EXCLUSIVE: Fabula, the company founded by Pablo and Juan De Dios Larrain, is injecting AI technology into its production pipeline via a partnership with Runway.
The pact marks the latest collaboration for Runway, which last fall set an agreement with Lionsgate and last week got into business with Harmony Korine’s multi-media studio and tech boutique Edglord. Founded in 2018, Runway earlier this month announced $308 million new funding, at a valuation in the range of $3 billion.
In a blog post, Runway said the partnership would encompass “a broad range of use cases” spanning phases from “early concept ideation and storyboarding to production-ready VFX workflows.”
Fabula is known for films like the Oscar-winning A Fantastic Woman as well as high-profile biopics like Maria and Spencer. The Santiago, Chile-based company has also produced acclaimed series La Jauría and Señorita 89 as well as the upcoming Midnight Family for Apple TV+, a medical drama inspired by the documentary of the same name.
Commercial production will be another arena for AI. Fabula has produced commercials for brands like Nissan, Santander and Samsung.
One upcoming title that could benefit from the Runway AI tools, which are built on chips from Nvidia (which is also an investor in Runway) is The Shepherd. The sci-fi project is directed by Cutter Hodierne, whose film Fishing Without Nets captured two awards at Sundance, including the Grand Jury Prize for Drama. Hodierne is using Runway tools to help capture locations in the Andes and other remote areas. The filmmaker is crafting high-fidelity pre-visualizations of the film and bringing clarity to the story, shoot logistics and visual effects work.
“At Fabula, we’ve never shied away from new opportunities,” said Juan De Dios Larraín, Fabula’s founder and CEO. “The tools that Runway has developed are world class and allow us to innovate and streamline the creative work that we do.”
Andrew Hevia, Head of Fabula’s North American office, said the company is mindful of the mistrust about AI that created major rifts between major Hollywood unions and studios in 2023. But with technology improving and the industry evolving to make responsible use of budget all the more crucial, he said Fabula embraces opportunities for “filmmaker-led” initiatives like the Runway partnership. Runway tools have already been used across Fabula’s portfolio.
“Getting to experiment with these tools has been tremendously exciting,” he said. “They’ve helped us bring ambitious projects to market with incredibly compelling pitch materials in a way that wasn’t possible before now.”
In an interview with Deadline, Runway CEO Cristóbal Valenzuela said the partnership will help advance the company’s goals of putting filmmakers at the center of AI’s transformative effect.
“Cutter’s work has pushed boundaries and drawn acclaim for over a decade, and we’re excited to see how he’s applying Runway to The Shepherd,” Valenzuela said in the blog post. “Runway’s tools will help empower Fabula’s directors to break new ground while reinforcing our commitment to funding and supporting artists and filmmakers around the world.”
“Working with Runway has been transformational for my creative process,” said Hodierne. “Typically, I ‘discover’ the visual language of the film on location and refine it in the edit. But now, it feels like I’ve been able to make these discoveries and visually edit the look and feel of the movie while still in a writing phase. This has led to so many breakthroughs for me and for the film.”
