"The prompt is not the film" — directing in the age of generative models

We sat down with the studio's creative direction after a year of fully AI-assisted productions. Excerpts.

What changed the most in your job?

"The distance between an idea and its first image. It used to be weeks; it is now minutes. That speed is dangerous, by the way — the first image is rarely the right one, but it is seductive. Half of directing now is refusing good-looking wrong answers."

Do you feel less like an author?

"More, actually. When execution gets cheap, intention becomes the scarce resource. A model can render anything, which means the only thing that distinguishes a film is the precision of what you ask for and what you keep. The prompt is not the film. The cut is the film."

What do you say to crews who feel threatened?

"That the set is not going away — it is multiplying. We shoot fewer setups and design more worlds. People who know why a shot works — real cinematographers, real editors — have never been more valuable. The tools flatter amateurs and amplify professionals."

Your rule of thumb for using AI well?

"Write like a novelist, review like a projectionist. Be extravagant in what you imagine and merciless in what you accept."