SXSW 2023 Wrap-up
April 7, 2023
Healthcare Video Marketing
April 18, 2023
Bring The Inner Visions Out
Our first commercial AI animation project promotes the Gypsy Moon market in Pleasanton, Texas.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) animation is the single greatest technology in modern day media making. I say this with honest appreciation, being a long-time animator and filmmaker with 20+ years experience and a formal education in this area. Simply put, the results are visually stunning, and the workflow is dramatically simple, compared to traditional animation methods.
Our video clients will be happy to know that AI animation brings tremendous benefits of cost savings. The reason why this art form is so affordable is because the creation process is much faster. Not to say that AI animation is easy, though. Not at all. In fact, the current technology can be brutally restrictive. However, it is clear to see that it gets the job done, does it well, and delights the audience.
How Does AI Animation Work?
AI animators rely on programming scripts, running codes through commands and prompts that essentially tell the computer what to do. At this early stage, results may vary. In fact, in our studio’s experience, it can be extremely challenging, if not impossible, to generate exactly what we wish to see on the screen. Still, the limitations of control are a small sacrifice for the freedoms of automation.
For comparison purposes, let’s consider the time and energy requirements for traditional animation compared to AI. Looking at the credits at the end of animated feature films, we see hundreds of animators, putting years worth of work into the process. In the near future, it will be possible for a single individual to write compelling scripts, commands, and prompts in order to generate feature-length animated films single-handedly, even faster than ever before.
Our initial AI animation tests reveal a tremendous audience response in TikTok. With a little bit of touch-up, computer-generated art is a compelling form of storytelling.
As I mentioned, in my experience as a professional AI animator, I can say that this form of animation is unpredictable, in most instances, and this makes it difficult to control. If one of my clients insists upon generating a “gypsy,” for example, the AI might illustrate her in the nude. So, this system requires specificity, clarity, adjustment, and patience. However, even with an extremely high attention to detail, it is still a real challenge, at times, to get the end result just right.
For this reason, I personally embrace a new mantra for my AI animation missions: “Surrender to Flow.” This guidance gives me an attitude of acceptance and non-attachment, knowing my computer-generated art is quirky, and needs my fine-tuning. In fact, I’m grateful my presence is still necessary in this process. To reiterate, for anyone interested in creating AI art, I recommend approaching it in a fluid and flexible way—a less controlling way.
We created this imaginative 2D animation for the Serenity Kids brand of grain free puffs. The production process was fun, although very time-consuming. ~80 hours. Phew!
“Home” is a hand-illustrated animated music video I made for Melissa Gail Klein and the Morning Dew. I think this one took me 60 hours or so.
“Brave Spirit” is an animated music video we made for the band, Cosmic Butterflies, featuring vivid watercolor art. I believe this one took 100+ hours of my time. See our Animation Specialty page for more examples of our work.
What Are the Current AI Animation Limitations + Opportunities?
Only traditional animation grants us that pure freedom of bringing an artist’s true vision to life. However, traditional animation is a time-consuming, costly process that requires animators to create illustrations and set them into motion. Even the most sophisticated 2D and 3D animation software require a tedious creation process, with long hours staring at a screen. Let’s look at some of the animation projects I’ve done the old-fashioned way.
With all due humility, AI animation also gives us additional benefits: next-level details, otherworldly perspectives, unique characters… As we can already see in the early examples of AI at, some of the results are mind-blowing, and awe-inspiring. This opens up a whole new world of creative possibilities for veteran animators, for future artists, and for all the audiences we serve. And the best news of all is that this is just the beginning of the AI animation movement.
