"AI is changing how quickly creative ideas can become reality." This declaration sets the stage for a revolution in creative production, highlighted by OpenAI's unveiling of custom tools for film, media, and brand campaigns.
Chad Nelson, Creative Director at OpenAI, spoke at OpenAI DevDay about building a custom creative tool for film, media, and brand campaign workflows. He shared rapid prototyping lessons learned using modern AI tools, and previewed how developers can shape the future of creative production.
A key insight is the evolution of AI from a generalized tool to a bespoke solution tailored to specific project needs. "What if you could actually develop a tool that was perfect for your individual project, your creative workflow, and not have it take months to develop?" Nelson posed. This question led to the creation of Storyboard, a tool designed to streamline the animated film "Critterz," leveraging OpenAI's advanced models.
The challenge, Nelson noted, lies in the current tool landscape: "These AI tools, I mean literally new tools are coming out every single month." This constant influx can be overwhelming, making it difficult for creatives to find the right fit.
OpenAI sought to empower artists, rather than replace them. This 'human-led' approach is evident in Storyboard, where artists drive the AI tools. Native Foreign and Vertigo Films wanted to partner their artists with our latest OpenAI models. They wanted everything to make sure that it’s human-led.
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Olivia Morgan, a Solutions Engineer at OpenAI, elaborated on Storyboard's development, emphasizing that the parameters and capabilities of OpenAI's image and video APIs can unlock a lot of creative freedom. The design process, previously a year-long endeavor, was significantly accelerated by integrating Codex and GPT-5, reducing iteration cycles and empowering artists to refine their vision more efficiently.
The Storyboard tool enables a seamless transition from initial sketch to a high-fidelity render, and potentially to a final frame. Now it’s a full motion and sound. All this made possible with custom creative tools - within days.

