AI is stealing writers’ words and jobs…

[Reynard]

"I know it when I see it." may apply here.

That said, a director is doing a lot more than entering a prompt, at least for now!

Not necessarily. The director is telling actors, lighting engineers and cinematographers (among others) what they would like to see. Those others actually create the art.

I'm not being flippant here. I am asking a real question: is the director an artist, if what they do is prompt others to create what is in their mind? And if so, what quality about the "other" being an AI (or multiple AI) causes the transition to "not artist."

 

[Andvari]

Yeah, I could give lots of input on what art piece I want Larry Elmore to make for me, but that doesn’t make me the creator of the art he creates based on my request.

 

[Reynard]

Yeah, I could give lots of input on what art piece I want Larry Elmore to make for me, but that doesn’t make me the creator of the art he creates based on my request.

You are evading the question. Are you an artist as a director, telling multiple other people what you want to see?

 

[Andvari]

You are evading the question. Are you an artist as a director, telling multiple other people what you want to see?

A director may be an artist, but not the creator of the art created by others.

 

[Reynard]

A director may be an artist, but not the creator of the art created by others.

This is an evasive answer ("may").

Let's assume highly advanced AI image generation (like 3 years in the future). If an AI could be as responsive as human cinematographers, SFX designers, etc... is the director of a film made using these tools an artist?

 

[Andvari]

This is an evasive answer ("may").

Let's assume highly advanced AI image generation (like 3 years in the future). If an AI could be as responsive as human cinematographers, SFX designers, etc... is the director of a film made using these tools an artist?

Yes, but he still is not the creator of the art created by the AI. He of course is an artist in the sense of guiding the presentation of the art as a whole. I’m assuming that given a film about dinosaurs, the 3d modeled dinosaurs were created by the AI and not the director themselves, for example.

 

[Scribe]

Not necessarily. The director is telling actors, lighting engineers and cinematographers (among others) what they would like to see. Those others actually create the art.

I'm not being flippant here. I am asking a real question: is the director an artist, if what they do is prompt others to create what is in their mind? And if so, what quality about the "other" being an AI (or multiple AI) causes the transition to "not artist."

In the way of having a vision, and being able to actually 'direct' the people in getting that vision done.

To bring this back to the current (or at least my experience with Dall-E) programs.

I can tell it to have horns on a female character in a specific color dress. I can tell it to have a certain theme as a background, I can tell it to populate the scene with various details.

I cannot today, tell it to move the camera 5 degrees higher. I cannot specify exactly how zoomed in. I cannot specify the details of the face (casting call for example to bring it back to a director) I cannot dictate the exact lighting.

I can put in a number of prompts, and have the program reach into the abyss that is western fantasy tropes, and it can generate an image for me.

I'm not really the artist, but its close enough. I couldnt draw this if I tried for 100 hours lol.

 

[Reynard]

Yes, but he still is not the creator of the art created by the AI. He of course is an artist in the sense of guiding the presentation of the art as a whole. I’m assuming that given a film about dinosaurs, the 3d modeled dinosaurs were created by the AI and not the director themselves, for example.

So the question I'd where is the line. Right now, at this moment, there are generative AI tools that accept iterative inputs. At what point, precisely, does the person manipulating such a tool in order to get a precise output get to be considered an artist (even if not "the" artist, as you have indicated re: the director)?

 

[Reynard]

In the way of having a vision, and being able to actually 'direct' the people in getting that vision done.

To bring this back to the current (or at least my experience with Dall-E) programs.

I can tell it to have horns on a female character in a specific color dress. I can tell it to have a certain theme as a background, I can tell it to populate the scene with various details.

I cannot today, tell it to move the camera 5 degrees higher. I cannot specify exactly how zoomed in. I cannot specify the details of the face (casting call for example to bring it back to a director) I cannot dictate the exact lighting.

I can put in a number of prompts, and have the program reach into the abyss that is western fantasy tropes, and it can generate an image for me.

I'm not really the artist, but its close enough. I couldnt draw this if I tried for 100 hours lol.

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But you will be able to make those directed changes, and soon. You can even do some of it now, with OpenAI's current tools. So it is evasive to just lean on "it's not here now" when we all know it will be, and soon.

I want to know from people that are planting flags in the ground what their line is.

 

[Scribe]

But you will be able to make those directed changes, and soon. You can even do some of it now, with OpenAI's current tools. So it is evasive to just lean on "it's not here now" when we all know it will be, and soon.

I want to know from people that are planting flags in the ground what their line is.

"I know it when I see it." is kind of where this will sit for me. As long as it is generally taking a prompt, converting it into something that the program then maps and associates with various aspects of the image, I still dont call the prompts, art.

I do agree, we will get to a place where the person at the keyboard is able to direct with a level of control that would approach what a director does, and I do believe the quality will match that of your typical RPG book, if it doesnt already, very soon.

If/when we get to that point, and I can populate my own RPG with art that is in my personal 'vision' that is.

1. Not great for the world, especially people who wanted to be artists, and feed themselves and their families with that art.
2. Still not making me the creator of the image. Now MAYBE we get to the point where I can describe every minute detail, down to how closed her eyes are, where is the hand being held, how many fingers does it have...maybe, but until we are at the point of conversing, as a Director would today, with Camera, Lightning, Actors, Casting, Costume Design, capturing the moment of a breath? Until then, its a nerd at a keyboard, like me.