ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN FILM & TV INDUSTRIES: CREATIVE MODULE WORKSHOP WITH MARTIN PERCY

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

You've no doubt heard the claim that "A poet needs a pen, a painter a brush, and a filmmaker an army." Well, with the advent of AI-generated film, we're approaching the time where a filmmaker just needs to sit at their computer and get access to AI. We're not there yet - but this course will help you get there, and see where we are now.

This intensive weekend workshop will take you through the complete pipeline of AI-assisted filmmaking, from initial concept to finished production. By the end of this course, you will have created your first AI-generated short film - or a substantial chunk of it - whether a trailer, TV commercial, or short drama, and gained hands-on experience with the most powerful AI tools currently available.

Are AI tools perfect? No. Things which are easy to film - two people speaking in a room - can be very hard or impossible to do well in AI. By contrast, things that are very hard to film for real - a 19th century dock scene with working steam trains and tall sailing ships - can be done trivially easily in AI. You're not making a film in 5 years' time - you're making a film now. So we will show you what you need to know now, warts and all.

Do you need technical skills to participate? No. But it's helpful if you have some basic familiarity with using AI. We will focus on accessible tools that are easy to use for non-technical people, not complex systems requiring coding experience.

You will have the chance to not only learn these cutting-edge techniques but also interact in a very direct way, as the group will have up to 25 participants, making it extremely practical and interactive. The workshop will be hands-on, with participants working on their own material throughout the weekend. Depending on the scale and complexity of your vision, you may not complete your short film by the end of the workshop, but you will have all the tools you need to continue independently.

WORKSHOP CURRICULUM
PRE-WORKSHOP: SCRIPT DEVELOPMENT
Two weeks before the in-person course, we conduct a 1-hour Zoom call exploring Claude (and ChatGPT) for script writing, including document upload techniques for improved writing style. We'll review successful AI films and current limitations to help you prepare your script in advance.

FOUNDATIONS: PROMPT ENGINEERING AND IMAGE GENERATION
Using Claude or ChatGPT to generate advanced prompts for Midjourney; Midjourney fundamentals - creating compelling images from text; understanding AI image generation strengths, limitations, and quality control; considering your "shooting ratio" - how many images to create for the one you really want.

CHARACTER CONSISTENCY AND VIDEO GENERATION
Processing characters with Runway Elements for consistency across multiple angles; building character libraries; generating videos in Veo 3 using image-to-video with audio; managing challenges with voice and performance control; understanding video "shooting ratio" and costs.

ENHANCEMENT AND POST-PRODUCTION
Processing Midjourney and Runway images with enhancer software; "Reverse Photoshop" techniques with Enhancor to make AI images more realistic; refining images in Photoshop for video generation readiness; the critical importance of human oversight in editing - why AI systems give imperfect results requiring human intervention at the edit stage.

FINISHING AND MUSIC
Video-to-music generation for adding musical scores; upscaling with Topaz (comparing 720p, 1080p, and 4K); final delivery considerations.

ETHICS AND POLITICS: AI AS HISTORICAL MILESTONE
AI represents a milestone in human history with vast effects on all our lives. If you describe yourself as an AI Film Maker, you'll likely be challenged about AI ethics. We don't push a particular viewpoint, but explore key questions so you can articulate your own position on these issues.

SUBSCRIPTIONS
To take the best of this workshop, you should sign up for:
Midjourney (online image generator)
www.sonovid.ai/ (the most cost-effective way to access Veo 3)

We will provide group subscriptions to:
Enhancor (image enhancement software)
Runway ML (video generation and character processing)

ABOUT MARTIN PERCY
Martin Percy is a British director celebrated for his pioneering work in interactive cinema, virtual reality, and the creative use of artificial intelligence in film. A graduate of King’s College, Cambridge, Percy has built a career defined by experimentation with new forms of storytelling that actively involve the audience, merging narrative, technology, and participation.

His breakthrough came with Lifesaver (2012), an interactive crisis simulator that won a Grand Clio Award, a Webby Award, and received a BAFTA nomination. The project, which featured Daisy Ridley in her first professional role, established Percy as a leading figure in interactive film. He later expanded this format with Heart Class (2019), which won an Emmy in the United States, and CardiacCrash (2023), a Canadian project that won three Webby Awards and was nominated for the Canadian Screen Awards.

Percy has collaborated with some of the most respected institutions in the world, including the Tate Modern, the British Film Institute, the National Theatre, and the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. His projects have often brought together acclaimed actors such as Sir Ian McKellen, Sir Derek Jacobi, and Daisy Ridley, combining high-profile talent with cutting-edge interactive design. His VR project Virry VR (2017), filmed at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya, received both BAFTA and Webby recognition and reinforced his reputation as a leading innovator in immersive media.

In recent years, Percy has increasingly integrated artificial intelligence into his practice, creating works that adapt to the user’s emotions, decisions, and interactions. Projects such as AI Basics: Thrills or Chills (2023) and the Adaptive-Media Interview Coach exemplify his commitment to exploring how AI can reshape creative expression and audience engagement. His TEDx talk, How to Save Lives with Interactive Film, highlighted his dedication to using new technologies not just for storytelling, but also for education and social impact.
Throughout his career, Martin Percy has been recognised with a BAFTA, an Emmy, a Grand Clio, and more than a dozen Webby Awards. His work stands at the intersection of creativity and innovation, continually pushing the boundaries of how stories can be told and experienced.

PROFILE OF PARTICIPANT

This workshop is designed for Directors, Producers, Content Creators, Digital Artists, and filmmakers interested in exploring the cutting-edge intersection of artificial intelligence and filmmaking. The workshop is also suitable for traditional filmmakers curious about integrating AI tools into their existing workflows, as well as technologists interested in creative applications of AI.

WORKSHOP LOCATION
London, UK

Duration: 2 days
10:00 - 18:00
Dates: 17th - 18th of January 2026
Location: London, UK
Price: 599GBP (379GBP Until 16th of October)
Maximum number of participants: 25

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