I was trained in filmmaking in the days before AI. We learned about directing, lighting, composition, and story. But over the last few years, the industry shifted. The world started demanding more.
More volume. More “viral” hits. More production value. And—crucially—they wanted it all for less money.
So, like many of you, I leaned into AI. I saw the promise. But I also hit a wall.
Every single week, there is a new model. A new workflow. Another subscription to manage. Another tab to open. We are at a point where the “quality gap” between these tools is closing, but the complexity gap is widening.
The win isn’t about chasing the next shiny object anymore. It’s about sanity.
In this week’s product walkthrough, I am breaking down a solution I’ve found to the chaos: The new Artlist AI Toolkit.
Why This Matters
Artlist isn’t just launching another AI generator. They are launching an ecosystem.
The new AI Toolkit brings cutting-edge AI Video, Image, and Voiceover tools into one organized workspace. But the real power—the “sanity” factor—is that it connects those AI tools directly to the massive Artlist library of stock music, SFX, and footage we already know and trust.
It is one universal creative environment, all covered by one universal license.
Opening Sequence Prompts
Peeking under the hood, here are some of the prompts that built the opening cinematic sequence from the video above.
For the image generation I used my headshot plus the prompt in Nano Banana Pro.
So when “the man” in mentioned in the prompt, it’s that image that it’s referring to.
There were additional “transition” scenes between some of the clips where I grabbed the end frame from the first clip and the beginning frame of the second video and then used those as a first frame-last frame animation.
IMAGE PROMPT (Nano Banana Pro)
Vintage 1940s Hollywood Set. The man is looking at the camera and wearing a retro director's beret, leaning against a massive, antique 35mm film camera. Black and White Film Grain with high contrast lighting. Shot on Mitchell BNC with a Cooke Speed Panchro 50mm lens using Kodak Double-X 5222 B&W film stock.
IMAGE-TO-VIDEO PROMPT (Kling 2.6 Pro)
The man says "I was trained in filmmaking in the days before AI."IMAGE PROMPT (Nano Banana Pro)
A Classical European Theater Stage. The man is is looking at the camera and standing in a dramatic spotlight, holding a Shakespearean skull, surrounded by lush red velvet curtains. Shot on Arriflex 35 BL4 with a Zeiss Super Speed MKII lens using Kodak Vision3 500T 5219 film stock, tungsten balanced for stage light
IMAGE-TO-VIDEO PROMPT (Kling 2.6 Pro)
The man says "We learned about directing, acting, lighting, composition, and story."IMAGE PROMPT (Nano Banana Pro)
A massive, tectonic fault line splitting open in a desert landscape. The man is looking at the camera, balancing precariously on a cracking ridge between two worlds. On the left side of the chasm, old Hollywood film set facades and vintage camera cranes are tumbling into an abyss. On the right side, massive, glowing digital server towers and futuristic screens are violently rising from the ground. Dust and debris fill the air with dramatic, golden-hour sunset lighting. Shot on ARRI Alexa LF with hand-held motion, using a gritty, desaturated film look like Kodak 5219, with a wide-angle Zeiss Supreme Prime lens to emphasize the scale of destruction and creation.
IMAGE-TO-VIDEO PROMPT (Kling 2.6 Pro)
Static shot , a massive, tectonic fault line splitting open in a desert landscape. The man is looking at the camera, balancing precariously on a cracking ridge between two worlds. On the left side of the chasm, old Hollywood film set facades and vintage camera cranes are tumbling into an abyss. On the right side, massive, glowing digital server towers and futuristic screens are violently rising from the ground. Dust and debris fill the air with dramatic. the fault line continues to break as the man teeters on the edge about to fall in quickly saying "But a few years ago, the industry shifted. The world started demanding more. " No sfx only the man's dialogue.IMAGE PROMPT (Nano Banana Pro)
The Man stands on a dark, circular stage. He is surrounded not by an audience, but by a 360-degree towering wall of thousands of floating smartphones and tablets, all pointed directly at him. Every screen is recording him and flashing "LIVE" and "10M VIEWS". The light from the screens acts as a harsh, multi-colored spotlight on his face. He looks confident but surrounded. Shot on ARRI Alexa LF with a Petzval lens to create a swirling bokeh effect around the screens.
IMAGE-TO-VIDEO PROMPT (Kling 2.6 Pro)
The man says "More production value. More volume. More 'Viral' hits on a daily basis."IMAGE PROMPT (Nano Banana Pro)
A "Giant's Desk". The man is shrunken, tiny, standing on top of a massive stack of invoices next to a giant coffee mug, looking up at the camera lens. Miniature effect with shallow depth of field and saturated colors. Shot on Sony Venice 2 with a 90mm Tilt-Shift Macro lens using Kodak Ektachrome 100D film stock
IMAGE-TO-VIDEO PROMPT (Seedance 1.5 Pro)
Slowly zoom out as the man says "But here was the catch: they wanted all that, while the budgets kept shrinking."IMAGE PROMPT (Nano Banana Pro)
A vast, empty salt flat (like Bonneville) at golden hour. The man looks at the camera and is driving a sleek, minimalist open-top concept car or hover-speeder across the infinite white ground. There are absolutely no obstacles, no traffic, and no road signs—just pure, open horizon. He is moving incredibly fast, but looks completely relaxed and in control. Shot on RED V-Raptor with a long anamorphic lens to capture the cinematic width and the beautiful sunset flares. High contrast, warm, organic look.
IMAGE-TO-VIDEO PROMPT (Google Veo 3.1)
the hover craft moves fast across the salt plains as we zoom in on the man as he says "So the win isn't about chasing the next shiny object anymore. It’s about sanity. It's about having one platform that never slows you down."The Bottom Line
If you are ready to stop juggling subscriptions and simplify your process, I highly recommend giving this a look.
Start Creating on Artlist With 2 Free Months with Any Annual Plan
Let me know what you think of the new toolkit in the comments.
Be well, do good, and make awesome things.
About the Author
Gabe Michael is an award-winning AI filmmaker and creative technologist shaping the future of production with AI. He currently serves as Global SVP and Group Executive Producer of AI at Edelman, where he consults internal and external teams, enhances production workflows and explores new creative possibilities with AI.
As an early adopter of AI technology in film, video and creative production, Gabe’s work has earned accolades for ‘Best Odyssey’ at Project Odyssey, ‘Best Character’ and ‘Best Art Direction’ at the Runway Gen:48 AI Film Competitions, leading to his entry into many creative partner programs with top AI video tools.
With extensive experience as a director and producer in the creator economy, Gabe collaborates with top film studios, brands, and digital platforms, and shares his expertise on LinkedIn, YouTube, and in classrooms at UCLA.
📍 Website: gabemichael.ai
📺 YouTube: Gabe Michael’s Channel
📷 Instagram: @gabemichael_ai
📝 Substack: The Creative Possible
💼 LinkedIn: Gabe Michael
