What if Kubrick's classic were directed by Wes Anderson?
AI image generators have been the most radical and controversial tech development in the creative sectors for some time. Some creatives think they're alchemy, others fear they might spell the end of creative work as we know it. But either way, there's there's no denying that there's something fascinating about their ability to quickly answer those 'What if...?' questions.
Thinking of commissioning indie auteur Wes Anderson to remake The Shining in his trademark style? Let's just take a look at what that might look like. Not sure how tech-to-image AI art generators work? See how to use DALL-E 2.
I asked AI to render Wes Anderson's The Shining pic.twitter.com/i2SfSldEaSDecember 2, 2022
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The Twitter account Reconsidering Cinema had a viral hit on its hands after using an AI image generator to reimagine what The Shining might look like if it were directed by Wes Anderson. The results seem strikingly true to Anderson's trademark style – with a few extra fingers thrown in there for good measure. It seems that even with AI models like Stable Diffusion now adding the ability to create negative prompts, there's still no way to tell AI not to put six fingers on every hand.
The Twitter user didn't say which AI model was used to create the images, but we've recently seen The Russo Brothers use Midjourney to create scenes from The Avengers in a Wes Anderson style (yes, prepare to see every movie remade by Wes Anderson soon). It seems people are impressed with the idea of the director tackling Kubrick's take on Stephen King's classic horror novel. The tweet has been retweeted more than 8,000 times.
"I've always said that if Wes Anderson was ever going to horror the film he would do would definitely be a massive love letter to The Shining," one person replied. "AI advanced continue to blow my mind daily," someone else said, surely echoing many people's thoughts. One person thinks the images look more Jean-Pierre Jeunet, but many think the AI got Anderson's style spot on. "Proof that everything would be better if Wes Anderson made it," one person wrote. "These are great. Ask the AI which obscure pop songs from the 60s and 70s would have been needle-dropped," someone else suggested.
Ah, the film that finally answers the question:"If Charlie Brown & Lucy had a baby, would it turn into a little psychopath? 🤔" pic.twitter.com/Izc7DIYnwHDecember 2, 2022
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AI image generators are evolving at lightning speed and we get the impression that even their developers don't know exactly where they're going to take us, or what role they're going to play in the creative sectors. Most of those available to the public still have significant limitations that require post editing in other, more traditional programs – and there's that big issue with fingers. But considering how fast this technology has developed, I imagine that this will be resolved soon. See how the best AI art generators compare to learn more.
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Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.
