SpecialGuestX, a leading creative technology agency, and 1stAveMachine, a mixed-media production company, have collaborated to develop the CMR-M1 – the first-ever AI-powered movie camera. Although still in the prototype stages, the camera will eventually enable users to capture AI-generated video content in real-time.
Generative AI software has certainly bloomed into life over the past year, with its capabilities becoming more intuitive and technically advanced than ever, and not just for still images. The calibre of video generation has also been quietly improving, with Open AI's Sora creating extremely lifelike video content with just a few text prompts.
This kind of video generation is currently text-to-video meaning that the content can be generated while sat at your desk, whereas the new CMR-M1 will be video-to-video, meaning filmmaking is still very much part of the process.
Inspired by the Cine-Kodak camera, the first portable 16mm camera and a camera that opened the video-making experience to more people, and AI is doing the same thing today. The CMR-M1 stands for camera mark 1.
It features a FLIR sensor, a sensor that is often used for thermal imaging and infrared cameras. It combines this with a Snapdragon CPU and a Viewport. Video, currently at a resolution of 1368x768 at 12 frames per second, is captured locally and then uploaded to a cloud server where a 'Stable Diffusion workflow is executed'. The first version is not yet done in real-time and there is currently a latency between the two, but it is certainly heading in that direction.
Co-founder and Executive Creative Technologist of SpecialGuestX, Miguel Espada says “We believe that movie creation is inherently physical. Filmmakers are used to using cameras, lenses, tripods, lighting, and that AI has to be a new tool that enhances creativity. In the spirit of creative experimentation, we designed a camera that serves as a physical interface to AI models.”
The camera is fascinating, and much like using an analog camera with different film stocks, it enables users to insert cards that offer a different effect, such as 'Blooming Nature' which turns the captured scene into a jungle-like environment, or 'Cosmic Coma' which generates stars and galaxies. This same card feature will, in the near future, enable users to upload and develop their own personal AI styles which could very much be a game changer!
By utilizing an NFC chip with an identifier the user can personalize their styles and workflow, in addition to creating a model that can be trained on their own personal video and images. Imagine being able to capture pre-post-processed video in real-time, or capturing live-action footage and it being instantly turned into animation.
The developers certainly see AI generation as a tool for filmmakers to use much like tripods and lighting, and the CMR-MK1 is very much a way for AI to break out of the office and capture real-world scenes. The CMR-MK1 will make its in-person debut at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity beginning June 17.
You may also be interested in our guides to the best cinema cameras and the best cine lenses.
