Two AI-fueled projects by someone who's spent 1,000 hours using the tech

Guest post by Nathan Bach

Hello and welcome to March!

Today’s post is brought to you by my good friend Nathan Bach.

Nathan is a videographer, trivia state champ, and tech nerd. (He’s also the producer of my wedding proposal video!)

The dude has spent more than 1,000 hours tinkering with AI.

His TL;DR on your job security?

“AI won’t replace us, but someone who knows how to fully utilize AI will.”

In this week’s post, Nathan shares two ways he’s used AI for passion projects. Because tech should be about more than just increasing efficiency — it should increase fun too.

AI short film

As a visual storyteller, I’ve always felt that it’s incumbent upon me to learn about emerging trends in the creative arts world. When a coworker introduced me to MidJourney last February, I knew something big was happening in my industry.

Seeing how engines like ChatGPT, MidJourney, Runway, ElevenLabs, and countless others are geared specifically towards people such as myself, I decided to dive head first into the world of AI in spring 2023, and what I’ve discovered in my first 1,000 hours has completely changed the course of my career.

These learnings are far too vast for a short article, but my main takeaway is this: AI has become one of my favorite creative collaborators.

To showcase the power of this emerging technology, and to introduce a potential method for how to collaborate with it, I recently used my favorite AI tools to help produce a 1-minute short film. You can watch it here.

Here’s exactly how I did it:

Step 1: Script (ChatGPT) I had a basic idea for a story about an old train conductor. I asked ChatGPT to write a story based on the premise, ran the prompt a few times to get variations, and then copied/pasted the results into a Google Doc for further edits.

• Prompt: Write a 5-10 sentence story about the essence of life told from the point of view of a recently retired train conductor.

Step 2: Images (Midjourney) I used the same basic prompt, making slight variations to people, locations, and time of day. I repeated this multiple times to create a series of images that matched the story. Once I had roughly 20 unique images, I saved my favorites in a folder on my computer.

• Prompt: (exterior/interior) shot, (scene description), early morning, soft lighting, shot on Kodak Vision3, 5219 film — style raw — ar 16:9

Step 3: Camera Movement (Runway) I uploaded each generated image from MJ into Runway and directed which way to move the camera (zoom in, pan, etc.)

Step 4: Narration (ElevenLabs) I copied/pasted the script, found a voice that matched the desired tone, and tweaked it accordingly.

Step 5: Post-Production The final step was putting all the pieces together. I imported each asset (video clips from Runway + VO from ElevenLabs) into Premiere Pro and cut together the story over a couple of hours.

I added some music and sound FX to help drive the narrative, and after a few final tweaks, I had a fully produced short film with the help of my new collaborator, AI.

AI Children’s Book

Partnering with A.I. to make short films is great, but what about something more tangible?

Since becoming a dad a couple of years ago, my wife and I have read a bedtime story to our daughter, Maisie, almost every night. I think all three of us would say it’s among the most cherished parts of our day, but admittedly, the stories tend to get redundant. A fish swims through the sea. A lion teaches her cubs about the importance of sleep. Give me some variety, people! 

So back in May 2023, as I started drumming ideas for Mother’s Day, I had a thought — what if I could utilize A.I. to create a highly personalized gift?

Just two days later, with the help of a few basic prompts in MidJourney and ChatGPT, I placed an order for a children’s book called “Mommy and Her Maisie Girl.”

Needless to say, the gift was a hit, and it’s since become a staple in our daughter’s library. Though strange to grasp, I personally love the fact that AI helped our family create a core memory through a children’s book that’ll be passed down for generations.

Step 1: Script (ChatGPT)

Prompt: Write a short children’s book for a 2-year-old about the special bond between a mother and daughter. The only two characters are Mommy and her daughter, Maisie. Use an AB rhyming scheme to highlight their adventures together and discuss the love that shines through even when times get hard. The last line of the story should read “Mommy and her Maisie Girl”

Step 2: Image Generation (Midjourney)

This gets a little tricky because Midjourney still has a tough time with creating consistent characters (although I hear that’s about to change in the next update!) Personally, I find that the best results start with prompting MJ to create a “character sheet.” I then use those images as references to build full “scenes” later in the process.

Note: For best results, make sure to use phrases like “100% white background” and “—no outlines” in your prompts.

Prompt: Infant girl character, 2 years old, multiple poses and expressions, character sheet, 1980s cartoon style, simple illustration style, children's book illustration, pink and blue color tones, heavy film grain, cute, white shoes, short messy golden blonde hair, bow on top of her head, white shirt, overalls, shorts, 2D character model, light and shadow, maximum texture detail, retro, 100% white background, full color —no outlines —style raw —chaos 0 —s 750n...

Prompt: Mommy character, 32 years old, tall, multiple poses, multiple expressions, multiple angles, front angle, side angle, character sheet, children's book illustration, cute, white shoes, blonde hair, blue jeans, t-shirt, 3D character, light and shadow, maximum texture detail, white background, full color —no outlines —style raw —chaos 0 —s 750

**Generating eyes can be a little tricky from time to time 🤪**

Once you have character sets you like, use those as references for scenes in subsequent prompts.

Prompt: 

[Insert reference images] Children's book illustration featuring OP, a mother and her infant daughter, playing in the front yard of their brick home, hand-drawn illustration, pink and blue color tones, heavy film grain, white shoes, messy golden blonde hair, white shirt, jeans, 2D character model, light and shadow, minimum texture detail, full color —no outlines —style raw —chaos 0

I repeat this multiple times until I feel like I have enough images for my story

Step 03: Layout (Adobe InDesign) Once I felt good about having a scene to match each page, I gathered the generated copy and illustrations into Adobe InDesign and created a layout I was pleased with. You can check out the full layout here!

Note: If you don’t know how to use InDesign, no worries! There are lots of online tools that will accomplish the same task of getting your book laid out into a printable spread.

Step 04: Printing (Artifact Uprising) The final step is simply finding a supplier to print your book. I’ve used Artifact Uprising for years and am constantly blown away by their quality! The best part is they don’t require minimum orders — perfect if you just want to print a single copy of your book.

✌️

— Nathan

P.S. If you learned something, I’d love to hear about it. Feel free to email me at nathan@calicosonder.com and stay connected to my latest projects by clicking here!