Week 1: The Creative Process & AI

Hello Friend

Today I want to share a look into our class - AI for Creative Leaders

If you’re looking to learn and follow our process, this is a great opportunity to do so.

It is packed and there is a lot to go through. I’ll share the journey week by week.

Hope you join us.

A few words from Julian

To give you a glimpse of our class, I find it best to let our students share their experience.

This post is written by Julian. He is one of our students. A video editor and colourist with over 30 years of experience in high-end post-production. He is looking to integrate AI into his workflow where it actually adds value.

The journey begins!

This week marks my first class at the Lighthouse AI Academy's "AI for Creative Leaders" course. Over the next 12 weeks, I'll explore each stage of filmmaking—from concept to final output—enhanced by AI tools. Join me as I share insights from our first session about its role in creative workflows.

Introduction to AI: Today's Lesson

What can AI offer us in filmmaking today? That's what we set out to discover in our first lesson. We looked at it as a creative assistant (spoiler: it's not a magic box), got under the hood to see how it works, and explored its capabilities in film production.

Simple enough, right? Let me walk you through today's AI introduction and what we learned.

Class of '25

First, let me introduce my classmates. The “AI for Creative Leaders” course has attracted a fascinating group of seasoned professionals, each at a different point in their AI journey but sharing the same question: how do we integrate AI into creative workflows meaningfully, efficiently, and sustainably?

We come from the Netherlands, Lithuania, Italy, Germany, Canada, India, the UAE, the US, and beyond. This international blend brings together a broad range of creative and technical backgrounds, which enriches our shared exploration of AI.

We’re filmmakers, VFX artists, photographers, advertising creatives, animators, performing artists, and designers. Some have spent decades mastering traditional craft and are now exploring AI’s role. We’re past the “Can AI do this?” stage. Now it’s about “How can I make AI work for me in a practical way?”

For some, the biggest hurdle is gaining control over the sheer number of tools. AI seems promising but can feel unpredictable. Others see the potential but struggle with the technical side—hardware, software, or simply knowing where to begin.

Then there’s a broader question: Where is this heading? Some see AI as a path to exciting creative possibilities, while others wonder if it means producing faster for less pay. Will it enhance our skill sets or lead our industries to evolve unexpectedly? We’re exploring these questions together, which is exactly why we’re here.

We’re here to compare notes, share ideas, and collaborate on each other’s projects. Below, I’ll offer a sneak peek of the work we will be doing together.

Getting Down to Business

With such a diverse group of creatives in the (virtual) room, our course leaders had their work cut out for them. Nejc Sušec and Luka Tišler make an interesting team—Nejc guiding us through the creative possibilities while Luka tackles the technical side. It's a balance that mirrors our goal: merging creative expertise with AI capabilities.

Nejc kicked off our first session with a refreshing take. Despite our experience, he encouraged us to adopt a beginner's mindset. "Forget what you think you know about AI," he suggested, "and let's look at what it really is."

What followed was eye-opening. Instead of the usual AI hype, we got into practical territory. AI is less of a magical solution and more of a collaborative partner—needing clear direction and quality input to deliver meaningful results. As Nejc put it, "garbage in, garbage out." It resonated with everyone in the room.

Understanding the Basics

The real work began as we dove into how AI actually works. At its core, it functions as a language transformer - it takes information in one form and transforms it into another. Text can become images, images can become video, voice can become text - There are models that can even transform WiFi signals into 3D models. This versatility is exciting, but it requires clear direction from us.

Creatives need specific skills: clear communication, critical thinking, and effective problem formulation. It's about directing the AI, not just using it. Understanding the whole pipeline lets us guide these tools to support our creative vision.

We explored how AI models are trained on vast amounts of data, learning patterns and relationships. These aren't thinking creatively; they're making predictions based on their training data. This is why input quality matters - better communication with AI leads to better results.

The technical part was eye-opening. We examined how parameters shape AI's behavior, how models are trained for specific tasks, and why some tools work better. It's not about finding one perfect tool, but understanding how different capabilities fit into our workflows.

Putting Theory into Practice

With these foundations in place, we turned to the practical side. Each of us needed to examine our creative process and ask: "In which areas can AI assist me?" It's not about replacing our strengths, but finding new possibilities. There's excitement in discovering what these tools can do—like having a new toy.

For me, this meant looking at a typical film workflow with fresh eyes. Where might AI tools complement my work? Understanding AI as a language transformer helped frame these questions. Time to explore the possibilities.

My Creative Process

To answer these questions, I mapped out a film workflow from concept to delivery. Below is a simple chart outlining each stage of film production. The main question: "At which stages can AI help me in this workflow?" This chart will pop up every now and then over the coming weeks as we refine our ideas.

Want to follow along our class?

Take a moment and write down your creative process.

How do you create your work? Film, advertisements, fashion collection, whatever is your specialty - how do you go from nothing to the final result?

You can follow the example created by Julian.

Looking Ahead: Large Language Models & Creative Workflows

Next week, we’ll step into the world of Large Language Models (LLMs). From ChatGPT to customized AI assistants, we’ll explore how these tools can be shaped for creative workflows—from scriptwriting to brand storytelling.

If you’re interested in the next cohort, the applications are open.