ANIMAFEST PRO | ANIMAFEST SCANNER XI | Panel 4: Authorship In/Of AI Animation

Expanding the Collaboration of Artist and AI in Animation Production with LoRAs - Melanie Beisswenger (Germany)

PANEL 4 - AUTHORSHIP IN/OF AI ANIMATION
05/06 SRI 14:00-14:30 KIC

The growing role of generative AI in animation production necessitates a re-evaluation of creative authorship. This talk delves into the collaborative process between artist and AI, focusing on style development and LoRA (Low-Rank Adaptation) training for Stable Diffusion. It will explore the curation of training data for a cohesive artistic style and visual storytelling and briefly touch on scriptwriting in collaboration with AI. The focus of the presentation will be style development. The artist acts as a curator, selecting reference images and crafting detailed tags and text prompts that capture the desired aesthetic. Tagging and curating enables visual precision for the later application of the style LoRA by AI, similar to the process of a production designer in creating a style guide. The LoRA model training within Stable Diffusion SDXL is carried out based on the curated and tagged visual data. The talk will delve into the aesthetic process leading to the LoRA training, enabling an efficient transfer of stylistic elements across different subjects, images and illustrations. By leveraging a single LoRA across both AI illustrations and - in future Stable Diffusion releases - video generation, the artist can ensure visual consistency throughout the concept phase and the animation. This cohesive style development can be further reinforced by iteratively refining the LoRA model based on the generated outputs, creating a feedback loop between artist and AI. This nuanced collaboration between artist and AI extends beyond mere tool use. The artist sets the creative direction through a visual concept and style curation, while the AI serves as a powerful tool for generating adapted visuals and exploring artistic possibilities. The talk will conclude by arguing for a shared authorship model, acknowledging both the human intent and creative direction and the AI's contribution to the final imagery.

Prof. Melanie Beisswenger is an educator and character animator with credits on the Academy Award winning feature film Happy Feet, Happy Feet 2, Iron Man 3 (Academy Award Nominee for Best Visual Effects), and the TV launch ad for the BioShock game. Melanie's animated short film There's Bliss in the Kiss has won multiple international awards. She writes for books, articles and speaks at conferences. Melanie is professor of animation at Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences, Germany. Prior professorial appointments were at Media University Stuttgart, University of Applied Sciences Mainz, and at the School of Art, Design and Media at NTU in Singapore. Melanie is excited to explore what AI and real time workflows will contribute to the art of animation.