In February, the movie "M. K. Čiurlionis AI". It is a film created by artificial intelligence, which is based on the drawings and music of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis. Viewers are given the opportunity to immerse themselves in a surreal journey of an abstract world. This is the first such project in Lithuania, and the motives of the chosen audiovisual solution are known only to one of the directors - artificial intelligence (AI). This is how project creator and director Antanas Skučas presents this film.
Anton, how did the idea for the project come about?
The "MK Čiurlionis AI" project was launched in August 2022. At that time, the possibilities of artificial intelligence were little known to the general public. It was noticed that AI can generate abstract images quite well, and after using the keyword "Čiurlionis" the works become even closer to his creation. My field is animation, so seeing how AI technologies are changing, I thought: what if a query could generate an entire movie with one click? The film would be directed by the DI director himself.
This is how the first tests began. According to the instructions, the computer generated videos for a month. The process was almost automatic. This is how the first version of the film was created in 2022. Of course, the film had its flaws, as there was no clear script and it was somewhat haphazard. When there was an opportunity to experiment with new tools, to look for ways to make such a film better, editing was used, additional images were generated to make the film more interesting.
In parallel, the sound was also created, it was generated by AI based on selected works of Čiurlionis. Sound director Julius Zubavičius used various technologies to find the closest generation methods to Čiurlionis' music. It is interesting that sometimes the synthetic voice of a person singing or other unexpected elements can be heard, and sometimes
the resemblance disappears altogether.
The currently shown movie is supplemented with new images and sounds, thus showing a wider use of the tools. The film also explores the issue of automated filmmaking.
Why did you choose DI?
Animation has been dominated by the same technologies for a long time - 3D, 2D, stop motion or others, and AI tools are new. You need to find new approaches or ways to work with this tool. The opportunity to experiment with new tools is very rare, so discovering something new is very exciting. There will definitely be AI
used in movies, and only the future will tell who will watch them and what kind of movies those will be.
What do you think about the use of AI in creativity?
Making AI movies is risky right now. It is not clear who owns the created result due to copyright. Is it enough to write a text to become an author? There are a lot of unknowns, so in the process of making a movie, it may end up not being screenable. And there can be various reasons. When it comes to creativity, sometimes it is scary that everything will be taken over by artificial intelligence, but at the same time you have to learn to live with this tool. It probably won't go away anytime soon.
The film has already been shown in Vilnius, Kaunas, Panevėžys, Ukmergė. What is the audience feedback?
There were mixed reviews. It was most interesting for those people who are interested in technology and observe this whole process, as well as for those who know Čiurlionis' work, because they can see various interpretations, see what elements artificial intelligence is not yet able to reproduce. Others may have been hoping for a more typical movie, but alas, we'll have to wait another year before AI manages to do that either. I think that when you go to watch a movie, you have to think that it is an experimental movie.
Where else will the movie "M. K. Čiurlionis AI"?
One-time screenings of the film are planned in Marijampolė, Alytus, Molėtai. However, I invite all those who are interested to write to my page https://www.facebook.com/CiurlionisAI and we will definitely find opportunities to see this film.
What are your future plans?
We are currently working on the film "Conductor" (producer Justė Michailinaitė). Initially, the idea was to use AI technologies, but later it was decided that manual work would give much better results than AI. The first animation tests prove it. However, the chosen technique, or rather the combination of techniques, will also be very interesting.
At least in the near future, nothing will replace the developers, and the technologies are quite limited. On the other hand, new tools always provide new ways of expression, so the future is exciting.
You can order the movie "MK Čiurlionis AI" for viewing with a school class:
by phone: 8 670 25508 XNUMX
by e-mail edukacija@kcromuva.lt