Hello and welcome back to another edition of the /promptcollective's AI experiments!
In recent issues, you’ve had a glimpse of our tireless AI-dea generator. This setup, simple yet effective, is a treasure trove of genre tropes ready to spark countless creative possibilities. Consider it a form of reverse prompting, where new perspectives on familiar ideas emerge and unexpected creative pathways become apparent to the user.
Prompt me up Mr. Scott
Today, we’ll delve into how we can prompt our human minds using a similar method, focusing on generating innovative storytelling components for sci-fi films. Here, Chat GPT creates the text, while Midjourney brings our ideas visually to life. I've always been captivated by the high concept elements in sci-fi films. Technological objects, for instance, can often communicate an entire world to the viewer.
James Cameron once revealed that the first image that sparked the Terminator film franchise was the iconic iron skeleton walking through flames. He also dreamt of the planet of Pandora long before it became the mesmerizing world of Avatar. In the spirit of these creative journeys, let's attempt to conceptualize a technological object, our own centerpiece for a sci-fi film, with the aid of AI.
I kicked things off by asking GPT-4 to provide a list of technology examples from sci-fi films that are defining for the film and the viewer’s understanding of it.
Thanks for the reminder Chat GPT…
Next, I asked Chat GPT to generate an idea for a key piece of technology that could serve as the central concept for a sci-fi film. I was careful not to provide context or provide a specific idea as I specifically wanted something that could prompt further thinking in the user. This was the prompt given to Chat GPT:
And Chat GPT didn’t disappoint:
Our AI companion didn't disappoint and offered up the Chrono-Compass. This idea captured my interest, as it possessed the singular device element we were seeking while tapping into the genre's existential undertones.
At this juncture, the Chrono-Compass was purely textual. It would be beneficial to visualize it, and possibly even print it, if one were to continue the creative process. While James Cameron managed to sketch the planet of Pandora, today we have the aid of Midjourney for initial sketches. Quick sidebar - if you haven't utilized Midjourney before, I'd highly recommend using Chat GPT to create your image prompts. It's also worth running your prompts through a service like Noonshoot to optimize your Midjourney prompt. Here's the journey I embarked on with the Chrono-Compass:
By importing this prompt into a service like Noonshoot, one can easily incorporate stylistic elements. Below, you can see how my prompt changed from Chat GPT when style elements were added:
And then over to Midjourney where the 4 versions of the Chrono-Compass came out like this:
These sketches are by no means the finished article but they serve as a creative springboard, akin to research images or early stage sketches, that can provide input for further thinking. The same goes for the concept of the Chrono-Compass, it’s all about getting input for the next steps you’re taking.
This journey from ChatGPT to Midjourney can serve as a compass for your future endeavors. Remember, it's not always about the destination, but the journey itself!
Something I Loved
Google's innovative StyleDrop can mimic the style from a single image and apply it to a variety of elements, such as objects, letters, and shapes. This can dramatically simplify designing presentations and websites!
TV Show Idea Generator
In addition to the Chrono-Compass, here are more AI-deas, free of charge! With the holidays fast approaching, this week's features are: Setting: Beach, and special ingredient: Laser Beams (just to stay in the sci-fi realm)
Who are we?
The /promptcollective is led by Jes Brandhøj (Denmark) and Hannes Jakobsen (Germany). But we're always looking for more creatives to join us! Interested in discussing all things AI in the creative industries? Email us at join@promptcollective.xyz and remember to subscribe if you haven’t done so already!
Thanks for spending your time on our newsletter - see you soon!
Jes & Hannes