Smart, fast, and digestible highlights from Machine Cinema’s global WhatsApp community- so busy creatives can stay in the know.
Too busy to read? Have a listen instead.
Edited by Elizabeth Kealoha. Pod Digest by Ant Neely. Images by epk and Ant Neely.
Real Creative “Pick of the Week”
Each week the Machine Cinema members + the Real Creative team obsess over social feeds in search of the world's best AI creative video, gaming, and music projects.
This week one project stuck out: Prompted from Ron Baranov. The short film was one of ten winners in Runway’s Gen:48 competition and Ron wrote, directed, and edited the whole thing himself. Ron also played every character. The short might have you feeling empathetic towards the AI images you’ve generated and quickly discarded. Tools used include ChatGPT, Gemini, Midjourney, Runway and ElevenLabs.
Ron has over 10 years experience in production and storytelling and is currently a media creator at Aleph.
Socials: LinkedIn
You can find this and over 300 AI filmmakers and their projects over at realcreative.ai which features some familiar faces from the Machine Cinema community.
Not yet a Machine Cinema member? Consider yourself invited.
Overheard in “Basecamp” channel…
Full disclosure, we had our robot friend help us pull all this together and sometimes they are prone to making harmless mistakes.
🎥 Free Entry for GenerAItion Awards
Big news for AI filmmakers: The GenerAItion Awards (December 4 at Content London’s AI Festival) is waiving entry fees with code GENAI2025. Categories span AI-powered shorts, features, TV series, and entertainment videos.
💡 Community Learning: Vibe Coding Workshop
Machine Cinema is piloting a new workshop series on Vibe Coding—using AI assistants like Gemini, Copilot, and Claude to prototype apps and products without deep coding knowledge.
Format: 4×2hr virtual sessions + 48-hour build sprint.
Focus: systems builders and project managers who want to ship ideas quickly.
⏸ Bullet Time & Frozen Moments
Filmmakers traded notes on how to achieve the Matrix-style “time-freeze” effect in AI.
Higgsfield has a preset worth testing.
Gaussian splats can approximate the look, though cleanup is needed.
Runway and Luma orbit shots came closest, but mid-motion freeze is still tricky.
🎨 Face Swaps and Workflow Frustration
A filmmaker struggling with reliable cinematic head replacement workflows sparked a thread of tool recs:
Suggestions included Picsi.ai, Qwen in-painting LoRAs, Kling 1.6, and Face Fusion (for faces, not hair).
Hybrid approaches (AI + Photoshop harmonization + Topaz upscale) offered more control.
🎥 Upscaling: Image vs. Video
Debate flared on whether to upscale stills before animating or run video upscalers after generation.
Pro: Pre-upscaled images give more creative range.
Con: Tools like Topaz or Runway’s native video upscale work fine for speed.
🤺 Fight Scenes, Intimacy, and AI Limits
Members compared notes on generating complex human performances:
Action: Hailuo 02 and Minimax considered strongest for combat/fight sequences.
Intimacy: Most platforms heavily filter kissing/affection, but some open-source or overseas models bypass restrictions.
A filmmaker pitched a two-actor intimate love story project seeking a ComfyUI artist collaborator.
🎙 Provenance & Receipts
A podcast on the Digital Asset Verification Engine (DAVE) spotlighted how real-time provenance tracking could change IP management in filmmaking.
DAVE automatically records human + AI inputs across the workflow.
Expect DAVE-style features bundled into creator-facing tools sooner than later.
💬 “If AI touches your film, get a receipt.”
🧑🎨 Who’s Really Using AI?
A running list of top-tier filmmakers experimenting with AI sparked lively debate. Names floated included Aronofsky, Tim Burton, Natasha Lyonne, James Cameron, and the Russo Brothers—with skepticism about Del Toro’s adoption.
Distinction made between “corporate shilling” vs. genuine artistic choice.
Paramount and Skydance flagged as aggressively pro-AI studios.
🎬 SAG & AI Filmmakers
Bernie Su shared Variety coverage of his Whispers series with Pickford.AI—produced as a SAG signatory.
A milestone: SAG protocols for AI productions exist, but usage defines rules.
💬 “We are a SAG signatory production, which was no easy feat.”
🐭 The $30M AI Feature Film Debate
OpenAI-backed feature Critterz (Venice winner, aiming for Cannes) sparked discussion: is this the “Toy Story” moment for AI?
Production reportedly cost $30M over nine months—cheaper than most animated features, but far from “cheap.”
Debate over whether AI films need to chase feature formats or invent entirely new storytelling modes.
Consensus: the true breakout moment will be viral, emotional, and culturally undeniable.
🎬 Orson Welles, AI Restorations, and Ethics
The community reacted strongly to AI-driven attempts to recreate Welles’ Magnificent Ambersons. Some saw echoes of Walter Murch’s human-led restoration of Touch of Evil in the 90s, but most criticized the lack of consultation with estates.
💬 “Recreating existing media is just going to make people hate it—you have to lean into the impossibleness of AI.”
