Five filmmakers who have experimented with AI participated in a series of short films commissioned by Adobe to showcase the capabilities of the Firefly AI platform.
The short film was screened at the three-day Adobe Max User Convention held at the Los Angeles Convention Center on October 28th.
The tools enabled by Firefly have helped streamline production from months or months with other tools to weeks or even days. But other aspects of the creative process are no different than any other film project. It all starts with a strong script, but the amazing material that can be created from a variety of AI models (including non-Adobe services) can certainly impact storytelling, the filmmakers said during a panel discussion following a screening of six short films commissioned by Adobe.
The session was titled “Showtime! Generative AI Shorts Screening & Filmmaker Discussion,” and was moderated by Variety’s Cynthia Littleton in partnership with Adobe.
Creators on stage included Grail director Ryan Patterson, Native Foreign chief creative officer Nick Clevelov, Promise Studio co-founder and chief creative officer Dave Clark, Promise Studio director and genre head MetaPuppet, and AI filmmaker and comedian King Willonius. Their films were titled “Dreamer,” “Beta Earth,” “My Friend Zeph,” “Kyra,” and “Into the BBL Drizzyverse,” respectively. Each was commissioned by Adobe to showcase the latest AI features in Adobe Firefly.
In summary, the filmmakers agreed that they enjoyed using the tools to create 2-5 minute stories under tight deadlines, and that content creation using AI has great potential for innovation. But for the quality of the final product, the human touch of managing the vision and maintaining quality control is paramount.
All of the filmmakers described positive experiences working with Firefly to realize their vision. “We used Adobe Firefly for the imagery. We were taking an AI-generated image and compositing it with live action on a blue screen, and we were able to iterate on that. Thanks to Firefly Boards. When you use visual effects and compositing, you have to really plan out the shots and make sure they line up in order, otherwise the whole show can fall apart,” Clark said.
Many creators shared Clark’s enthusiasm for the Firefly Boards feature, which allows images to be uploaded, edited, and AI-generated to help create shots and storyboards. “The board we’re using has made working with my editor a lot of fun. I like a creative challenge, so whenever I do a project, I like to push myself. Throughout this whole experience, I felt like we did just that, and we were able to create something really great,” Willonius reflected.
The core value of Boards is its versatility, giving filmmakers a broad palette of tools to choose from. “A lot of people ask what is the best tool for AI filmmaking. The great thing about Firefly Boards is that they give you options. There is no answer to that question because every tool has superpowers,” says Patterson.
Klebelov praised Firefly’s work, but was also quick to praise “Modern Family” alumnus and author Ryan Walls for coming up with the stories he was able to create using the tool. “Before AI, before Firefly, it was not possible for a small studio like us. Brand storytelling is great and we love brand partnerships, but we want to tell more original stories,” he admitted.
The committee agreed that Klevelov is constantly evaluating the human origins of his story, but also acknowledged that AI has made it possible to bring that story to life. Many talked about tools as a means to increase efficiency and collaboration, but also emphasized the beauty of discovery. “Even after you’ve created a storyboard, sometimes things that you don’t see can come along and take you in a completely different direction. And I think you have to be open to change. Storyboards can change, and that happens with every short film I make with AI,” MetaPuppet said.
This process led to a fusion between pre-production, production and post-production. This is what MetaPuppet calls “one big loop.” At the beginning of the project, it is already in the post state, and when the project is nearing the end, it returns to the pre state. While this can disrupt traditional workflows, it also allows for more equal participation in different phases of a project.
Finally, the panelists concluded by talking about the importance of guardrails to protect creators and their intellectual property. Klebelov cited Native Foreign’s AI short film “Critters” as an example, which has now been made into a feature film. “We tracked human copyrighted works and hundreds of decisions made every step of the way, and that actually helped us get the copyright on the AI-native IP,” he said.
Clark agreed, saying, “When you start thinking about distributing movies and creating IP, or partnering with studios on IP, all of that needs to be heavily protected. It’s very important that you do that.”
