Scorsese Uses FLUX AI to Storyboard Film Scenes
Key insights
- Scorsese joined Black Forest Labs as an adviser and demonstrated FLUX being used to storyboard shots, using a Goodfellas sequence as an example.
- He says FLUX lets him communicate his visual intent to production designers and cinematographers more clearly and quickly, reducing production time.
- Scorsese was connected to Black Forest Labs through investment firm BroadLight Capital and CAA co-founder Michael Ovitz, who has invested in the company.
Why this matters
A director of Scorsese's stature publicly adopting and naming a specific AI image model shifts Hollywood's debate about generative AI from abstract ethics to practical pre-production workflow, giving studios and mid-tier directors a culturally credible reference point. His framing of FLUX as a director-to-crew communication accelerant rather than a creative shortcut offers the industry a politically viable narrative for adoption that does not directly threaten below-the-line creative talent. Black Forest Labs' ability to recruit Scorsese through investor relationships with BroadLight Capital and Michael Ovitz signals that AI companies are building entertainment-world legitimacy through cultural relationships, and that this strategy is working at the highest levels of the industry.
Summary
Martin Scorsese has joined Black Forest Labs as an adviser and publicly demonstrated using its FLUX generative-AI model to storyboard scenes, including the famous Steadicam shot tracking Henry Hill through the Copacabana nightclub in Goodfellas.
The announcement, filmed at his New York office, frames FLUX as a director-to-crew communication tool rather than a creative shortcut. Scorsese says the model lets him share his vision more clearly and efficiently with production designers, art directors, and cinematographers, giving his team a richer foundation to build on.
Essentially: (Scorsese, Black Forest Labs) the partnership positions FLUX as a pre-production efficiency layer, not a replacement for filmmaking craft.
- Scorsese was introduced to Black Forest Labs through investment firm BroadLight Capital and CAA co-founder Michael Ovitz, who has invested in the company.
- CEO Robin Rombach called Scorsese's participation "a great proof point that this works."
- Scorsese situates FLUX alongside his adoption of 3D in Hugo and de-aging in The Irishman as part of a consistent openness to new production tools.
For an industry still debating where generative AI belongs on set, Scorsese's practical endorsement moves the conversation from whether to adopt AI tools to how.
Potential risks and opportunities
Risks
- If a Scorsese project that used FLUX in pre-production underperforms critically or commercially, the association could make other prestige directors reluctant to publicly adopt AI image tools.
- Crew unions may cite Scorsese's endorsement as evidence of top-tier directors legitimizing AI tools that reduce work for human storyboard artists, accelerating and hardening labor negotiations over AI use in production.
- Black Forest Labs' strategy of building legitimacy through high-profile adviser relationships rather than published model safety evaluations could draw regulatory or studio-legal scrutiny if FLUX-generated images raise IP or likeness concerns in active productions.
Opportunities
- Major studios and streaming platforms may accelerate FLUX pilot programs in pre-production following Scorsese's endorsement, opening an enterprise sales channel for Black Forest Labs beyond its current consumer and prosumer base.
- CAA co-founder Michael Ovitz's involvement positions Black Forest Labs to recruit additional entertainment industry advisers and clients, building a creative-world footprint that rivals in AI image generation largely lack.
- Pre-production workflow consultants and AI integration vendors could see rising demand from mid-tier directors seeking to replicate the efficiency gains in director-to-crew communication that Scorsese described.
What we don't know yet
- Whether Scorsese is actively using FLUX on a specific current production was not disclosed; the announcement used the Goodfellas Copacabana shot as a demonstration reference, not a named upcoming project.
- The terms of Scorsese's adviser arrangement with Black Forest Labs, including whether it involves equity, compensation, or a purely reputational role, were not disclosed.
- How Hollywood craft unions representing storyboard artists and visual development crews will respond to a high-profile director publicly endorsing AI storyboarding tools was not addressed in the announcement.
Originally reported by variety.com
Read the original article →Original headline: Martin Scorsese Backs AI Company Black Forest Labs and Says He's Using It to Storyboard Movies