ORSON: AI Tools for Filmmakers

Developed in collaboration with programmer Alan Cramer, “ORSON” is an AI system which uses natural language processing to convert written screenplays to hand drawn storyboards corresponding to the rules of classical Hollywood editing and continuity grammar. In addition to basic text-image generation, the system implements the structures of traditional visual storytelling and makes decisions about how to design the sequence (for example, choosing the right moments for a wide shot/close up based on emotional cues derived from the text, the system’s understanding of the character’s prominence, etc.). The system also aids pre-production planning allowing the filmmaker to diagram things such as light placement and props.