🌍 Faith, Culture & AI Storytelling
An AI-powered Bible app drew fascination as a case study in niche verticals.
Christian Shorts dominate YouTube’s algorithm.
Members noted untapped potential across history, literature, and local family stories.
💬 “Religion and cultural history are endless oceans of public domain content ripe for AI mass production.”
⚖️ Midjourney Lawsuits Multiply
Variety reported Warner Bros joining Disney and NBCU in pursuing copyright suits against Midjourney. Speculation swirled: will Midjourney settle, get acquired, or be forced into a studio buyout?
Some compared it to music studios buying stakes in Suno and Udio.
💬 “The only solvable solution is the IP owners buy it.”
🏢 End of an Era: NeueHouse Shuts Down
NeueHouse, once a hub for creatives in LA and NYC, has officially closed its doors. The group reflected on the challenges of running physical creative spaces in a shifting cultural economy.
💬 “Brick and mortar is rough business.”
Overhead in “We Love Robots” Channel:
Full disclosure, we had our robot friend help us pull all this together and sometimes they are prone to making harmless mistakes.
🖥 Atlassian Buys The Browser Company
A surprise acquisition put the maker of Arc—an indie favorite among creatives—under Atlassian’s wing. The group immediately wondered if this means Arc will gain resources or lose its soul.
💬 “I hope they focus on Arc again.”
🎬 Editing, Now in Your Pocket
Two drops got people buzzing: Adobe announced Premiere for iPhone, and Krea showed off real-time generative video. Together, they point toward a future where professional-grade editing and AI-video sketching can happen anywhere.
💬 “Krea real-time video! ❤️”
💸 Meta Buys Its Way Into Image Models
Meta is playing catch-up in AI imagery by cutting deals: $140M to Black Forest Labs (Flux) and a partnership with Midjourney. The consensus: smart strategy when you’re behind on training.
💬 “That’s smart decision making if you know you’re behind.”
🧠 Subvocalization Interfaces: Think to Type?
A demo from AlterEgo promised brain-to-text control via subvocalization. The chat split: could this really work outside the lab? Concerns about privacy and accuracy surfaced alongside wild creative use-cases.
💬 “There’s a difference between SOTA and product.”
⚖️ Copyright & Regulation Rollercoaster
This week felt like legal whiplash. A judge rejected Anthropic’s $1.5B copyright settlement, demanding a full list of works. Authors sued Apple over training data. Google took a €3.45B EU fine. And Nepal banned 25+ social platforms. For creators, it’s proof the legal ground under AI is still moving.
💬 “Maybe this actually explodes.”
🚨 “Prevent All Crime”?
Forbes profiled startup Flock, which claims AI can eliminate all crime. The reaction? Equal parts sci-fi curiosity and dystopian dread—shades of Minority Report.
💬 “Prevent all crime = 100% surveillance.”
🔍 AI Upscaling: Limits and Uses
The chat unpacked the strengths and risks of AI upscaling after a recent attempt to identify a suspect from blurry footage.
Not for forensics: Models can hallucinate details, warp faces, and create false confidence. Misidentification is a real danger.
Where it shines: In controlled production settings—clean, well-lit sources and consistent frames—upscaling can deliver broadcast-ready results.
Caution zone: Expect artifact amplification and occasional distortions (like “cross-eyed” renders).
💬 “It works well when the conditions are right.”
🏢 Industry Shake-ups
Vimeo will be acquired by Bending Spoons in a $1.38B all-cash deal, while Salesforce layoffs tied to AI efficiencies rekindled old critiques of over-hiring. Both show how AI continues to reshape corporate media.
📊 Running Out of Data?
A Quanta feature reignited debate: do LLMs need “world models” with richer real-world signals to advance, or just more data? At the same time, NVIDIA announced Rubin CPX (a GPU for massive context) and China unveiled an “all-frequency” 6G chip—hardware glimpses of the next frontier.
💬 “There is no more data to train on; and that’s the problem.”
🎞 Nostalgia & Box Office Streaks
The New York Times spotlighted TikTok nostalgia aesthetics, where AI reimagines 80s and 90s culture for a new generation. Meanwhile, Warner Bros. marked a historic run at the box office—proof that both nostalgia and spectacle still drive audiences.
🔗 Quick Hits & Bonus Links
🧪 Tools & Industry
Cristóbal Valenzuela (Runway) essay – reflections from a major player in AI video.
Matt Turck Market Map — overview of AI startups and sectors
SemiAnalysis thread – market/infra insights.
Grok Imagine
Alchemy (AI Streaming Platform) — “Netflix for AI?” debates
AI Advertising Post- Storia
📚 Business & Economics
The Atlantic – AI bubble analysis – is the economy overexposed?
Yahoo Finance – Google Gemini labeled “high risk” – regulatory signals intensify.
LinkedIn: GenAlpha e-shap — generational/market analysis
🎥 Film, Art & Festivals
This iPhone 17 Pro spec ad goes hard- Simon Meyer & Ciro Kavouras
Reddit: Veo3 / Nano Banana Storyboard Tool — storyboarding workflow
Reddit: Alien finds Voyager Golden Record
Forbes: Venice Immersive “Blur”
⚡️ Experiments, Creative Play, and Pushing Boundaries
Matt Menendez – Nano banana architecture experiments – generative design test.
