Are you tired of the same old filmmaking process? Look no further – Morph Studio’s latest AI filmmaking platform is here to revolutionize the industry.
Morph Studio, with its own text-to-video model, has just unveiled its newest creation – the eponymous AI tool. Giving the traditional storyboard a modern twist, users can now craft their own shots and seamlessly combine them into a captivating narrative.
The creation process is anchored by Morph’s collaboration with Stability AI, but the company has plans to expand and introduce a diverse range of generative video models in the future. This unique process, which Morph calls a “workflow”, allows users to share their innovative techniques in the creator community, where others can easily replicate and modify the templates using AI prompts.
“In traditional filmmaking, filming, editing, and post-production were distinct and separate processes. But with AI, these stages become one fluid and ongoing process. If you’re not satisfied with a shot, you can easily regenerate it on our canvas. AI has truly transformed the workflow of film production,” says Xu Huaizhe, co-founder of Morph Studio, in an exclusive interview with TechCrunch.
Xu is part of a team of dropout Ph.D. students from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, who founded Morph Studio in 2023. He has his eye on CapCut – ByteDance’s popular video editing app that also utilizes AI – as a potential competitor to his company. Aware of the competition, Xu is determined to ensure that his startup is not easily replaced by “just another ByteDance app.”
According to Xu, Morph’s competitive edge lies in its strong and vibrant user community. “A community is irreplaceable,” the founder states. In terms of technology, Morph has put in significant effort to fine-tune its model and cater to the specific needs of creators.
Currently employing around 10 people, Morph has already raised $2.5 million in funding from Baidu Ventures.
Morph’s focus on creating a community around videos is evident in its initial product launch – a platform for sharing AI-generated memes. The company initially had plans to work on high-definition videos, but instead, decided to first develop a model for generating GIFs from text prompts.
“Memes are the new form of communication and news for the younger generation,” Xu explains. “While image-based communities like Reddit and 9gag are popular, there hasn’t been a platform specifically for video-based communities.”
This realization led Xu to create a Telegram group, where participants were only allowed to communicate through GIFs. In just a few days, the group grew to 300 members, with users sharing GIFs featuring Elon Musk in a spacesuit or Donald Trump dancing the night away – all created using Morph’s AI model. A similar Discord channel was launched shortly after. Currently, Morph is channeling its efforts into improving its film production platform.
“We found that people are not concerned with the authenticity of the GIFs. They love that they are AI-generated,” reveals Xu. “Memes allow people to express themselves in ways that words cannot.”
