Martin Scorsese endorses AI and becomes new partner of Black Forest Labs: “We have to be open”
World-renowned filmmaker Martin Scorsese has leaped into the world of AI after becoming a partner of the image generation company, Black Forest Labs.
The 16-time Academy Award nominee reportedly signed on to the company as a partner and advisor last year.
Explaining the surprising move in a statement and accompanying video filmed in his New York City office, the 83-year-old filmmaker summarised, “I’m interested in the intersection of technology and storytelling.”
As per The New York Times, Scorsese was excited to uncover how this “can push the bounds of creativity to create deeper and richer experiences for audiences.”
He added, “Remember, cinema is a young medium, only around 125 years old, so we have to be open to how it can evolve.”
Specifically, Scorsese has endorsed the use of AI for storyboarding, the process of visualising the plot and creative direction of a film before the cameras roll. It appears that his endorsement ends there.
“For 70 years, I’ve been creating my own storyboards,” Scorsese added in the statement. “There’s always been this problem of how do you communicate what you see in your head to your cast and crew. There are some things you have to see and feel.”
He continued, “Now with this tool, I can share what I’m visualizing more clearly and efficiently to my creative team — the production designer, art designer and cinematographer.”
Gushing about the economic benefits, he also shared, “During the preproduction process, time costs money, and this allowed us to move faster without sacrificing quality or craft.”
In a Zoom interview, Robin Rombach, the company’s Chief Executive, shared, “I am super excited about the fact that someone like Martin Scorsese — one of the greatest, most impressive filmmakers to exist — is using our technology and curious about exploring it. It’s such a great proof point that this works.”
This is an extremely surprising move from the Taxi Driver mastermind; other coveted directors, such as Guillermo del Toro, have shared staunchly anti-AI messages, while Park Chan Wook deemed the technology a “danger for filmmakers”.
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