08/16/2026
What are your opinions on using AI in film-making?
For those who don't follow our Patreon page where my opinions on this matter have already been made clear, I think it's a valuable tool for independent and low-budget creators...but it also depends on HOW it's used. I absolutely will NOT use AI to generate "location footage," "evidence" or anything like that. Such deception is probably already abundant in online video content. Anyone in the paranormal field who uses AI to do this sort of thing isn't an investigator, historian, or documentarian; they're con artists desperate to stay in favor of greedy algorithms that favor drama. Just thinking of that possibility pi**es me off. I also shudder to think of how billion-dollar corporations will abuse AI for the sake of more profit.
if AI is to be used creatively, I believe honest disclosures about how it was used, especially in the credits of any video project, are a great way to build trust between creator and viewer. A video I worked on for a web series called "Channel Nowhere" used all AI-generated photos (although I added my own homebrewed VHS effects and similar filters). I did this for the sake of creative experimentation and as a launching point for other ideas...but the end credits clearly stated that AI was used. I had nothing to hide then and I don't now.
Would I prefer to hire human artists rather than use AI? Absolutely. However, just putting together documentary content is a financial crunch on our shoestring budget and I simply cannot afford to pay anyone for their work right now. I also can't afford to hire actors, set builders, costume designers, etc., that are crucial for filming historical reenactments. This is also why I had to abandon several creative (and fictional) short horror movie projects last year. Lastly, I'm a decent pencil artist, but my hands aren't what they used to be, and I have no idea how to turn a pencil drawing into fully-colored work.
With that being said, the only AI photos & videos I plan to use in our upcoming full-length documentary project are for visual interpretations of the legends that we're covering. I will primarily be using our own footage (ALWAYS shot on location) for video-to-video effects/changes (for those more interested in how I approach this, see the link to our Patreon article at the bottom of this post. It's free to access, BTW). I will also be using a few AI-generated photos for these recreations of legends. Early Stable Diffusion AI models can spit out some freaky pictures when the words "vampire's ghost" are a part of the prompt...
I understand that this may turn some people off to this upcoming project. But I also hope that by being up front beforehand, those among you who have strong opinions against AI use will at least give "Dark Disturbances: History, Hauntings, and Legends of Lake Erie" a try. Putting together a full-length documentary almost singlehandedly is a monumental task but, dammit, I'm gonna do it.
It seems that generative AI is a touchy subject with a lot of people, particularly among creators. My opinion is that it can be a useful too
