Understanding the Differences Between: ChatGPT, Claude, Midjourney, Google Gemini, Character AI & Sora
Summary
Learn from an award-winning screenwriter, director, and AI consultant who has won 32 prestigious Hollywood competitions and actively uses AI across real film and TV productions.
Get a practical AI Tool Workflow Guide you can immediately apply to your own creative projects in film, TV, and development!
PLEASE NOTE: This exclusive Stage 32 webinar is now available to watch on-demand and no longer live.
If you work in film, TV, or any corner of the creative industry, you've probably noticed that AI is showing up everywhere — in conversations, on your projects, and across the industry. The question is no longer whether AI will play a role in your creative career. The question is how — and more importantly, how you can use it strategically, intentionally, and in a way that actually makes your work better. Getting that clarity is a genuine competitive advantage.
For most creatives, the AI landscape can feel a little overwhelming at first — and that's completely understandable. ChatGPT, Claude, Midjourney, Google Gemini, Runway, Google Veo, and Sora are often grouped together under the general label of "AI," but they each do something different. Some are stronger for writing, brainstorming, rewriting, research, and development. Others shine when it comes to generating images, creating visual references, or exploring video concepts. Once you understand which tool does what, the whole landscape starts to make a lot more sense.
The good news? You don't need to be a tech expert to use these tools well. You just need to know where to start — and that's exactly what this Stage 32 webinar is designed to give you. Whether you're a writer looking for a creative collaborator, a producer building smarter pitch materials, a director exploring visual tone, or an actor preparing for a role, there's something here that can genuinely support your process.
That's why we're so excited to have Joshua Young leading this conversation. Joshua brings a rare combination of deep creative experience and real-world AI know-how. As a screenwriter and director with 32 award wins in some of Hollywood's most prestigious competitions — and a career spanning acting, filmmaking for Netflix, PBS, OWN, and TLC, and six years producing content on cruise ships around the world — he understands the creative process from the inside out. He actively uses tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney, Google Gemini, Sora, and others in his own work and with the clients he advises, and has even built his own custom GPT models.
In this exclusive Stage 32 webinar, you'll get a clear, practical breakdown of what each major AI tool is actually built to do — and how to choose the right one for the right task. By the time you're done, you won't just understand the AI landscape — you'll have a workflow that feels approachable, intentional, and genuinely useful for the work you're already doing.
PLUS! You will receive this handout to help you:
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AI Tool Workflow Guide for Creatives
Praise for Joshua's education with Stage 32:
What You'll Learn
AI Is No Longer an "If," But a "How"
- The quiet shift already reshaping Hollywood
- Cutting through the hype to what actually helps
- How AI supports the work without replacing the artist
The Major AI Categories and Tools
- Text, image, video, research, and multimodal: what each one is really for
- Where ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Midjourney, Runway, Veo, and Sora actually belong in your workflow
Choosing the Right Tool for the Creative Task
- Writing support that doesn't flatten your voice
- Research and packaging that actually saves time
- Visuals for lookbooks, decks, and sizzle reels
AI Cautions
- The hidden cost of treating every platform the same
- The mistakes that quietly sabotage creative work
- Copyright, privacy, and the ethical lines worth knowing
AI for Writers, Directors, Producers, and Actors
- New possibilities for writers who want a collaborator, not a ghostwriter
- Fresh ways for directors to explore tone, imagery, and visual language
- Smarter packaging and presentation for producers
- Unexpected tools actors can use to prepare and explore material
Visual and Video Development with AI
- Generating images, lookbooks, and mood boards that actually feel like yours
- The same prompt across different platforms and why the results vary so much
- What AI video can pull off today and where it still stumbles
Keeping the Creative in Control
- Using AI without losing your voice, taste, or authorship
- How to spot and avoid the generic AI look
- Tools NOT Terminators
- Building a creative workflow that's intentional, not accidental
The Future of AI in Film, TV, and Creative Development
- Where the tools may be heading next
- What's worth paying attention to and what's just noise
Q&A with Joshua Young
Who Should Attend
- Screenwriters who want to use AI as a creative collaborator without losing their voice or originality
- Directors looking to explore tone, imagery, and visual language using the latest AI tools
- Producers who want smarter, faster ways to research, package, and pitch their projects
- Actors curious about how AI can support preparation, character exploration, and career development
- Filmmakers ready to create lookbooks, mood boards, and visual development materials with AI
- Film & TV Executives who want to understand how AI is reshaping the development and production landscape
- Content Creators looking to streamline their workflow and produce higher quality work in less time
- Anyone in the entertainment industry who has felt overwhelmed by AI and wants a clear, practical guide for where to start
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.
Testimonials
Praise for Joshua's previous education with Stage 32:
"Joshua gave a great "current status" overview of AI and gave wonderful specific examples of screenwriting prompts and specific areas where AI was most useful for screenwriters in their creative process. Greatly appreciate Joshua's handout thoroughness that we will be getting too! Thanks Joshua! Go Virgos!"
"AMAZING information. Joshua Young clearly knows his stuff and does an excellent job of teaching us what he knows. I feel so much more confident about diving into ChatGpt based on everything I learned today, and I know my scripts will be better because of it."
"As a total amateur, Joshua's introduction was very helpful for me. What can the system do, and how do you get the most out of the system."
"Joshua had a number of excellent ideas on how to thoughtfully use AI."