Martin Scorsese Joins AI Startup Black Forest Labs as Advisor for Storyboarding
5 verified3 unconfirmed
Martin Scorsese has announced a partnership with the artificial intelligence startup Black Forest Labs, serving as an advisor and backer of the company. The filmmaker revealed he used the startup’s generative AI tools during preproduction to create storyboards, aiming to communicate his visual ideas more efficiently to his creative teams. In a statement to the New York Times, Scorsese emphasized his openness to evolving technology in cinema, calling the medium “only around 125 years old.” The director said the tools allowed him to move faster during preproduction without sacrificing quality. A video of Scorsese using the AI for storyboarding was shared by Black Forest Labs on social media. The company was founded in 2024 by Robin Rombach, formerly of Stability AI.
What’s verified
Martin Scorsese announced he became a partner and advisor to Black Forest Labs, an AI startup.
He used the company’s generative AI tools to create storyboards during preproduction for a film.
Scorsese stated that the ability to visualize and share storyboards was “creatively freeing” and allowed faster preproduction without sacrificing quality.
He described cinema as a young medium and said filmmakers must be open to technological evolution.
Black Forest Labs shared a video of Scorsese working with the AI storyboarding tool.
Not yet confirmed
Which specific film Scorsese used the AI tools on is not specified; one source suggests it may be the upcoming film “What Happens at Night,” but this is not confirmed by the other source or by an official statement.
Scorsese’s talent manager Rick Yorn reportedly fostered the connection to Black Forest Labs and is an investor via BroadLight Capital, according to one source.
Black Forest Labs CEO Robin Rombach stated that Scorsese joined as an advisor as long as a year ago, but the timeline is not detailed in both sources.
Key figures
Martin Scorsese (filmmaker, advisor to Black Forest Labs)
Black Forest Labs (AI startup)
Robin Rombach (CEO of Black Forest Labs)
Rick Yorn (talent manager, investor via BroadLight Capital)
BroadLight Capital (investment firm)
Sources: indiewire.com, consequence.net
