CRXSS: Integrating AI into our workflow with Kelvin Murray – “JET”
In CRXSS’ ongoing exploration of how we can usefully and sustainably integrate AI into our workflow, we collaborated with Kelvin Murray to create a series of images and motion pieces relevant to the type of work Kelvin is often commissioned for.
One of CRXSS’s golden rules when working with AI is that we never AI people. The personal performances of musicians, patients, athletes, and actors are absolutely key to the believability and authenticity of the storytelling we aim to do. This aligns perfectly with Kelvin’s approach and the nature of his commissions.
Kelvin had long wanted to photograph people who are fanatical about building oversized models of planes, trains, automobiles, and boats but was repeatedly hitting a wall trying to get real hobbyists to agree to be photographed. So, the challenge we set ourselves was: how can we use AI to create these scenarios in a way that remains true to Kelvin’s visual style and storytelling?
Typically, when campaign briefs come in, we’re asked to create three scenarios that will form the campaign. We wanted to show how we could use AI to deliver three stills and three motion pieces and to cost-compare this new process with a traditional shoot involving location scouting, permits, prop building, and model casting.
As this was a personal project, and we were drawing on the goodwill of our creative partners, all human elements needed to be shot in a single day. Careful planning and a pre-determined lighting design, made possible through pre-visualisation, were crucial. Having real, handheld props also made a tangible difference in terms of detail and helped blur the boundaries between what was shot practically and what was generated with AI.
We followed the same workflow we’ve developed through previous CRXSS/AI projects:
1. Storyboarding and pre-visualisation led by Kelvin Murray
2. Partnering with Simon Percy & Little Shadow for all the VFX wizardry.
3. Casting by CRXSS and styling by Mair Joint-
4. Working with a team of gaffers, sparks, and DOPs (Stuart Graham)
5. Filming at Malcolm Ryan Studios (Luke Ryan) using a pre-lit green screen
6. Stills retouch by (Jarek Kotomski), VFX by Little Shadow
One of the most rewarding parts of CRXSS’s journey with AI across different personal projects has been the learning. We’ve learnt that AI isn’t quick and that you need to be a highly skilled operator to get exactly what you want. We’ve learnt that it takes a team to create original and visually inspiring work. And we’ve learnt that AI doesn’t translate seamlessly between motion and stills.
We know that clients are looking for a silver bullet that delivers both cost-effectiveness and creativity. When we crunched the numbers on producing these three scenarios the traditional way versus using green screen and AI, it might not have been a silver bullet – but it’s definitely a bullet. Today I am sharing with you the first of the 3 motion pieces “JET”.
