Martin Scorsese uses the AI of the German startup Black Forest Labs. And he says exactly what he intends to do with it.
If you want to list the most famous older men in Hollywood, the names Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg are sure to come up. Spielberg recently said that he was unwilling to use AI to make film people obsolete. “I don’t think you can replace the soul,” said the filmmaker of “Jurassic Park,” “Indiana Jones” and “Schindler’s List,” among others.
And Scorsese? The director of “Goodfellas”, “Departed” and “Taxi Driver” is now working together with the southern German AI startup Black Forest Labs. Hollywood meets Black Forest! The New York Times already writes that the legendary director is “embracing” the hype technology. That’s not wrong, but it’s the details that matter.
Scorsese only has one application in mind
Scorsese explains in the promotional video for Black Forest Labs that AI can solve a problem for him: creating the storyboards for the team. A director uses these sketches to explain to the team what a picture should look like. With an AI like that from Black Forest Labs, this can happen very quickly.
In the video you can see how Scorsese continues to adapt the scene of a small town. Making a street narrower can be done with just a few clicks.
What can be deduced from the story: that one of the greatest Hollywood directors does not want to put AI images on the screen (for the time being). He is interested in AI as an aid to the work process.
This fits in with a trend that the start-up scene has observed again and again: no longer pro or con AI, but rather specific areas of application. Often not for final products, but as a tool that can make things faster in the background.
How did German startup Scorsese win?
It is not known whether Scorsese will receive shares in Black Forest Labs or money for his appearance. Scorsese didn’t want to speak to the New York Times, just sent a statement.
However, it is known who made the contact. These were two investors from Black Forest Labs who also knew Scorsese: Michael Ovitz and Rick Yorn.
Yorn is a producer and represents stars like Leonardo DiCaprio. Will we soon see him working with an AI startup? Yorn had previously referred actor Matthew McConaughey to ElevenLabs.
