Full Breakdown
Martin Scorsiese Partners with Black Forest Labs to Use AI for Storyboarding, Sparking Industry Debate
6/4/2026, 8:10:59 AM
Scorsie's AI Partnership for Storyboarding
In June 2026 Martin Scorsiese announced a partnership with German AI startup Black Forest Labs, becoming a partner and adviser. He will use the company’s FLUX text-to-image model to generate visual storyboards for the pre-production of his next film *What Happens at Night* (Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence). Scorsiese says the tool lets him convey his vision to the production designer, art director and cinematographer more quickly than hand-drawn boards.
AI in Film and Black Forest Labs Funding
AI tools have entered film production in recent years: Soderbergh used AI for a John Lennon documentary, Edwards called it a “genius,” and Cameron joined Stability AI’s board. Black Forest Labs, founded in August 2024, employs about 70 staff and raised a $300 million Series B at a $3.25 billion valuation in December 2025, bringing total capital above $450 million. A 2024 UK Society of Authors survey found roughly 25 % of illustrators reported work loss to generative AI.
Official Statements from Scorsiese and Black Forest Labs
Scorsiese told the New York Times that AI helps “push the bounds of creativity” and enables “faster pre-production without sacrificing quality or craft.” Black Forest Labs co-founder Robin Rombach said the collaboration shows the technology can be applied effectively in filmmaking.
Criticism from Storyboard Artists
Concept artist Karla Ortiz accused Scorsiese of “throwing every single storyboard artist … under the bus,” calling the move “disgusting.” Animator Sam Deats said there is “no reason to need AI built on the stolen work of millions of artists.” Both cite economic displacement and the undisclosed training data of FLUX as core concerns.
Unresolved Details and Missing Responses
Black Forest Labs has not confirmed whether Scorsiese holds an equity stake, and the company declined to disclose the datasets used to train FLUX. Scorsiese’s team has not publicly responded to the artists’ objections.
Future Projects and Industry Reactions
Scorsiese will apply the AI workflow to *What Happens at Night* while Cannes has banned generative AI from competition and Tribeca plans to screen a fully AI-generated documentary. Industry observers expect the debate to shape future guidelines and funding decisions.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I'm interested in the intersection of technology and storytelling, and seeing how that can push the bounds of creativity to create deeper and richer experiences for audiences.” — Martin Scorsiese, director
- “He throws every single storyboard artist he’s ever worked with under the bus … To use his legacy and power for this is just so disgusting.” — Karla Ortiz, concept artist
- “There is absolutely no reason to need AI built on the stolen work of millions of artists to storyboard your vision, have some damn pride and respect your peers.” — Sam Deats, animator
- “a great proof point that this works.” — Robin Rombach, co-founder, Black Forest Labs
