studio

The surge is undeniable. According to IAB’s 2025 Advertising Outlook, nearly 90% of marketers plan to use AI tools for video creation in the coming year. As widely reported by Adweek and TechCrunch, many marketers and creators view AI video as one of the most transformative shifts in digital storytelling in years. Major brands across fashion, manufacturing, and retail are adopting it: not just because it’s faster, but because it’s defining a new field of possibility.

This is the inside story of how AI video is changing everything, and how Sixteen By Nine (SBN Media) mastered it first.

AI Brand Films by SBN Media

The New Gold Rush: AI Video Goes Mainstream

It’s no longer a 'future' technology. It’s here, and it's moving with a velocity that's shaking the industry. The advertising world, always the first to adapt, is in a full-blown AI gold rush.

Why? The equation is simple.

Production budgets are shrinking, but the demand for more content for Instagram Reels, YouTube pre-rolls, and endless digital campaigns is exploding. This is where AI video steps in. It solves the equation by offering limitless creative possibilities without the punishing costs and logistical nightmares of traditional shoots.

Want to shoot on the frozen lakes of Ladakh, in a high-tech cyberpunk version of Mumbai, and inside a grand Rajasthan palace, all for the same 30-second ad? A year ago, that was a multi-crore fantasy. Today, it’s a few-hours Tuesday project.

The Tipping Point: Big Brands Are Already On Board

If you think this is just for experimental indie films, you're mistaken. The smart money has already moved. The corporate world, which demands reliability and quality, is already investing heavily.

Most of the major industry players are now actively commissioning AI-generated ad films. We’re seeing:

• Massive Retail Chains like SmartBazaar (who commissioned a staggering 8 different AI ad films made by SBN Media)

• Interior Solution Experts like LaDazzle

• Automotive Giants like Tata Seating

• Major Consumer Brands like OneAssist (for two separate campaigns)

• E-commerce & B2C companies like Make Your Own Perfume

• Industrial Leaders like Roofix Fasteners

• Even highly specialized B2B firms like SG Associates

The trend is undeniable. These brands have tested the waters and are now diving in. The cost-savings are one thing, but it's the sheer creative speed and freedom that has them hooked.

Here’s a closer look at how it works.

CLIENT CASE STUDY: SmartBazaar (Retail)

• The Brief: SmartBazaar needed eight different, high-energy festive season advertisements, each targeting a different product category, all within a very short timeframe.

• The AI Solution: A traditional shoot would have required eight separate production plans. Instead, SBN Media created a single "digital blueprint" that maintained a consistent brand look. Using their AI workflow, they then rapidly generated eight unique visual concepts, populated with different products and settings, all while preserving the core brand identity.

• The Outcome: All eight films were delivered on time and under budget, giving SmartBazaar a wealth of content for their multi-channel campaign.

The Technology: A Filmmaker's Toolkit

SBN Media's AI Studio is platform-agnostic. They don't rely on a single, magic-bullet tool. Their "Prompt Engineers" (who are trained cinematographers) use a curated stack of the world's most advanced generative models, combined with their own consistency scripts. They select the right tool for the right shot, just as a filmmaker chooses the right lens for the right moment.

Addressing the "Elephant in the Room": The Human-in-the-Loop

The conversation around AI is often one of replacement. At SBN Media, we see it as an expansion. AI acts as a co-pilot, not an autopilot. Our model is not about removing human creatives; it's about making them more powerful.

• We don't replace the Director. We give them a 'digital set' where they can test 10 different angles in 10 minutes.

• We don't replace the Editor. We provide them with perfect "digital rushes" and endless B-roll options to craft the story.

• We don't replace the Sound Designer. Our process underscores just how critical a professional sound mix is to making AI visuals feel real.

Our 23-step workflow has more human checkpoints than a traditional shoot. It's a "human-in-the-loop" system where technology handles the brute-force generation, and our human artists guide the craft, emotion, and final polish.

The SBN Philosophy: A Word from Founder Gourav Ghosh

"I didn't come to AI as a technologist. I came to it as a filmmaker," says Gourav Ghosh, SBN Media's founder and an FTII alumnus. “For years, the rules of cinema, lighting, composition, continuity, were bound by the physical world. What if your camera could move impossibly? What if you could shoot in 'golden hour' for five straight hours? The tools of generative AI aren't a threat to our craft; they are the most powerful expansion of it since the move from film to digital. Our 23-step process isn't about replacing the filmmaker. It's about taking the logistical 'no' out of the creative equation and allowing the filmmaker, the brand, and the storyteller to finally be limited only by their imagination,” he added further.

An Industry at a Tipping Point

On one side, you have the talkers, the experimenters, and the countless small players creating interesting but inconsistent clips, stuck in a loop of trial and error. On the other side, you have SBN Media, who have stopped playing and started building. They've constructed the professional assembly line, the 23-step process needed to actually control this powerful, wild technology and get predictable, high-quality results from it.

This is no longer a test. The technology is working. SBN's workflow is proven with major corporate clients. They didn't just find a magic button, they built a bridge from classic filmmaking to the boundless digital sets of tomorrow, one that is grounded in the rules of story, light, and continuity.

The New Horizon: Beyond Advertising

While the advertising world has been the first to adapt, SBN Media is already in advanced discussions with major Bollywood production houses. The application is clear: creating entire digital-shot films, rapidly pre-visualizing complex action sequences, and generating scalable "digital extras" for epic scenes, all at a fraction of the cost.

