Why Writers Should Pay Attention to Asteria's AI Move
Actor and filmmaker Natasha Lyonne isn't a tech insider, yet her studio, Asteria Film Co., is pushing a practical path for AI in film and TV. The promise: high-quality, copyright-safe generative video that respects the people who make the work.
For writers, that matters. Your script, your voice, your credits-protected at the source, not scraped from the internet.
Marey: AI Video With Permission Built In
Asteria partnered with Moonvalley AI to build Marey-named after cinematography pioneer Étienne-Jules Marey. The tool generates video for screen projects, but only from open-license sources or media the team has explicit permission to use.
That means no gray-area datasets. No "we'll sort rights out later" thinking. Just clean inputs that keep downstream rights cleaner too.
Marey is publicly available on a credits-based plan starting at $14.99/month.
Context: The Copyright Line
Big-tech video models have faced heat for scraping the web and colliding with copyright. Asteria's stance is the opposite: build on licensed or open content, document the source, and credit the humans who made it.
As Lyonne put it at a San Francisco AI conference, "I don't think it's super kosher copacetic to just kind of rob freely under the auspices of acceleration or China." That's a strong signal for writers who care about IP and paychecks.
How Writers Can Use AI Today (Without Burning Bridges)
- Pre-visualization: Generate rough shots, tone clips, and motion tests to stress-test a scene before you lock pages.
- Pitch assets: Build mood reels, world bibles, and character beats that help investors and execs "see" your story faster.
- Beat exploration: Try alternate scene dynamics and pacing visuals without dragging a crew into pre-pro.
- Continuity notes: Use AI video snippets to pressure-test staging, blocking, and set geography.
Lyonne says Asteria hasn't used AI to make a full show or film yet-but they do use it for renderings and development details. That's a realistic entry point for most writers.
Rights-First Guardrails For Your Workflow
- Source policy: Use open-license or licensed materials only. No mystery data. If in doubt, don't use it.
- Consent ledger: Track what you used, where it came from, and who approved it. Future you (and Legal) will thank you.
- Human review: Keep a writer, director, and producer in the loop for every AI-generated asset that touches story.
- Clear credits: If an artist's work informed your references, credit them in pitch materials and development docs.
- Contract clauses: Add language that bans unlicensed data in any third-party tools used on your project.
What This Means For Your Career
AI isn't a shortcut to gut your crew. It's a tool to explore ideas cheaper and faster, while protecting the people who make the work possible.
As Lyonne said: "We need human beings in AI so that the tools don't run us." Keep your voice at the center. Let the tools do the grunt work.
Resources
- Moonvalley AI - the filmmaking AI partner behind Marey.
- Creative Commons - understand open licenses before you source anything.
- Curated generative video tools - a practical starting point for writers testing AI in development.
Bottom Line
Use AI to sharpen pitches, explore visuals, and validate choices. Keep your data clean, your credits intact, and your story human.
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