Darren Aronofsky, the Oscar-nominated director known for Black Swan and The Whale, has launched a new storytelling venture called Primordial Soup in collaboration with Google’s DeepMind Veo 3. The studio is focused on exploring the intersection of narrative film and emerging technologies, specifically generative AI. Primordial Soup’s first public initiative is a partnership with Google DeepMind, the AI research division behind some of the most powerful machine learning models in development. Together, they’ve created a series of experimental short films using DeepMind’s new video generation model, Veo 3. This collaboration was introduced in a short announcement film released on DeepMind’s official YouTube channel. The video features Aronofsky and other filmmakers discussing the creative potential and implications of using AI as a tool for visual storytelling. Darren Aronofsky reviewing AI footage with other filmmakers. | Image credit: Google Veo The project’s centerpiece is a short film titled “Ancestra”, directed by Eliza McNitt. It blends live-action performances with visuals generated by Veo, and it will premiere at the 2025 Tribeca Festival. It is the first of several planned shorts intended to explore how AI might shape cinematic language. The trailer includes surreal, dreamlike sequences that blur the line between traditional cinematography and AI output. One of the most visually striking moments mirrors the iconic Stargate sequence from 2001: A Space Odyssey. The original took months of meticulous optical work and hand-painted art to complete. In contrast, this AI-rendered version was generated in seconds. The similarity could be revealing. What is DeepMind’s Veo...
Published By: CineD - Yesterday