We used A.I. to make a Short MOVIE!
Education
We used A.I. to make a Short MOVIE!
[Applause] [Music]
All right, where is it, where is it? You know, the MSI Trader awards are just around the corner, and as a judge for this contest, I need to submit a creative work as well. But I've hit the mother of all creative roadblocks. Guys, I am as trapped as fingers in a Chinese finger trap. Can you just get us out of this? Come on, I know it's somewhere in there.
Bingo! This right here is the Creator Machine. This bad boy is an AI-powered filmmaking wizard that is going to turn my short film dreams into reality, pronto.
Alright, let's see what nuggets of wisdom this little genius can share with me to kick things off. Use Chat 4 to write a scenario. Of course, that makes sense. You've probably heard about ChatGPT, right? The AI that's been causing a stir and making people worry about the future of humanity? Well, no need to panic, no doomsday scenarios just yet. Now, lately, I've been diving into After Effects expressions, and let me tell you, GPT-4 is a game-changer. It's an impressive 10 times more advanced than the previous 3.5 model, and this AI buddy is a lifesaver when it comes down to time. Dishing out expressions faster than you can say Adobe After Effects. But heads up, you might spend a bit of that saved time troubleshooting. I've discovered that GPT-4 requires a gentle nudge to guide it down the right path. The key is asking super specific, detail-oriented questions. And it's the same deal when you want to create a short movie. Ask for a story and you'll get a basic one with an open ending. You know, it seems to love leaving things unresolved. So I feed it extra information, like a topic, maybe space or dream sequences. It needs to use a 3X structure, the most used story structure in filmmaking. I give it location, the number of actors that I want to use, and the genre. This way, I get the best story possible. Alright, let's see what GPT-4 spits out.
Boom! We've got a solid short film foundation. I can now fine-tune this story by adding or removing elements or perhaps making some changes to steer the story in the right direction. And once I'm satisfied, I just ask for a shot list. Super simple. And don't forget, it's all about those specific prompts for the best results. Tell it what mood or feeling you want to create. That is going to have a big impact on the type of shot it's going to suggest. And there you have it, I've got a story and a shot list. So I'm ready to roll.
Hold on, wait a minute. The shot list demands a large open office space filled with cubicles and stuff, but I don't have that. How on Earth am I going to pull this off? Oh, I almost overlooked my Creator Machine. Come on, little buddy, help me one more time.
Use Mid-Journey 5 to create a set extension. How did that slip my mind? Silly me and my journey is a text-to-image tool, and its latest update, version 5, is loaded with awesome new features. We're talking here about photorealistic images, enhanced image quality, and a boosted dynamic range. Just what my project needs. And just like with ChatGPT, you need to give Mid-Journey a little push in the right direction if you want your masterpiece to go to. And that's where reference footage comes in handy. Thanks to today's sponsor, Storyblocks, I can access over a million high-quality royalty-free stock assets as inspiration for Mid-Journey. This way, I can feed the AI as much reference as I need. Now, Storyblocks is practically an AI tool itself. With their new plugin for Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro, you'll have a gigantic library at your fingertips while working on your VFX or edits. And the cherry on the top? Unlimited downloads, all in HD or 4K resolution. You simply search for what you need, and voila, an endless treasure of clips ready for download. Amp up your project with explosions, energy assets, smoke, and so much more. It's never been easier. And guess what? I've got my very own travel videos, car crashes, multiple flashes, and other amazing assets, all just waiting for you guys to download. And most of the shots are even unlocked, giving you ultimate control during color grading. On many stock websites, you have to pay a hefty price per clip that you want to download. But not with Storyblocks. They offer an unlimited library for a fixed price. You can pay monthly or annually. No hidden fees, never. Now, I've been a Storyblocks user for many years, and so I can recommend it so much to any creative. So take back your creative control with Storyblocks' unlimited royalty-free stock library and tools today by going to storyblocks.com/cinecom or simply click the first link in the description down below.
And now let's dive back into our short film and see what Mid-Journey has in store.
Okay, let's get cracking on those office images for my After Effects set extension. But like I said, I won't dive in blindly. I'll steer Mid-Journey with some inspiration. I found a few cubicle shots on Storyblocks, which unfortunately don't quite match with my own. So you can share those on Discord and then copy that image link to use that as a reference while crafting my image prompt. I'll make sure to include the link that I just copied and throw in all the juicy details that I can. Like the focal length, the camera angle, the aspect ratio, and more. Really think about all those details, guys. And by the way, to get the aspect ratio, just use "ar16 by 9". Mid-Journey will then deliver a variety of cubicle images for me to play with. I'll fine-tune the ones that I like, and once I'm happy, I'll upscale the final image for that high-quality finish. And there you have it, a cool office image ready to be used in a set extension. And with this picture in hand, it's time to dive into After Effects and work some set extension magic.
