A.I. For Filmmakers: How to Build a Director’s Lookbook
Summary
Learn from an award-winning filmmaker and AI consultant who has worked with Netflix, PBS, OWN, TLC, and more — and has won 32 screenwriting awards in Hollywood's most prestigious competitions!
Get a Director's Vision Package AI Template plus a curated prompt library you can start using on your own project today!
If you've ever sat across from a producer, financier, or studio executive and felt that frustration — you know they're not seeing your project the way you see it. Your vision is clear. Your story is compelling. But translating what's in your head into something a room full of decision-makers can actually feel — that's where projects live or die. In this exclusive Stage 32 webinar, you're going to learn exactly how to fix that — by building a cinematic, professional Director's Lookbook using AI image tools, the same approach that is getting filmmakers into rooms right now.
Right now, AI image tools are revolutionizing how filmmakers communicate their visual world. The creatives who learn to use them strategically are getting into rooms that others are still waiting outside of. This isn't about chasing a trend. This is about a competitive edge that is available to you right now — before the window closes.
Here's what's happening: too many talented filmmakers are either avoiding AI tools altogether because they feel overwhelming, or grabbing whatever's trending and hoping the software does the thinking for them. Neither is working. You've probably been there — hours lost in Pinterest boards and film stills, searching for a frame that captures the exact mood of your opening scene. Nothing quite fits. And when you do reach for AI, the results scream "AI slop" and kill the pitch before it starts. The problem isn't the tools. The problem is that prompting well is a craft — and most filmmakers haven't been taught how.
That's exactly why you want to learn this from Joshua Young. Joshua has worked as a filmmaker, director, video editor, and animatic editor for Netflix, PBS, OWN, TLC, and more. He's won 32 awards in Hollywood's most prestigious screenwriting competitions. And today he's one of the film industry's leading AI consultants, advising filmmakers and screenwriters on how to use Midjourney, ChatGPT, Gemini, and more to work smarter and move faster. Joshua doesn't just talk about AI — he builds with it every day. And in this webinar, he is showing you exactly how to do what he does.
You're going to walk away knowing what a Director's Vision Package actually is, what producers and financiers want to see in one, and how to avoid the amateur mistakes that cost you the meeting before it begins. You'll get a side-by-side breakdown of today's top AI image tools — including why Midjourney still leads for cinematic imagery — plus the exact prompting methodology that separates generic AI output from images that look like they belong in a pitch deck. You'll learn how to build visual consistency across an entire package, lock in a tone and lighting language, and tackle character consistency and ensemble shots.
By the time you're done, you won't just understand these tools — you'll know how to drive them like a filmmaker.
PLUS! You will receive this handout to help you:
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Director's Vision Package AI Template plus prompt library
What You'll Learn
What a Director's Vision Package Actually Is (and Isn't)
- The Difference Between a Lookbook, a Mood Board, and a Vision Package
- What Producers, Financiers, and Studios Actually Want to See
- The Five Sections Every Vision Package Should Include
- Common Mistakes That Signal "Amateur" in the First Three Slides
Understanding the Tools
- The AI Image Tool Landscape in 2026: Midjourney, ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Canva AI: Side-by-Side Comparisons
- Which Tool Wins for Cinematic Imagery (and Why Midjourney Still Leads) • Where the Other Tools Actually Beat Midjourney or complement
- Cost, Speed, and Workflow Trade-Offs
Prompting Midjourney Like a Director (With comparison examples of other programs)
- How to Avoid the "AI Look" That's Killing Pitches Right Now
- Prompt Anatomy: Subject, Style, Cinematography, Mood
- How to Write Prompts like a filmmaker to get what you need
- Aspect Ratios, Stylization, and why they matter
- The Reference Image Workflow (and Why It Changes Everything)
- Building Visual Consistency Across a Whole Package
- Locking a Tone, Palette, and Lighting Language
- Character Consistency Techniques
- Ensemble character images
- Using Real Film Stills as Reference Anchors
Q&A with Joshua Young
Who Should Attend
- Directors who want to communicate their visual vision more powerfully and get into more rooms faster
- Screenwriters who are ready to take their pitch decks to the next level and make financiers and producers feel their story before the first meeting
- Independent filmmakers who want to compete at a higher level without a big budget or a full production team behind them
- Producers looking to create visually compelling development materials that get projects greenlit
- Film students and emerging creatives who want to build professional-grade pitch materials from day one and skip the years of trial and error
- Any creative professional who has tried AI image tools, felt frustrated by generic results, and wants to finally learn how to use them with intention and craft
Executive
Raised by a psychic and a carpenter (that's actually true), Joshua's journey in the entertainment industry began humbly as a horse in a community Christmas play. As a late teen, he transitioned to more substantial roles, acting in Movies of the Week, sci-fi TV shows, and commercials. At twenty-one, he joined the cruise lines, first as an
entertainment host and then as a filmmaker. For six years, he traveled the world, filming everything from celebrity interviews and safety videos to promotional materials, stock footage, and excursions.
Throughout his travels, Joshua honed his skills as a writer and has won 32 awards in some of Hollywood's most prestigious screenwriting competitions to date. After retiring from his cruise ship career, he worked as a filmmaker, director, video editor, and animatic editor for networks and streaming services such as Netflix, PBS, OWN, TLC, and more. In his free time, he continued to write and direct his own projects, both large and small. Today, Joshua is dedicated to his career as a screenwriter and director full-time, with the ultimate goal of becoming a Showrunner and Head Writer for his own series.
In addition to his creative roles, Joshua has expanded his expertise as an AI consultant in the film industry. He advises individual filmmakers, screenwriters, and independent businesses on utilizing AI to enhance their operations. His consulting focuses on improving staff support and reducing the time required for tasks such as research, outlines, pitch decks, story development, and more. Joshua utilizes a variety of AI tools to augment his and his clients' creative processes, including ChatGPT, Midjourney, Google Gemini, Character AI, Sora, and more. He has also created his own ChatGPT models, affectionately known as "GPTs," and trains others on how to build their own tailored models to meet their specific needs.
Joshua believes in the power of AI to enhance, not replace, creative efforts. He says, "I view artificial intelligence as a complement to the creative team, not a substitute. It's about leveraging this incredible resource to empower filmmakers, enabling them to propel their careers and projects forward more swiftly than ever before."
This unique blend of creative flair and technological insight has made him a sought-after consultant in the rapidly evolving digital landscape of entertainment.