A new music video by the singer-songwriter Washed Out just dropped on YouTube. This isn’t any normal music video though as the entire four-minute film was made using OpenAI's artificial intelligence video generator Sora.
Generated from prompts by LA-based director Paul Trillo, it took more than 55 individual clips stitched together in Adobe Premiere to make the final production. What stands out is how impressive the character consistency is throughout the video.
The video was commissioned by the indie singer Ernest Green, professionally known as Washed Out for his track The Hardest Part. Trillo said on X: “This was an idea I had almost 10 years ago and then abandoned. Finally was able to bring it to life.”
This isn't the first Sora music video but it is the first made from a commission. It also has genuine character consistency across the entire video.
What is the video like?
It is a fly-through effect, seen in other Sora videos by Trillo, following a couple, with some trippy scenes that look like we're merging through multiple cars or flying into walls.
There are some obviously AI moments, including one shot where it looks like the baby is floating, but they are few and far between in what is a brilliant example of using AI clips.
Trillo said it took a total of 55 clips stitched together to make the video and previous details on how Sora works revealed it can take about 10 minutes for each clip to generate.
There was a small amount of touch-up work in After Effects but he said there were no major changes. It more or less worked from the clips created by Sora. What isn't clear is how many clips he generated to find the 55 that made it into the final video.
Why Sora?
First official commissioned music video made with @OpenAI Sora for @realwashedout This was an idea I had almost 10 years ago and then abandoned. Finally was able to bring it to life.Watch the full video here https://t.co/sGpmMLVCul pic.twitter.com/J3RxRD9nzoMay 2, 2024
The video seems to tell the story of a couple through school years, as they have a baby and then on as they get older. It includes scenes in school corridors, classrooms and supermarkets.
Some users on X replying to Trillo pointed out how much he would have saved compared to filming in a high school or even doing the VFX work for some of the more "out there" shots.
While Sora might not replace traditional filmmaking in all areas, for creating a music video to a song that might not otherwise get one due to costs — it is a game changer.
How good is the video?
I showed the video to my son and his initial reaction was "There's no way that is AI.” Some moments are clearly AI where some scenes don't match, cars are stretched or views seem off.
The consistency of characters is impressive but not perfect. However, it does show how much can be achieved when AI tools are placed in the hands of brilliant creatives.
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