I’ve been directing for a long time. Trained the traditional way. Came up through production. Learned on set.
And for most of my career, I had a problem I couldn’t solve.
Directors don’t get reps.
Think about every other position on a film set. The DP is shooting constantly. The editor is cutting constantly. The AC is pulling focus constantly. They build muscle memory through repetition the same way any athlete does.
Directors don’t work like that.
You spend months in development. You get the script right. You do pre-production. You show up on set maybe a handful of times a year if you’re working steadily. And every single time, there’s a warmup period. A day or two where you’re just getting your legs back under you. Where your instincts are a half-second behind where they need to be.
I noticed this about myself before AI was even part of my workflow. I’d show up to set after months of prep and feel rusty. Not creatively rusty. Mechanically rusty. The vocabulary of directing (angles, blocking, lens choices, the feel of a scene) all of it takes a minute to come back online.
AI fixed that for me.
Over the last three years I’ve watched AI video go from outputs that were genuinely unusable to outputs that hold up against most things you’d see on television. And while a lot of people were focused on what that meant for the industry, I was focused on what it meant for my practice.
Because what AI gave me wasn’t just a production tool. It gave me a gym.
I am now making creative decisions every single day. Working through shots with image models. Experimenting with looks and scenes and stories I never had the resources to actually produce before. The muscle that only used to get flexed on set is getting flexed constantly now.
My knowledge of lenses has gotten sharper. My instincts around blocking are faster. My visual vocabulary has expanded in ways I wouldn’t have predicted. I estimate I’m at least five times more efficient as a director than I was three years ago.
That’s not a small number.
And here’s the thing. I’m not even on set most of the time. I’m working solo. But the decisions I’m making, the creative problem-solving I’m doing daily, it’s the same cognitive and creative work that directing requires. AI didn’t replace the practice. It made the practice possible at a frequency that wasn’t available before.
If you’re a director and you haven’t tried using AI for previs or storyboarding or even just experimenting with looks, I’d push you to try it. Not because AI is the future of filmmaking in some abstract way. But because it will make you a better director right now. The repetition alone is worth it.
The barrier to entry for filmmaking is dropping fast. That’s not a threat to talented directors. It’s an opportunity. The cream still rises. You just have more chances to practice rising.
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 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
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