“THORNS” BY EMMROSE
AN ORIGINAL A.I. MUSIC VIDEO
In this take on “Thorns,” the past takes form as a garden brimming with ancient marble statues— depictions of lovers, friends, heroes, and villains from bygone times.
Each statue stands as a tribute, capturing their essence in idealized, immortal marble. As the film unfolds, we see our heroine lighting the garden on fire, leading it all to crumble and burn away.
Each shot started as a completely original still, created using Midjourney, Photoshop, Picsi, and Colorstory. They were brought to life using Runway and AfterEffects, combined with a traditional edit and color grading process using Premiere and DaVinci.
In the making of the music video, we embarked on a journey spanning over 60 meticulously animated shots (definitely more, I just lost count at shot 62), transforming it into a dazzling four-minute film.
Every scene began as a static image, painstakingly crafted by me with the aid of Midjourney (AI) and a lot of photo retouching in Photoshop and finesse to capture the essence of Emmrose, and ensuring a seamless transition of color and lighting as the story unfolded. From the golden hues of sunset to the deep blues of dusk and the mysterious shades of evening, each frame was hand-painted, lit, and colored to chronologically evolve.
Enter the realm of digital sorcery, where a medley of software including Runway (AI), After Effects, and Premiere Pro (and iMovie—don’t laugh) worked their magic to bring the stills to life. The process required a lot if patience. Finally, in the editing room, Premiere Pro took the reins, weaving these enchanting clips into a seamless tapestry. No AI was involved in this final act—it was all human hands on deck, infusing each frame with passion and purpose. The film took over 100 hours of human work and attention. Out of the six plus programs used to make it, two were AI.
The journey was as thrilling as it was technical, a testament to the boundless possibilities of our digital playground. With AI as a new part of the process, we were able to transcend the constraints of budget and geography, crafting a story without limits or inhibitions.
As a director, I found that using AI as a tool opened up the creative— we were able to tell the story we wanted, no holds barred. The music came first.