Javi Lopez Tool Demo — creative workflow trick
Construction robot demo (X/tb1kinobe) – a taste of real-world automation in action.
Simon Kalouche post – observations on robotics/AI crossovers.
Reddit – Police hologram kiosks – blending civic tech and sci-fi aesthetics.
Nuwa Pen – handwriting-to-digital capture, potential AI creative tool.
📢 Community & Events
SXSW Pitch — Entertainment/Media/Sports category open
Yepic / St Pancras Showcase — London AI avatars event
GenTalks Community Call September 3, 2025
Our GenDojo Community Call is a weekly digital get together to connect on how we are all making our way through this new era for creative industries and AI among other emergent technologies. Each week we invite artists, builders, thought leaders to share their knowledge, their works in progress and their ideas on this emergent space.
If you’d like to be added to the recurring invite please DM.
📺 Watch Here
Overview
This 83-minute meeting centered on two main guests: Matty Shimura (Eleven Labs / Chroma Awards) and Paula Vivas (Freepik). The conversation mixed technical talk, community updates, tool strategy, and big-picture questions about the future of creator economies. It had a lively community vibe, blending product insights, personal anecdotes, and audience Q&A.
Key Highlights
1. Community + Tools Setup
The “Pick of the Week” (via RealCreative + Machine Cinema’s “Octagon”) got spotlighted — showing how curation of standout AI videos is becoming ritualized.
Stevie Mac's "They are everywhere, they are nowhere - https://x.com/StevieMac03/status/1961058010530263166
2. Chroma Awards (Matty Shimura)
Framed as the “Olympics of AI Creativity” → $175K prize pool, 13 categories across film, music videos, games.
Sponsors include Eleven Labs, Freepik, Google Cloud, Dreamina, CapCut, FAL, Adobe, Perkins Coie, and others.
Submissions open now → due November 3; winners announced at Upscale Malaga.
Special Machine Cinema Prize: $1,500 for a community member submission.
Emphasis on grassroots adoption, community momentum, and portfolio-building for creators.
Tools don’t need to be 100% AI, but AI must play a significant role (no IP infringement or deepfakes).
3. Freepik (Paula Vivas + Martin LeBlanc)
Origin: stock resource platform, now repositioned as a creative AI suite with 100M+ assets.
Strategy: integrate best-in-class models (Flux, Magnific, NanoBanana, Seadream, etc.) into seamless workflows, reducing overwhelm for users.
Values: focus on storytelling, community inspiration, and tool agnosticism (they even welcome “competitors” into events).
Enterprise clients range from creative studios → ad agencies → major brands (many under NDA).
Strong emphasis on compliance, legal safeguards, and documentation for enterprise adoption.
KPIs: user growth (esp. U.S. market), enterprise adoption, and community engagement.
Events: Upscale Malaga (Nov 4–5) → featuring PJ Ace, Doerr Brothers, others. SF and NY editions upcoming.
4. Market + Creator Economy Discussion
Brands (like Dick’s Sporting Goods, Chick-fil-A) are building in-house studios — compressing traditional agency pipelines.
Influencers are treated as both users and marketing assets. Example: PJ Ace → grew an identity entirely from AI work.
Audience Q: “Who’s the MrBeast of AI?” → consensus: no single figure yet, but authenticity and grind (PJ Ace, Javi Lopp, Dave Clark) are defining success.
Debate: Will a new creator marketplace emerge? Some see potential in platforms like Escape AI; others think content will primarily serve as marketing for other businesses, echoing MrBeast’s real model (snacks > videos).
5. Community Flavor
Fred shared his NanoBanana “bedroom design” bedtime ritual with his daughters → turning image editing into storytelling.
Paula highlighted an unexpected NanoBanana use case: 3D sonogram baby visualizations (shared by Javi Lopp).
Audience members raised thoughtful questions on anonymity, XR games, marketing KPIs, and long-term sustainability of AI content.
Hot Quotes
Matty Shimura: “Because there’s so much anti-AI sentiment out there, how can we bring everyone together… like the Olympics, companies as countries, sending their best talent?”
Paula Vivas: “Without creatives, the tools are nothing. We’re shaping the future — the tools are just there to serve us.”
Martin LeBlanc: “With NanoBanana, image edits are so good you can start automating whole ad workflows — it’s coming fast.”
Audience (Adam Mutchler): “Unless we build a true marketplace better than YouTube, we risk losing this chance for an art renaissance.”
Takeaways
Chroma Awards = a massive, inclusive competition aiming to mainstream AI creative adoption.
Freepik = positioning as an all-in-one creative suite with legal safeguards and enterprise credibility, while keeping strong community ties.
Community = both Machine Cinema and Freepik emphasize shared learning, inclusivity, and authentic creator voices over closed competition.
Bigger picture: Ongoing debate whether AI creator economies will reinvent monetization models or follow the “content as marketing” path.