Over the past week, the internet has been flooded with videos parodying Wes Anderson’s unique filmmaking style, transposed onto pre-existing franchises. High-profile parodies include a Star Wars homage by Curious Refuge and a Harry Potter spin by PanoramaChannel. The prior of these creations not only went viral due the influence of its LA-based marketer/ creator, but also because Anderson’s quirky aesthetics harmonise well with the constraints of current A.I-driven art tools.
Despite their popularity, A.I-driven creations like these remain a hotbed for debate. Fear and excitement run rampant in the creative sector, sparking contentious discussions about the future of human labour in a world increasingly dominated by A.I. I recently saw this tension firsthand in LA, where writers were picketing outside Universal Studios, expressing fears that cutting-edge technology like ChatGPT could eventually replace them.
While I empathise with these concerns, my experience in the creative sector has taught me one immutable truth: adaptation is key. Our industry moves at a relentless pace, and anyone who fails to keep up risks being left behind. Thus, regardless of personal preferences, we need to acquaint ourselves with emerging tools if we want to stay relevant in the creative world. With that in mind, I decided to dive into the Wes Anderson A.I meme craze and craft my own version. So with the help of various A.I tools I created a Pokemon parody called ‘The Grand Isle of Snorlax’ Here’s my process:
Crafting a Script with ChatGPT
The first phase involved creating a script using ChatGPT. Over several conversations, I fed the A.I with themes and ideas, iteratively refining the output, and handpicking a list of actors who might be humorously suited for the characters.
Image Generation with Midjourney
Next, I employed Midjourney to generate images. I hadn’t used Midjourney before, but I was pleasantly surprised by the striking results. While the images still required a bit of Photoshop and cleaning up for a professional setting, they were quite sufficient for creating an engaging internet meme.
High-Resolution Refinement with Stable Diffusion and Photoshop
As the default Midjourney output was 720p, I decided to upscale the images to 4K using Stable Diffusion. This enhancement not only sharpened the images but also helped facilitate the use of Photoshop’s ‘Select and Mask’ feature. With this tool, I could separate the characters from the backgrounds more efficiently than the pen tool, significantly reducing the time spent on isolating components that would later be animated in After Effects.
Animating Stills with D-ID
Wanting to bring life to my stills without investing too much time, I turned to D-ID. With D-ID, you input an image and a silent 5-second mp3 file, and the tool creates a stylized motion effect. Although you don’t have much control over the output, it serves its purpose for quick meme-style videos. D-ID again doesn’t output at the highest resolution but this was a quick fix in DaVinci Resolve.
A.I Voiceover Magic with Elevenlabs
Finally, I used Elevenlabs for voice overs. It was my first experience with their service, and I was taken back by the improvements in A.I voiceovers. Although the service may pose a threat to traditional voice actors, the ability to make edits and perform multiple takes makes it a powerful tool. When paired with Adobe’s voice enhancer tool, it’s easy to forget that you’re not listening to a human voice.
Enriching the Experience with Assets & Music from Envato Market & Artlist
Many Wes Anderson A.I memes tend to overlook a key component of dynamic storytelling: an evolving musical landscape. A common pitfall in these memes is to ride out a single track from beginning to end. However, seasoned editors know that well-curated sound design, skillfully mixed SFX, and varied music greatly enhance the video’s energy and keep the audience engrossed in the narrative. Thus, for my own meme, I decided to source a more diverse range of stock assets and music from Envato Market and Artlist.
Capturing Wes Anderson’s Colour Palette
Another element that seems to elude many of the A.I memes is an authentic colour grade that emulates Wes Anderson’s iconic visual style. I found the perfect solution for this in Premiere Pro’s Lumetri Color panel, with its Color Wheel and Match tool. This feature lets you borrow the colour palette from a still frame and apply it to your image. To truly capture the essence of Wes Anderson, I used a scene from the Grand Budapest Hotel as my colour reference and cranked up the Faded FIlm setting.
Reflecting on A.I’s Disruptive Potential
There’s no denying that A.I will drastically reshape every industry it permeates. It raises profound questions about our very human identity in a future where robots can outperform us in nearly every domain. I spent close to 18 hours on this project from start to finish, I can see a future where much better pieces of media are created in a push of a button. In the entertainment sector, we’re about to witness a seismic shift similar to the advent of social media. The ways in which we consume and interact with digital entertainment are on the brink of a transformative evolution, for people working in the creative sector this is terrifying. We’re all worried about our livelihoods but for the average consumer, there’s about to be a content golden age where they’ll finally be able to create at the same level as the pros.
Navigating Licensing in the Age of A.I
The intricate entanglement of A.I with human input necessitates a thoughtful approach to licensing and copyright regulations. Some argue for stricter oversight, others propose more explicit copyright guidelines, considering that much of A.I’s current foundation is built upon prior human creativity.
Presently, most A.I memes skirt around copyright infringement due to being parody and the clear markers of artificiality, aligning them with ‘fair use’ regulations. However, as the technology evolves, the distinctions might not remain as overt, muddying the waters around intellectual property rights.
Unfortunately, concrete solutions to this impending predicament remain scarce. As we embrace the transformative potential of A.I, we must also grapple with the necessary protections for original content creators.
You can read the dozens of articles on the Wes Anderson Meme phenomenon here; The Independent, The Guardian, Mashable, Know Your Meme, Euronews.
