ClownVamp on How AI Has Unlocked a New Era of Storytelling
We recently caught up with ClownVamp (CV), a NewYork-based, self-described “recovering vampire,” that specializes in AI integrated art and storytelling, particularly in the realm of Web3.
Our conversation takes a behind-the-scenes look at his ongoing Detective Jack series, specifically its latest installment, a prequel titled The Cold Case set to release via BrainDrops on September 18.
Notably, the adventure is making a move from Tezos to Ethereum, although, CV envisions a multi-chain world and says Jack isn’t disappearing from Tezos anytime soon.
In our conversation, we discuss various inspirations, aspirations, and processes that went into the creation of the latest installment, as well as how other artists and creators can use AI-integrated storytelling to further elevate their craft.
The Story
In Detective Jack: The Cold Case, CV takes participants back in time to explore the only case Detective Jack could never solve, the disappearance of the love of his life, Tiffany Abbington, in 1961.
On the night Jack plans to propose, she goes missing, which isn’t unusual as she’s an adventurer, a daughter of globe-trotting diplomats, and one of the first female helicopter pilots.
As the story unfolds it turns into a full-blown conspiracy, involving the KGB, CIA, a Cowboy gang, strange letters with cutouts of John F. Kennedy, and the involvement of a female helicopter group called the “SkyGirls” — inspired by the real-life Whirly Girls from the same era.
Dazed, confused, and otherwise defeated, Detective Jack has given up hope, however, participants in this mystery have a chance to solve the mystery of what happened to his would-be fiancé Tiffany Abbington and put this cold case to rest.
The Inspiration
“I grew up loving CYOA mystery books and the Hardy Boys. As an adult, I loved reading pulp mysteries like James Patterson and Daniel Silva,” shared CV.
He added “Detective Jack started in 2022, I got really interested in the idea of using the blockchain to do a CYOA series using burn mechanisms. I also had been spending more time in Los Angeles and loved the sort of whisper of glamor that so much of LA has. These things all came together for the story of Detective Jack Crimson, a pink-washed adventure through the underbelly of Los Angeles.”
CV explained that two seasons later, an entire universe of lore emerged, which brought about inspiration to explore a new storytelling mechanic, the case file and further dig into some of Jack’s past that had been hinted at in the other installments.
As for specific character inspiration, he shared “I love big, straightforward characters in the style of Tyler Sheridan and James Patterson.
The artist and storyteller shared that a lot of his inspiration comes from his childhood, which he admits was often lonely but accredits that loneliness to the exploration of world-building, transitionally achieved using stuffed animals, legos, and computer games over the years.
Now expressed through the form of AI-integrated art, CV’s inner child is able to visually share stories that might have otherwise only existed in his dreams or in a novel from writers’ passed.
The Process
Having been working on Detective Jack: The Cold Case since February, CV shared that the project started with outputs in the “many tens of thousands,” which were then filtered down to 11,000 and ultimately curated to a collection of 500 works.
Speaking to the criteria for the curation, CV shared, “I wanted every piece to add to the story. That could mean something very straightforward like character or plot development but also something like atmospherics. I wanted to paint a picture of what Jack’s Los Angeles-based world was like in 1961, so there are vibe-forward pieces of beaches, donut shops, and even urban sprawl! The true LA experience.”
Give everyone the clues and pieces to solve the mystery and see if they can work together to figure it out. The case file has seven types of pieces that you can get: Memories, Locations, Evidence, Mugshots, Portraits, Scans, and even Dreams.
As for the rarity of the items in these categories, CV shared, “I wanted to really leverage the idea of non-fungibility and make the pieces all unique.”
He explained, “In the past, with large collections, you had to rely on some level of repetition, but with AI getting so fast and powerful, I wanted to focus on pushing the fact that it is a 1/1/x to the max with a lot of uniqueness. So while I’m sure there are people who pursue math-based rarity, it’ll be a bit different as some may also want to collect certain characters, teams, plot threads, or particular aesthetics.”
Despite largely employing the use of advanced technologies like AI and various blockchain tools, CV maintained a literal paper trail during the process of crafting Detective Jack: The Cold Case.
“I printed out all the images [my local FedEx definitely thinks I’m crazy], as part of the curation and story plotting,” he explained, adding, “First off, my eyes started to hurt after a while! So that was an issue. Secondly, I found it hard on a screen to do the sort of story mapping work you need with such a large set of pieces. I would end up laying out pieces across my dining table and start to find groupings and connect visuals to the narrative points I wanted to make.”
Convergence of Skillsets
Outside of the story itself, we asked CV what interests him the most about AI-integrated storytelling right now and how other artists might take advantage of these rapidly advancing systems.
“I’m really interested in the concept of AI allowing for a radical expansion of access to creative expression.”
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“In particular, I’ve been interested in the idea of being able to complete grand projects with a ‘one-man-band.’ We’re probably 6-9 months away from reasonable quality feature-length films that one creator could create, not only all by themselves, but probably in a much shorter amount of time than a traditional production process,” he explained.
The artist added that this unlocks an increase in content and creative output as well as a push for bigger and more expansive creative endeavors.
“For me, as someone who has always loved world-building and writing, creative AI has unlocked a new ability to bring these things together and express them in a way I could never have imagined. The crazier thing to me is that the speed and breadth at which we can do it is expanding, not shrinking.”
As for advice to creators looking to use AI, he said, “One of the neatest parts of creative AI tools is that they can meet you where you’re at. You can use many of these tools purely with text input, but you can also use image prompts, keyframes, custom models, and more.”
Solving The Mystery
Aside from the satisfaction of knowing what happened to Tiffany, CV shares that participants in Cold Case will become part of a “networked mystery.”
“For the two previous seasons of Detective Jack, we had people zooming in, cropping, and trying to code-break in Discord. I’m curious and excited to see how this one unfolds,” he said.
Giving our readers what can only be presumed to be a clue, CV said, “The key is knowing that Detective Jack Crimson is an incredibly good detective. This is the only case he never solved. So the fact that he couldn’t solve it must speak to something specific both about this case and about Jack himself. Dun-dun-dun.”
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