But first, I had to take care of a few essential steps while filming. I'm filming in front of a green screen, making it a breeze to remove the background in post and swap it with my custom office image. But I also added some tracking markers on the green screen to help After Effects with some camera tracking later on. That way, we can add movements to the camera shots. And also, I made sure to avoid filming the ground, which makes blending our two scenes a whole lot easier. And that's about it. In After Effects, I start with camera tracking. And if you're curious about how to master tracking, I'll drop a link in the description down below. Once After Effects finishes tracking, it's time to say goodbye to the green screen background, introduce our new backdrop, and turn it into a 3D layer. I place it back on the z-axis to create that parallax effect when the camera moves. But still, I'm running into a problem. The parallax isn't quite convincing. Darn, this makes it look fake. Isn't there a way that I can enhance this somehow? Ah, the shot list. Ah, the Creator Machine! Alright, come on, help me out, buddy. Come on.
Yes, use a depth map to create a displacement. Of course! I can boost the parallax by adding a subtle displacement to the background using a depth map. Now, a depth map is basically a black and white image with gradients in between. The brighter the area is, the closer they are to the camera. And the darker, the farther away. And that way, we can create fake depth. Now, I stumbled upon Image Amigo, which is a free depth map AI tool that lets me feed my background clip right into it. And before you even have time to comment on what you think about AI, it's done. And we've got ourselves a depth map. Now, in After Effects, just make that depth map a 3D layer like the original background and match its position and orientation. Next, I'll add a displacement map and two slider effects to the original background. Our new depth map will serve as a displacement source to automate the background parallax displacement. I'll use our 3D camera, linking the horizontal displacement to the camera's x-value and the vertical displacement to the y-value. But since those values are too large, making the displacement just too much, I'll adjust expressions by dividing them by a thousand, giving us more realistic numbers. For added control, I'll include the slider value in both expressions so that I can manually fine-tune the parallax when needed. And there you have it, a realistic parallax effect. Lastly, give the new background a cinematic touch with some blur. Enable the depth of field option in our After Effects camera and tweak the focus distance and aperture to achieve the perfect blur. And there you have it again, our set extension is done.
Wait! What? I still need to film an entire dream sequence. How on Earth am I going to do that? Am I supposed to film myself while sleeping? Is that what they suggest? I don't think anyone wants to witness that. Oh yeah, come on, help me one more time. Come on, I'll give you a cookie filled with data as a reward after the short film is done. Come on!
This time, it's the Dream Machine. Now, could it be? Can Runway really make it happen? It seems like my creative void is suggesting we use the Gen 1 Video-to-Video function. This AI tool will allow you to use words and images to create brand new videos from existing ones. Now, after experimenting with this amazing tool, I was able to create some jaw-dropping content, including my entire dream sequence. Now, let me show you. I'll need to provide the web interface Runway with some footage to work its magic. And we can just use clips that we shot ourselves or grab footage from Storyblocks, whatever suits your project. Then, whichever way, we can completely transform it into something from another dimension. You can pick a specific style reference, such as claymation, cloudscape, and much more. But we will be uploading our own style reference image. We used Mid-Journey to create some unusual scenes, like Jordy floating in space. Upload the picture, select it, and hit generate. Let's see what that unfolds. Wow, this looks fantastic. And this is something that I can do for my entire dream sequence. I know there are tons of settings, buttons, and sliders, and I'm just breezing through all of them. So if you'd like to have a more in-depth look at Runway, check out the video that we published on the Premiere Basics channel. I'll leave a link to it in the description down below.
Oh man, this short film is almost complete. Everything is shot and edited. All I need now is a gripping title. Let's ask Creato one more time to help me with that. Hello? Come on, you there? Come on, Creator, piece of junk. Come on, start working.
What? What? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, don't do that! Don't delete the short film! No, no! Yep, you gotta be gentle with these things, guys. You know, AI tools have feelings too. I'm sorry, buddy. I didn't mean it that way, humans. Alright, let me just restore a backup of that short movie. There you go. Enjoy.
Keywords: A.I., filmmaking, short film, Creator Machine, ChatGPT, Mid-Journey, After Effects, Storyblocks, Dream Machine, Runway, set extension, AI tools
FAQ
Q: What is the Creator Machine?
A: The Creator Machine is an AI-powered filmmaking tool that assists in generating story ideas and shot lists for short films.
Q: How does Mid-Journey assist in creating a set extension?
A: Mid-Journey is a text-to-image tool that can be guided with specific prompts to create photorealistic images for set extensions in After Effects.
Q: What is the Dream Machine used for?
A: The Dream Machine, utilizing the Gen 1 Video-to-Video function, allows users to transform existing footage into new videos with different styles and visual effects.
Q: How can Storyblocks enhance the filmmaking process?
A: Storyblocks offers an extensive library of royalty-free stock assets, including footage and plugins for Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro, enabling filmmakers to elevate their projects with various elements and effects.
Q: What are some key features and benefits of the AI-powered tools discussed in the article?
A: The AI-powered tools, such as ChatGPT, Mid-Journey, and the Dream Machine, provide creatives with efficient ways to generate story ideas, create realistic set extensions, and transform footage into unique visual styles. They save time and offer new possibilities for filmmakers.