#518: Neolithic Ancestors
Midjourney Prompts, Generative AI Art & Animation News and Tools
📣 In this issue:
Optimizing Hollywood workflows, Filmmakers have nothing to fear (yet), Grok 1.5, making comics, and being photographed by the paparazzi.
📰 News-To-Know
1
IndieWire explores the skepticism and cautious optimism among filmmakers regarding the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in movies. Despite the rapid advancement of AI tools like Midjourney, Adobe Firefly, Runway, and Stable Diffusion, which have excited some creators for their ability to speed up the creative process, a consensus seems to emerge: the essence and emotional depth required for movies cannot be fully replicated by AI.
2
Dave Friend, cofounder and CEO of Wasabi, discusses the transformative potential of AI and cloud technology in optimizing media production workflows for Hollywood. Amid challenges such as pandemic-induced shutdowns, budget constraints, and strikes, the media industry seeks more efficient ways to produce content. The surge in demand for content from streaming platforms, coupled with reduced resources, has prompted many in Hollywood to turn to technology for solutions.
3
Elon Musk has announced that X should introduce Grok 1.5 this week. Grok 1.5, a development by xAI, is designed to understand long contexts and advanced reasoning.
Grok, introduced by xAI in November 2023, is a generative AI chatbot based on large language model technology. It boasts real-time knowledge of the world through the X platform and is noted for its willingness to address "spicy questions" that other AI systems might reject.
4
Forbes provides an in-depth look at how Emad Mostaque, the founder of Stability AI, led his company into a precarious situation despite its early success as one of the AI sector's most buzzed-about startups. The article outlines a series of missteps, including unpaid bills, bungled contracts, and a catastrophic meeting with Nvidia's CEO, which contributed to Stability AI's downfall.
Despite receiving a hero's welcome at a recent event and making bold claims about the capabilities of Stability AI's technology, Mostaque was unable to secure the necessary funding to keep the company afloat. The company faced significant financial difficulties, including defaulting on payments to Amazon Web Services and losing key members of its research team. These issues culminated in Mostaque's resignation, pressured by senior leaders and financial backers who had lost confidence in his leadership.
🧰 Tools-To-Know
Free Tool: Comic Factory, stands out as a remarkable free AI tool for creating comic book graphics, accessible via Hugging Face.
It offers a variety of artistic styles, including Japanese manga, Franco-Belgian, American modern, American 1950s, and more, each providing a unique visual narrative experience.
Simple interface but can take some iterations to get the best results. I suggest you focus on one frame at a time.
👀 Watch List
Spoof scifi movie trailer
Ai message from your Neolithic ancestor
ICYMI: How Does A.I. Art Stack Up Against Human Art? (HBO)
A bit dated now but still very relevant.
🎨 Inspiration
Photographed by Paparazzi
The term "paparazzi" is derived from the Italian word "paparazzo," which Federico Fellini, the famous film director, used in his 1960 film "La Dolce Vita." One of the characters in the film, a news photographer, was named Paparazzo, and this name came to be associated with photographers who pursue celebrities to get candid shots.
The relationship between the paparazzi and celebrities is complex and often contentious. On one hand, paparazzi photographs can significantly contribute to a celebrity's visibility and can sometimes even enhance their public image or career. On the other hand, the aggressive tactics used by some paparazzi to obtain exclusive photos can lead to invasions of privacy, dangerous situations, and sometimes confrontations.
Paparazzi employ various methods to get their shots, including waiting outside homes, using long lenses to capture images from a distance, and following celebrities during their daily activities. The demand for these photographs is driven by the public's fascination with celebrity culture and the high prices that magazines, websites, and other media outlets are willing to pay for exclusive or scandalous images.
Legal and ethical issues surrounding the paparazzi have led to calls for stricter regulations. In some jurisdictions, laws have been enacted to protect individuals' privacy and safety, setting boundaries on how closely photographers can follow subjects or where they can photograph them. Despite these regulations, the line between public interest and privacy invasion remains blurred, and the debate over paparazzi practices continues.
The digital age and the rise of social media have transformed the landscape in which the paparazzi operate. Celebrities now have platforms to directly share their lives with the public, reducing the exclusivity of paparazzi photos. However, the demand for candid shots that capture unguarded moments or confirm rumors ensures that the paparazzi remain a fixture in the world of celebrity culture.
Midjourney Prompt:
[SUBJECT], photographed by paparazzi
/settings: Version 6 and Stylize Med
What Next?
As always, consider this prompt as your starting point. Make it your own!
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