The revolution is here, and the assembly line is built. Don't just experiment with AI; build with it.

SBN Media doesn't just create videos; it crafts experiences. If you’ve got a bold idea or a very specific feeling you want your brand to own, let’s bring it to life, pixel by pixel.

Contact SBN Media today to schedule a 15-minute demo and see how your next campaign can be built at the speed of imagination.

CLIENT CASE STUDY: Tata Seating (B2B Industrial)

• The Brief: As an automotive giant, Tata Seating needed to showcase their complex, high-tech B2B products in a professional and dynamic way.

• The AI Solution: Filming inside a busy, high-security manufacturing plant is a logistical and costly nightmare. SBN’s team bypassed this entirely. They generated "industrially authentic" virtual factory settings, complete with robotic arms and assembly lines, allowing them to place digital models of Tata's seating products in perfect, studio-lit environments.

• The Outcome: The final films looked clean, professional, and high-tech, communicating product quality without a single day of on-location shooting.

The Inside Story: Who is SBN Media?

So, who is actually producing this next-gen content?

It’s none other than Sixteen By Nine (SBN) Media. This isn't a Silicon Valley tech company that just appeared. This is a creative production house founded by Gourav Ghosh, an alumnus of the prestigious Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).

This is the key differentiator.

SBN Media's team aren't just tech operators; they are classically trained filmmakers. They speak the language of cinema, of continuity, emotional lighting, the 180-degree rule, and lens choice. For the past year, they have been obsessively building a bridge between that pure cinematic craft and the raw, chaotic power of generative AI.

This unique blend of "art and algorithm" has allowed them to solve the AI puzzle that has stumped so many: How do you make it consistent, controllable, and scalable? Their production team includes new, hybrid roles essential for this frontier:

• AI Director of Photography: Defines the lighting, camera motion, and lens language for the AI.

• Digital Set Designer: Builds and scouts virtual locations.

• AI Consistency Supervisor: Manages the "digital actors" and continuity across thousands of generated frames.

Their success in this area has positioned them as India’s No. 1 AI Video Studio, and they are now being flooded with inquiries from the advertising world and, increasingly, from Bollywood.

DECLASSIFIED: The 23-Step AI Production Workflow

SBN Media gave us an exclusive look at their production pipeline. It’s not magic; it’s a detailed, 23-step process that turns a text script into a finished film. We can reveal it’s broken into three distinct phases.

SBN Media's proprietary AI Video Production Workflow

Phase 1: The Blueprint (Screenplay Breakdown)

This is where AI is most evident. It breaks down the script like a 1st AD.

1. Script Formatting & Scene Numbering

2. Detailed Shot List (Defining camera language: CU, MS, WS, trackers)

3. Continuity Planning (Mapping motion, eyelines, and action)

4. Character (with Costume) Breakdown (Creating "digital actors")

5. Location Breakdown (Defining architecture, mood, geography)

6. Color Grade & Lighting Breakdown (Planning the visual mood)

7. Production Design Breakdown (Identifying every key prop)

Phase 2: The Generation (AI Production)

This is where their prompt engineers, who are trained artists, build the film, shot by shot.

8. Reference Image Creation (Establishing a visual "lookbook")

9. Prompt Engineering Documentation (Building a library of text commands)

10. Asset Organisation System (Tracking thousands of generated assets)

11. Quality Control Checkpoints (In-depth reviews for visual consistency)

12. Text-to-Image (Generating key "master shots")

13. Image-to-Video (Animating master shots with precise camera motion)

14. Text-to-Video (Generating dynamic B-roll and atmospheric shots)

Phase 3: The Final Cut (Professional Post-Production)

AI-generated footage is just the "raw" footage. It then enters a professional post-production pipeline.

15. First Assembly (Structuring the narrative)

16. Re-Generations (Identifying and fixing flawed shots)

17. Audio Workflow (Building the soundscape)

18. Rough Cut with Audio (The first look at the complete story)

19. Motion Graphics and Titles (Adding professional GFX)

20. Final Cut (Picture lock)

21. Sound Design & Mixing (Full foley, SFX, and mixing)

22. Color Correction & Final Grade

23. Output (Delivering in any format, from Instagram to 4K DCP)

The Secret Sauce: How SBN Solves AI’s Biggest Problems

That 23-step list looks impressive, but two parts are critical. The biggest failure of most AI videos is the "consistency problem", a character's face changes, or a cup disappears from a table. SBN's "Continuity Planning" (Step 3) and "Character Breakdown" (Step 4) are not just creative steps; they are technical blueprints. They create "digital actors" and "persistent props" that are locked in their system, allowing their "Re-Generations" process (Step 16) to function like a precise reshoot, not a random new roll of the dice.

Furthermore, many believe AI video is a "one-click" process. This is false. SBN's "Phase 3" is where the filmmaking truly happens. The AI-generated clips are just "digital rushes" (raw footage). Their professional editors, sound designers, and colorists then take this raw material through a full-scale post-production pipeline. The final film's pacing, emotion, and polish come from human artists, not algorithms.

The Difference in Numbers: AI vs Traditional

This new workflow isn't just different; it's more efficient. Here’s a direct comparison for a typical 30-second ad featuring three complex locations.

It's no surprise that there’s a quiet revolution happening in the world of advertising.

If you scroll through any social feed, you’ll see it: hyper-realistic videos, stunning visuals, and cinematic storytelling that feels impossible for the budgets they come from. This is the work of AI filmmaking, the new creative frontier where art meets algorithms.