At No Film School, we strive to keep you updated with the latest advancements in technology and AI. As these innovations progress, we explore how they can assist filmmakers in their daily workflows.
What is Google Gemini Storybook?
At No Film School, we strive to keep you updated with the latest advancements in technology and AI. As these innovations progress, we explore how they can assist filmmakers in their daily workflows.
One tool that piqued our interest is Google Gemini’s Storybook.
It promises a simple yet intriguing concept: “Create personalized, illustrated stories about anything with read-aloud narration. Just describe the story you want, add files and photos if you wish, and Gemini will generate a unique 10-page storybook.”
This sounded almost too good to be true, so we decided to test it.
Gemini Storybook
Credit: Google Gemini
Google’s generative AI tool, Gemini Storybook, converts basic text prompts and user-uploaded images into illustrated, narrated stories.
One of the standout features of Storybook is its ability to utilize images, words, and even PDF files to create a children’s book. Simply upload the necessary materials, and Gemini will produce a story.
These stories can teach lessons, explain concepts, or simply entertain. It empowers anyone to create a story effortlessly.
However, there are limitations: it does not export stories as PDFs, and users cannot edit the text on the pages. You can only prompt the tool to try different variations.
Currently, the only export options are generating a link within the program or printing a hard copy.
We expect improvements in these areas after this pilot program, but they were frustrating limitations during our testing.
Another issue was character inconsistency; the main character’s appearance could change throughout the story.
Additionally, the program is limited to 25 pages, and even if you request 25 pages, it may not always comply.
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Why Would a Filmmaker Use This?
There are several reasons filmmakers might find this program appealing. The most obvious is the potential for creating original intellectual property.
Adaptations are always popular, especially in family-oriented projects. If you can craft a compelling story and share it online, or find a way to export it from Gemini, you can create your own IP that can easily be adapted into larger film or TV projects.
Another practical use is defining the visual style for a lookbook, pitch deck, or concept art.
Storybook provides a streamlined and cost-effective way to develop and visualize cinematic ideas, particularly when confirming a look for animation or defining a style for an animated pilot.
The program allows you to upload numerous references and images to accurately capture the story’s look and feel. This ensures that when it’s time to collaborate with animators, you have a clear visual language for them to follow.
Executives can also better understand the project, as they can see the characters and parts of the story upfront.
Storybook can also be utilized for storyboarding.
This aspect is somewhat challenging since prompts are limited, and during our testing, we had to rely on the tool’s interpretation. However, filmmakers can input scene descriptions from a script, and Storybook will generate a sequence of illustrated panels. This facilitates rapid iterations on shot composition, character blocking, and overall visual flow. The inclusion of AI-generated narration can even create basic animatics, offering a rudimentary sense of pacing for a scene.
Summing It All Up
Currently, Storybook feels more like a novelty that filmmakers might experiment with rather than a regular tool, especially until they can actively edit text, achieve character consistency, or see direct integration with editing software.
Nevertheless, these improvements seem imminent, and we will continue to monitor Google’s developments in this area.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on the program and whether you’ve had a chance to try it.
