The Creative Advantage: Why Sora Won't Replace You
My Semi-Regular Plea That Everything is Fine
Welcome to the latest edition of my “AHHH!!! This new, scary AI tools was just released!!! Is everything coming to come to an end!?!?” newsletter. It’s my semi-regular update where I dive into the latest buzz from my social media universe and tell you that everything is going to be ok.
As someone who curates my social media feeds to highlight the joy and creativity in the world, my interests range from traditional and 3D art, to virtual/augmented reality, film, distance running, ceramics, and the Chicago Bears. This approach ensures my online experience is filled with inspiring artwork, fascinating insights, and the occasional homage to Walter Payton, inarguably the greatest running back of all time.
However, the digital tranquility of my social media landscape was recently disrupted by a major development: the release of OpenAI's Sora, a groundbreaking text-to-video tool. Discussions around Sora spiraled into fears of it potentially overturning the entire film and creative industries.
For context, this video was created in Sora with just the prompt:
A stylish woman walks down a Tokyo street filled with warm glowing neon and animated city signage. She wears a black leather jacket, a long red dress, and black boots, and carries a black purse. She wears sunglasses and red lipstick. She walks confidently and casually. The street is damp and reflective, creating a mirror effect of the colorful lights. Many pedestrians walk about.
And the unsurprising reaction:
(Side note…what masicist is searching Twitter for #JobThreat?)
Despite the temptation to delve into the Twitter wars on discussions on these subjects, I realized that a more significant issue was at play and something I wanted to take a moment to explore.
The Creative Mindset Shift
This newsletter primarily reaches creative professionals and those aspiring to be. Individuals who view the world through a lens of potential creation. The introduction of tools like Sora might initially seem threatening, as it seems to undermine all our technical training and give everyone the ability to produce art that traditionally required years of skill development. However, this perspective overlooks an essential truth: not everyone views the world as we do.
The majority of people are consumers rather than creators of art. This isn't a slight but a recognition of different roles and talents across society. We need people that take in new input and process it differently. But we all have an unconscious bias to assume that others process the world like we do.
They don’t. And lowering the bar to entry won’t change that.
The real impact of technologies like Sora isn't about erasing opportunities for creatives but rather changing the landscape in which creativity happens. The essence of creativity isn't in the tools used but in the vision, execution, and ability to connect with an audience—qualities that define a creative professional's value.
The Evolution of Content Creation and Consumption
As new tools lower the barrier to entry, they don't necessarily dilute the essence of creative work. Instead, they expand the canvas upon which we can project our ideas. The demand for content is ever-growing, branching out from traditional films to an evergrowing list of digital formats. Yet, the core of creation remains unchanged: the conception of an idea, refinement, planning, execution, and distribution. These steps form the backbone of any creative endeavor and are not something that every individual is hardwired to accomplish.
Moreover, the eventual cost of these tools is rarely discussed. If something like Sora is able to replace hundreds of workers and 100+ million dollar budgets at an animation company, don’t you think they will charge a ridiculous amount of money for it? The high-end tools won’t be the democratization of creativity many are claiming it will be.
Conclusion: The Unchanging Core of Creativity
The discussion around new technologies and their impact on creative industries is complex and ongoing. However, the fundamental qualities that define a creative professional—artistic vision, innovative thinking, and the ability to connect emotionally with an audience—remain as relevant as ever.
This last part of connecting with the audience will become even more critical as the velocity of content creation increases. Various forms of media will need to find their points of distinction from all the noise surrounding them.
As we navigate these changes, we must remember that our unique contributions to the world of art and creativity are not defined by the tools we use but by the depth of our ideas and the passion we bring to our work.
In essence, the journey of a creative professional is about more than mastering technology; it's about nurturing an enduring skill set that adapts and thrives in an ever-evolving landscape.
Because we don’t know what unexpected development might come next.
But if it’s a public outcry for more 1980s Chicago Bears animated gifs, I’ll be ready!
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3D News of the Week
Nowhere to Go But Up: Ukraine Animation Carries On Two Years After Russian Invasion - Cartoon Brew
Relaxing Stylized City Builder with Unique Procedural System - 80.lv
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse | VFX Breakdown - YouTube
AI at Chaos - Chaos.com
Sora to Gaussian Splat? - Twitter
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Hello! Michael Tanzillo here. I am the Head of Technical Artists with the Substance 3D Growth team at Adobe. Previously, I was a Senior Artist on animated films at Blue Sky Studios/Disney with credits including three Ice Age movies, two Rios, Peanuts, Ferdinand, Spies in Disguise, and Epic.
In addition to his work as an artist, I am the Co-Author of the book Lighting for Animation: The Visual Art of Storytelling and the Co-Founder of The Academy of Animated Art, an online school that has helped hundreds of artists around the world begin careers in Animation, Visual Effects, and Digital Imaging. I also created The3DArtist.Community and this newsletter.
www.michaeltanzillo.com
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