The Fractalnaut is a pseudonymous filmmaker whose AI-powered stories have been blowing up Instagram. Amassing a following of over 320,000 followers in less than a year with his quirky, absurdist takes on high fantasy concepts. We reached out to The Fractalnaut to learn more about his creative process and how Leonardo has become an integral part of his workflow.
Leonardo: Can you tell us about your background in film and video?
The Fractalnaut: I’ve been a filmmaker for over a decade, mostly working as a video editor and videographer for various projects such as short films, documentaries, music videos. I was always drawn to the possibilities of manipulating existing pieces of media and being able to rework them to create new imagery – starting with visual effects and compositing using After Effects.
Leonardo: How did you get started using Leonardo.Ai?
The Fractalnaut: I started using a rudimentary AI image creator during the fall of 2022. I was using it to create psychedelic imagery to visualize altered states of consciousness.
Fast forward a few generative AI advancements and storytelling endeavours later, and I started using Leonardo in early 2024. I was drawn by other abilities to animate videos. Leonardo’s Motion model competes with RunwayML in my experience, animating in a kind of Three-dimensional way that Runway does not.
Leonardo: How are you currently using Leonardo in your filmmaking process?
The Fractalnaut: It was Leonardo’s Universal Upscaler that really blew me away. It works like actual magic and took the epic images I was creating, and made them even more epic. I use it often now when I want to make images look better. And of course, I use the image to motion tool.
My stories take place in another galaxy with alien humanoid sentient plant beings. I would describe it as Veggie Tales, if it was written by Isaac Asimov and Tolkien after they had taken Dune Spice together.
Leonardo: What advice would you give to other filmmakers considering Leonardo?
The Fractalnaut: Pay attention to the growing development of the tech. Every month there’s a new change that could innovate a workflow or help you visualize something that would not have been possible otherwise.
Leonardo: What are you most excited about when it comes to the future of filmmaking?
The Fractalnaut: I think that the playing field is going to be increasingly leveled for the average person to compete with Hollywood in terms of storytelling ability. As AI video and AI 3D models get better at generating scenes that allow for more experimentation with camera angles and three-dimensional space, anyone can become a director.