How AI Elevates the Creative Process, From a Creative

Christian Robins - Co-Founder & CCO, 11 Dollar Bill - 11dollarbill.com

If you know me, you know I love talking about AI in Post-Production. I speak about it every chance I get. If you don’t know me, I’m the Co-Founder and CCO of 11 Dollar Bill, a post-production studio with offices in Chicago, Boulder, and Raleigh. For 11 years, we’ve been proactively integrating and experimenting with emerging tech to enhance our workflows. Personally, I’ve been doing it for over 25 years.

But this time, it feels different.

AI has created a lot of tension for creatives. And after speaking with my colleagues from many different disciplines, I understand why. For many, creativity isn’t just about the work… it’s tied to the creative’s personal identity. When AI enters the picture, it can feel like a challenge to that deep connection. But for me, creativity is less about the tools you use and more about making something unique that connects with your audience.

At 11 Dollar Bill, we’ve integrated AI directly into our traditional post-production workflows. Why? Because AI is doing something extraordinary right now. It’s elevating both the client and creative experience in a way I didn’t see coming.

It’s allowing us to keep everyone in a constant state of creative flow, focusing on better work, instead of wasting time overcoming obstacles. We’re combining disciplines and encouraging our creatives to step out of their traditional roles. By cutting down on those tedious tasks that slow momentum, we’re creating a unique, collaborative process that clients may not be used to, but find dynamic, engaging, and creatively empowering. Focusing more on the creative and less on remedial tasks has, for us, accelerated the “fun” aspect of our jobs, which is why we got into it in the first place, right?

Here’s a glimpse into how we’re doing it:

Get Everyone Aligned Before You Roll We pull prompts directly from the director’s treatments and the client’s scripts, using generative AI to create storyboards in a fraction of the time it used to take. This means the Director, DP, and Post-Production teams can weigh in early, ensuring that production tweaks are handled before clients even see the work. Collaboration starts sooner, letting everyone’s vision shine and giving us more time to be creative and experimental.

Moving fast with ElevenLabs, Udio, and Suno Generative audio is so much fun. With platforms like ElevenLabs, Suno and Udio, we can create music and lyrics that are up-to-the-second culturally relevant and we can also quickly alter results based on the feedback we receive from clients. We can create scratch VO tracks instantly instead of waiting for someone to free up and hop in the booth. We also use AI audio programs to make sound design elements for edit to rapidly establish tone. The quick and nimble processes these new tools give, provides our team and clients a new way to engage creatively.

Making 3D with Luma.AI The ability to scan a product or prop and create a 3D model in minutes, not weeks, has changed everything. We scanned a North Face parka in one of our suites at the office, created a 3D file, and made the Empire State Building wear it in a couple of days. With the right ideas, the turnaround time to create high-quality, infinitely sharable content has dramatically shortened.

Less Cleanup, More Creation Rather than stopping the creative momentum for tedious cleanup work, we use Adobe’s suite of AI tools to handle background replacements, cleanup, and beauty work in real-time during editing. That one creative in the seat is now empowered to “just do it right now” and not lose steam. Clients never leave the mindset of storytelling, and this has become our new status quo. The entire post-production experience stays smoother and more interactive.

Generative VFX and Previz My favorite part about Generative VFX is that we can show any crazy idea we come up with. Runway has evolved into something that has become very useful for us. We can create our own stock assets and tweak shots based on our client’s IP, giving them something tangible to respond to in real-time. Had a dog that wouldn’t stay still on a shoot? We tell it to stay still. Need to extend a green screen shot? Let’s make it longer. The old “we’ll fix it in post” phrase that used to be met with slight irritation from post-production studios is now more possible than it ever has been.

Custom Tools for Custom Problems One of the most exciting aspects of working with AI is creating custom workflows. From using generative models trained on our own creative work to building new AI workflows for specific tasks, we are creating bespoke solutions for our clients that automate processes and and streamline creativity. This new mindset allows our client sessions to run faster with more of a focus on the client’s concepts and less on the mundane aspects of the post-production process. Once educated, everyone in the room becomes responsible for being part of the answer.

Bringing Clients into the Creative Flow

The flow state is a great place to be, and now it’s easier for us to get there in a team setting. We’re able to experiment more, say "yes" to requests that were once impossible, and keep the creativity moving without interruption. This reduces friction, creating a playground for real exploration… and that’s where 11 Dollar Bill has the most fun.

At the end of the day, AI is just one part of the process. It’s up to us as creatives to be the captain of the ship, keep the client experience unique and exciting, and deliver work that connects. I love embracing new workflows and applying them to our fundamentals, without letting them define us. It’s easier than ever to create better and better work, share a connection in the room with every creative, and hone in on a process that makes everyone feel limitless.