Course Content
Course Overview
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About Project Quixote
About the Instructor
The Toolchain Behind the Project
Discord Server Support
Development Diary (TBD)
A development diary and behind the scenes look into the development of Project Quixote.
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Development Diary Overview
Introduction to Project Quixote (TBD)
An introduction to the Project Quixote story.
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Creating Project Quixote
Writing the Story with Arc Studio Pro
Training ChatGPT to Tell Better Stories
Project Quxiote ChatGPT Writing Assistant
Roleplaying for Dialogue in ChatGPT
The Project Quixote Short Film Script
Foundations of Generative AI (TBD)
Understand the history, technology, and terminology behind modern generative AI tools.
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Origins of AI and Neural Networks
Large Language Models and GPTs
Generative Imagery & Video
Generative 3D
Generative Audio & Sound Effects
The Future of AI: Real-Time, Agents, Ethics & Ownership
AI Model Collapse & Data Poisoning
Prompting & Ideation with ChatGPT (TBD)
Use ChatGPT as a creative partner to build effective prompts and generate ideas.
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Introduction to ChatGPT
Using ChatGPT for Ideation and Scene Building
Creating a Custom Chatbot
Prompting for Characters, Worlds, and Narrative Scenes
Prompt Drift & Iterative Distortion
Getting Started with ComfyUI (TBD)
Set up your working environment and understand the node-based interface.
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Installing ComfyUI
Understanding the Node-Based Graph Interface
Getting Started with ComfyUI
Downloading Checkpoints, VAEs, and LoRA Models
Saving, Reloading, and Organizing Workflows
Project Quixote – A Generative AI Masterclass

The Toolchain Behind the Project

In this lesson, I’ll walk through the core software and hardware tools I’m using to develop my AI-assisted short film. These tools span everything from writing and 3D creation to voice synthesis, automation, and camera capture. This isn’t a “one size fits all” setup, this is what works for me after years in VFX, scanning, and wrestling with generative AI.

 

Getting Started Doesn’t Require All of This

Yes, I use a lot of tools. That doesn’t mean you need to.

 

This setup reflects the needs of my project, a story that depends on control, character-specific references, and AI tools that can deliver consistent results. Pure text-to-image or text-to-video generation just isn’t reliable enough for what I’m trying to do. Too random. Too unpredictable. So, I designed a system that gives me more control.

 

But if you’re just starting out in AI filmmaking, don’t let this list intimidate you. You don’t need everything here. You can get surprisingly far with just a script, ChatGPT, a free video editor, and one solid image or video generation model. Add more as your needs evolve. The real skill isn’t knowing every tool, it’s knowing when to bring each one into the process.

 

Start small. Iterate. The tools will still be there when you’re ready to level up.

 

Story & Writing Tools

  • Arc Studio Screenwriter ($79, one time): My primary scriptwriting tool. Clean, distraction free, and good for structure. It doesn’t try to be everything. Just gets out of the way.

  • ChatGPT Pro ($20/month): Used for brainstorming, dialogue, structural rewrites, and debugging story logic. Surprisingly useful, often maddening. Companion and foil.

 

3D & Worldbuilding

  • Unreal Engine 5.6 (Free): Real time environment rendering and cinematic tools. Core to final output.

  • Maya Indie ($330/year): For modeling and rigging when Blender isn’t enough. It is still industry standard, even if I’m not working at a studio.

  • ZBrush ($279/year): Sculpting characters and assets. Still the king when you need detailed organic modeling.

  • Blender 4.x (Free): Open source 3D suite. Used for previs, rigging, animation, or anything that doesn’t require the precision of Maya or the flexibility of Unreal.

  • Adobe Cloud ($59.99/month): Includes Photoshop, After Effects, and Premiere. Necessary evils for post, compositing, and final polish.

  • Adobe Substance ($249/year): Texture and material creation. PBR workflows for both real time and baked rendering.

 

Additional Hardware & Software

  • Metashape Pro Edu ($500, permanent): Photogrammetry software used for reconstructing real world scenes into 3D. Solid, reliable, battle tested.

  • RealityScan (Free): Another photogrammetry software from Epic Games

  • Jawset PostShot (Beta): A newer entrant for gaussian splat visualization. Experimental but promising.

  • Xgrids K1 Lidar Scanner (Sponsored by Xgrids): Real world Lidar scanning and guassian splat data integration into Unreal.

  • iPhone 16 Pro Max ($1500): Used with apps like RealityScan or mobile Lidar tools. Video captured can be used for video-to-video AI models.

  • DJI Osmo Mobile 7 ($200): For stabilized footage capture. Helps with reference material, BTS, and possibly mocap proxies.

  • Wacom Tablet: Used throughout for sculpting, painting, and annotating.

 

AI, Automation, and Integration

  • ComfyUI (Free core, $25/month for credits): My main AI workflow environment. Everything runs through this, from image generation and video inference to model chaining, node logic, and batch processing. It’s visual, modular, and endlessly hackable. The heart of the system.

  • OpenAI API ($25/month): Used for narrative generation, chatbot logic, and structured prompt workflows. Core to building agentic AI scenes in the story.

  • ChatGPT Pro ($20/month): For real-time iteration, dialogue polishing, and structural revisions. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it hallucinates. Still better than staring at a blank page.

  • ElevenLabs ($22/month): AI voice synthesis for rapid prototyping. Lets me test tone, pacing, and delivery before committing to voice talent.

  • n8n ($25/month): Automation glue. Connects services, triggers API calls, manages asset flows. Essential for reducing manual busywork and keeping the creative pipeline moving.

  • X Premium / API Access ($349/year): Scrapes social signals, plugs into audience feedback loops, and provides some outside-the-box narrative hooks for how the story might evolve online.

 

Editing & Compositing

  • Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve (Free / $295 Studio license): My primary NLE. Fast, stable, and doesn’t try to upsell you every five minutes. I use it for everything from rough assembly to final color grading. The Cut and Edit pages are intuitive, and the Color tab is still the gold standard for grading, even if you’re not a colorist.
  • Blackmagic Fusion (Included in Resolve Studio): Node-based compositing inside Resolve. Not as hand-holdy as After Effects, but way more powerful once you understand the logic. I use it for cleanup, screen replacements, motion graphics, and basic VFX. If you’ve used Nuke, it’ll feel familiar. If you haven’t, expect a learning curve.

 

Total Estimated Cost (12 Months)

Software & Services: $3,768.00

Hardware Additions: $1,700.00

Total Spend: $5,468.00

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