Magna Studios and LIPSTICK Bring Ethical AI Filmmaking to the UK

Magna Studios partners with pioneering AI studio LIPSTICK

Magna Studios has entered a new partnership with LIPSTICK, the AI studio founded by director Sebastian Strasser. Powered by Magna, the collaboration brings LIPSTICK's high-end, AI-driven production to the UK after launches in Berlin and Paris this summer.

LIPSTICK unites production, cinematic VFX, and AI talent into one creative engine. For creatives and brands, that means faster iteration, stronger previsualisation, and director-led control from the first frame to delivery.

What this means for directors and brands

• One pipeline: production + VFX + AI working together for speed and visual fidelity.
• Director-first control: AI supports the vision, it doesn't dictate it.
• Smarter budgets: new efficiencies without compromising craft or ethics.

Who's already using it

Magna filmmakers already collaborating with LIPSTICK include Brady Corbet, Sam Pilling, Ryan Chun, and Arthur Studholme. Recent LIPSTICK work includes the Renault R5 'Revolution' and Vodafone's 'The Rhythm of Life'-the latter among the first brand films made entirely by AI artists in 2024.

What Magna says

Davud Karbassioun, co-CEO of Magna Studios, said, "We see AI as another tool to help us tell more stories, take bolder steps and push creativity further, presenting new opportunities for our filmmakers and brand partners alike. Sebastian has been leading the way in our industry for many years, both as a filmmaker obsessive with his craft but also by embracing and experimenting with these evolving tools and demonstrating how, in the right hands, AI-supported solutions can be both highly beneficial and ethical. We're thrilled to be partnering with LIPSTICK in the UK to offer a unique destination into the future of visual storytelling."

What LIPSTICK says

Sebastian Strasser, founder of LIPSTICK, said, "Humans direct. Machines generate. AI only soars when the best pilots - experienced filmmakers with real education, refined taste, and creative vision - are in control. In all the noise around AI, people forget the basics: Do you have something to say? And do you know how to say it? Without that, AI is just another tool producing meaningless content. That's why we built Lipstick: to give directors full control - from concept to final pixel - using AI only in ways it becomes a true superpower. Watching our idea go from raw sketch to full-blown international momentum in under a year doesn't feel like growth - it feels like ignition. That's why partnering with Magna - a company that shares our vision, our values, and our appetite for pushing boundaries - isn't just exciting. It's strategic. Together, we're helping shape the future - and backing the UK's role as one of the most innovative homes for filmmaking and production."

Why this matters for creatives

This is a clear signal: the winning model is human-led storytelling with AI as a force multiplier. Directors keep authorship, while AI accelerates look-dev, previz, and post. Brands get richer concepts, faster turnaround, and consistency across formats. The bar for taste, story, and craft rises-tools only help if the vision is sharp.

Actionable next steps for your next pitch

• Use AI for look-dev and boards to lock tone, palette, and composition before treatment.
• Prototype key scenes to stress-test narrative beats, transitions, and camera language.
• Align early on consent, data, and model use. For guidance, see the UK ICO's AI and data protection principles: ICO AI guidance.
• Skill up the team on generative video tools to speed R&D and references: Generative video tools.