Martin Scorsese sparked backlash amongst artists after revealing he used an AI company’s technology for storyboarding. Offended by his comments, they shared their frustration with the acclaimed filmmaker on social media. Notably, the use of AI in filmmaking remains a highly important topic of discussion. Some creatives support its use, while others disapprove of it.
Martin Scorsese faces backlash for his AI comment
The Oscar winner recently announced that he became an advisor to Black Forest Labs. They are an AI startup specializing in image generation and creators of the FLUX model. He also revealed that he used their technology to create storyboards for pre-production on his new movie. Unfortunately for Scorsese, some artists expressed anger, accusing him of disrespecting the work.
Karla Ortiz, a concept artist who worked with Marvel in the past, said on X (formerly Twitter), “He throws every single storyboard artist he’s ever worked with under the bus, as he demolishes their livelihoods with models that are likely trained on those story board artist’s same works. To use his legacy and power for this is just so disgusting.”
Meanwhile, Samuel Deats, who directed the animated series Castlevania, demanded Scorsese “have some damn pride and respect [his] peers.” Noting how storyboarding a shot took only seconds for him, he said, “There is absolutely no reason to need AI built on the stolen work of millions of artists to storyboard your vision.”
Earlier, in a statement, Scorsese, who has been developing his own storyboards for 70 years, revealed he struggled to communicate the ideas in his head to the cast and crew members. He added, “There are some things you have to see and feel.”
The Wolf of Wall Street director further stated, “I’m interested in the intersection of technology and storytelling, and seeing how that can push the bounds of creativity to create deeper and richer experiences for audiences.” He continued, “Remember, cinema is a young medium, only around 125 years old, so we have to be open to how it can evolve.”
Bringing up how he used 3D for Hugo and de-aging technology for The Irishman, Scorsese emphasized that with the AI tool’s help, he could “clearly and efficiently” communicate what he was visualizing with his creative team, who could then “build on to enrich cinematic intelligence.”
Originally reported by Abdul Azim Naushad on Mandatory
