RumwayML Gen:48 Third Edition (2024)
The Calling - An AI Short Film
A submission for the Runway Gen:48 Third Edition contest
My role: Director & Production Designer
Set in the ruins of an ancient Mayan city, “The Calling” follows people in trouble as they seek help against a dark force that threatens the world.
It explores themes of courage, the battle between light and darkness, and the mysteries that remain hidden in the universe.
The overall process
The magic was possible thanks to the following tools:
• ChatGPT for script creation and storyboard.
• Midjourney for image generation.
• Epidemic Sound for music.
• ElevenLabs for AI voiceovers.
• Runway Gen-3 for video production.
Pre-Production
The creative process began with a brainstorming session that explored various narrative structures, visual styles, and thematic elements for the film.
Ideas were then organized into a mind map to visualize the flow of the story, focusing on key moments and character development.
Finally, the script generation process was refined, with a clear narrative structure and scene descriptions that balanced action, emotion, and visual storytelling.
Production & Post-Production
Production - The character creation process involved using ChatGPT to craft detailed text-to-text prompts, which were then fed into MidJourney v6.1 to generate stunning visual assets through text-to-image generation. For specific poses, images of a figurine were used for image-to-image generation, ensuring accuracy in the character’s movements.
These visual assets were then transformed into dynamic video sequences using image-to-video techniques with RunwayML Gen-3 Alpha. Voice-over audio files were created with ElevenLabs using text-to-speech technology to bring the narrative to life.
Post-Production - All elements were seamlessly integrated in Adobe Premiere, where the visuals, audio, and video came together. Sound effects from Epidemic Sound added depth and atmosphere, culminating in the final polished video.
