Generative AI and Storytelling

FAST TOOLS + SLOW ITERATIVE CREATIVITY

My main focus is to encourage you to find your own human approach to AI. While AI is a powerful and fast tool, it should not be mistaken as a replacement for human creativity, human experience, human thinking and human storytelling.  AI is great for brainstorming ideas, doing tasks, providing options/alternatives and generating media according to your specifications. Below are guidelines and suggested paths for working. Find your own techniques, make your own discoveries.

An Open Education Resource for working with Generative AI:
Dynamic AI Co-Creation: A Human-Centered Approach
by Will Luers

Before and Then After Case Study – AI workflow for working on a movie. A case study by Laura Cortez from HappyFinish’

DTC 338 Special Topics in Fall 2025: Generative AI

Attendance sheet…

Generative AI Tools

 

AI as a scriptwriting assistant 

  • Formatting Screenplays and Scripts
  • Generating background knowledge
  • Providing terminology
  • Character backgrounds and names
  • Plot and pacing suggestions
  • Inspiration for dialogue (play-out dialogues in improv)
  • Exploring mythology and symbolism
  • Editing and proofreading
  • Fact-checking
  • Summarizing complex topics
  • Helping with prompts:

 

Text Prompting for Storytelling 

  • Define the Task:
    Be specific about what you want:
  • Set the Format:
    Clarify the output type: Script, shot list, synopsis, scene, chapter, pitch, treatment, logline, dialogue-only, etc.
  • Establish Genre or Vibe:
    Sci-fi, horror, magical realism, noir, romantic comedy, etc. Or set a vibe: surreal, philosophical, fast-paced, dreamlike, dark humor.
  • Provide Context (or None)
    Give a clear starting point like setting and/or time period. OR challenge the model to invent from scratch.
  • Use Iterative Prompts
    Break complex tasks into smaller steps: First: “Create 5 character profiles for a dystopian drama.” Then: “Write a conflict between Character A and B over resources.”
  • Ask for Variations
     “Give me 3 versions…” or “Rewrite this in a different tone…” Or “Write this scene as if it were a horror story instead of a romance.”
  • Use Prompts to help with writing
    Ask AI to: Expand a scene, improve pacing, deepen character motives…

Image Prompting 101

  • Style: Reference specific artists (“in the style of …”). Use art movements or genres (Baroque, Cyberpunk, Vaporwave, Ukiyo-e, etc).
  • Lighting: Describe light quality: soft, harsh, ambient, dramatic, cinematic, chiaroscuro. Mention source and direction: backlit, side-lit, spotlight, glowing from below. Include time of day for natural lighting: golden hour, blue hour, midnight.
  • Mood and Emotion
    Define the overall emotional tone: eerie, melancholic, joyful, tense. Use metaphorical or atmospheric descriptors: “a dreamlike sadness,” “post-apocalyptic serenity.” 
  • Camera Angle and Composition
    Specify camera shot type: close-up, medium shot, wide shot, bird’s eye, worm’s eye. Mention framing or composition terms: rule of thirds, symmetry, Dutch angle.  Set subject placement: centered, off-center, foreground vs background elements.
  • Camera Type and Film Style
    Mention camera lens or focal length: fisheye, telephoto, macro. Refer to film type or photographic styles: Kodak Portra, Polaroid, black & white, infrared. Request cinematic looks: analog film grain, vintage VHS aesthetic, anamorphic lens effect.
  • Output Resolution & Render Style
    Add resolution terms: 4K, 8K, UHD, HD, retina-level detail. Use render keywords: photorealistic, ultra-detailed, CGI, hyper-realistic, octane render. Specify aspect ratio: 16:9 (landscape), 9:16 (portrait), 1:1 (square), cinematic (2.39:1).
  • Use Other Images as Prompts
    Upload or reference existing artworks or photos as inspiration. Combine image + text for multimodal prompting. Use style transfer techniques: “Make this sketch look like a Renaissance oil painting.”
  • Order and Hierarchy of Details
    Start with the primary subject or focus: “A tiger in a mossy temple…” Then layer in secondary elements: background, setting, weather, props. Prioritize key visuals: what should grab attention first?

 

In-Class Story Activity:

  1. Partner with a classmate for a mutual interview. Think of a short anecdote you would like to tell each other about a real experience that you or someone you know experienced – it can be weird, funny, moving or scary.
  2. Tell each other the stories. Take notes/sketches of each other’s stories as you listen to them.
  3. Work separately to translate your partner’s story into a visual narrative with minimal text (at least five images).
  4. In ChatGPT get help to create a series of prompts for each image/shot in the story. Write out the story as a series of frames or shots. Describe what is in the shot and how you imagine the composition and visual style: framing or angle, lighting, color, etc. 
  5. Use one of the AI image/video generation tools to generate your story’s visuals.
  6. If you have time, generate voice-over narration with ElevenLabs. Or generate a soundtrack with Udio.
  7. Edit your shots into a short video or make a Goggle Slideshow of your images with text.