Responsibilities - AI Video Generation (Environment Look Development)
Tools - MidJourney & Runway AI
Overview
"The Good Italian" by Anthony Giacchino is a groundbreaking silent short film created in 2024 at the School of Visual Arts in New York, notable for its use of artificial intelligence to recreate early 20th-century New York City. The film tells the true story of Detective Joe Petrosino, a pioneering Italian immigrant police officer who fought organized crime and discrimination in Manhattan’s Little Italy. Using AI tools like MidJourney and Runway, the filmmakers generated nearly all the visuals, capturing the atmosphere of the era with remarkable authenticity. By blending historical narrative with cutting-edge technology, "The Good Italian" not only pays tribute to a significant figure in Italian-American history but also explores the creative and ethical possibilities of AI in documentary storytelling.
Responsibilities
As part of my MFA Computer Arts program at the School of Visual Arts, I collaborated on the silent AI short film "The Good Italian" under the direction of Oscar-winning documentarian Anthony Giacchino in the AI & Filmmaking class. My primary contributions focused on creating the film’s environment and large scene shots, utilizing advanced AI tools such as MidJourney and Runway. Through these platforms, I helped generate historically authentic and visually compelling settings that brought early 1900s New York City to life, supporting the film’s narrative about Detective Joe Petrosino’s legacy. This project not only deepened my expertise in AI-driven visual storytelling but also allowed me to explore the creative intersection of technology and historical documentary filmmaking.
