Question

Tell us a little bit about yourself, where are you from? What's your background?

Norgaardcarlos

I’m a filmmaker from Caracas, Venezuela, born and raised in a country that’s as vibrant as it is challenging. Living here has had a profound impact on how I approach storytelling. Filmmaking—and art in general—faces significant obstacles in Venezuela. Whether it’s government interference or a lack of funding, most projects either don’t reach audiences or struggle with quality. It’s a tough environment, but it’s also one that pushes you to be resourceful and resilient.

Growing up, international films and art became my escape and my education. They showed me what was possible, even when it felt out of reach here. That said, Venezuela has a deep and rich culture, and I hope that with time, the country will have the support and stability to see it flourish again.

Professionally, I’ve been in advertising for eight years and filmmaking for over a decade. I studied here in Venezuela and graduated with a degree in filmmaking, specializing in directing. Navigating this environment hasn’t been easy, but it’s shaped me and my work in ways I’m incredibly grateful for.

Q: How did you get into AI filmmaking?

N: I started exploring AI at the end of 2022, mainly with MidJourney. At first, I was intrigued by the possibilities, but I wasn’t fully sold on the aesthetics—it felt pretty cringe at times. Still, there were exceptions—some truly talented artists creating stunning work that caught my attention. Thanks to Alejandro Cartagena's curation and Fellowship’s exhibitions, I began to see the potential of AI not just as a tool for entertainment, but as a medium for creating meaningful art.

My first experiment with AI filmmaking was a kind of stop-motion animation using MidJourney. I would prompt grids of poses—dancing figures, monkeys, anything—and stitch the frames together into an animation. It was painstakingly time-consuming, and while the results were rewarding, I quickly realized I needed more efficient tools to bring my ideas to life. That’s when I discovered Runway and Pika. However, these tools were expensive, and creating high-quality videos required extensive resources. It wasn’t until Runway’s Gen 48 Film Contest that I truly dove into AI filmmaking.

The contest was a baptism by fire—48 hours to create a short film. I didn’t win, but I didn’t care. By the end, I knew I had struck gold. That experience solidified my belief in the potential of AI filmmaking and pushed me to explore new ideas. Since then, collaborations with friends and late-night creative sessions have kept my passion alive. AI filmmaking has become a way for me to explore and express ideas faster than ever, and I feel like I’m just getting started.

Q: Who are your biggest references that influence your work?

N: First and foremost, my father. He’s the one who introduced me to storytelling, films, and the power of imagination. His own life has been a massive influence—not just the mundane aspects, but also these grand, larger-than-life experiences. For example, he once escaped being kidnapped by narcos during a flight and even went on a daring rescue mission for a friend in the jungle. Those stories shaped my perspective on life and inspired my love for narratives about greatness, resilience, and transformation.

He also introduced me to the works of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg—Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones. These filmmakers set a fire in me as a child, making me crave stories filled with adventure, wonder, and imagination. Growing up, I expanded my palette with Ridley Scott, David Fincher, Francis Ford Coppola, and Martin Scorsese—each of them leaving a significant mark on how I see and approach filmmaking.

Speaking of Ridley Scott, Blade Runner had a profound impact on me. Rutger Hauer’s “Tears in Rain” monologue taught me that filmmaking can transcend the sum of its parts and evoke deep emotion. That scene awakened something in me—the desire to make films that resonate emotionally, not just entertain.

Beyond filmmakers, I draw inspiration from other art forms. Painters like Francisco Goya and Armando Reverón influence my use of light and shadow. Writers like Jorge Luis Borges and Julio Cortázar inspire me to weave layered, multidimensional narratives. Music, especially jazz from Miles Davis and John Coltrane, shapes how I think about rhythm and improvisation in storytelling. And photography—artists like Joel Meyerowitz and Alex Webb—teaches me the power of composition and color.

Chris Marker’s La Jetée is another cornerstone influence. Its minimalism, storytelling through still images, and ability to evoke so much with so little resonate deeply with me. It’s a guiding principle in AI filmmaking, where limitations often push creativity further.

Q: How do you approach your process? You achieve outstanding results, can you tell us your secret sauce?

N: First of all, thank you! As for my "secret sauce," I’d say there’s no magic bullet—it’s all about hard work and letting creativity flow. Most of my ideas come from paying attention to the world around me and thinking deeply about everyday subjects—flowers, history, or even the devastating consequences of communism. I like to juxtapose themes, visuals, and storytelling. Life itself is a collage, and my process mirrors that.

The heart of my process is the need to tell a story. If that need isn’t there, the work feels hollow. Once I have an idea, I experiment with images in MidJourney, exploring colors, textures, and styles until I find something that resonates. Then, I use tools like ChatGPT to refine my ideas and structure scripts. AI helps me move faster, but it never replaces the creativity behind the work.

Editing is where everything comes together. Tools like DaVinci Resolve allow me to assemble visuals, dialogue, sound effects, and music into a cohesive story. It’s like building a collage—the most exciting part of the process.

Q: Which stories do you feel most inspired by?

N: I’m inspired by archetypes—stories that have been told for centuries and still resonate today. These are narratives that define humanity because they’re about humanity. At their core, all great stories involve struggle, and humanity’s story is one of constant struggle—against nature, against each other, and even against ourselves.

Religious stories, like those in the Bible, and myths from Greek antiquity inspire me deeply. They explore universal truths and ask questions about ambition, failure, and redemption. What inspires me most is how these stories mirror our own lives, showing us that even in the face of overwhelming odds, there’s a chance for transformation.

Q: Which tools do you use to create your movies? What are you most excited and most frustrated by?

N: I primarily use MidJourney for image generation, Runway for animation, and DaVinci Resolve for editing. For writing, I use ChatGPT to organize and refine ideas, and for voice, SFX and music, I rely on Eleven Labs and Suno. These tools let me explore my creativity and bring ideas to life faster than traditional methods.

What excites me most is the potential of text-to-video tools. They offer smoother motion and animation compared to image-to-video tools, which often struggle with consistency. I’m also excited by video-to-video tools like those in Runway, which could allow me to shoot scenes on my phone and transform them with AI-generated visuals.

However, the limitations of AI filmmaking can be frustrating. It’s difficult to create scenes with multiple characters performing distinct actions, and the lack of control over AI-generated motion can make animations feel inconsistent. Text-to-voice tools also struggle with conveying emotional depth, which limits the authenticity of character-driven stories.

Despite these challenges, I believe AI filmmaking has incredible potential. The tools are improving rapidly, and I’m excited to see how they evolve to enable even greater creative freedom.