In this article and video tutorial, we will take a look at the latest AI Film News headlines including Veo 3.1, Runway Workflows, and a new prompt-to-video games tool that is super fun.

There is no shortage of new AI video tools and updates coming to the forefront of the new cycle.

Runway seems to be changing its strategy toward becoming and more inclusive platform for users. They have already had a massive suite of tools, but now they are adding in additional APIs and trying to compete with comfUI.

Veo 3.1 has been around for a minute now and there are some features that are not being talked about enough.

The world of AI video games is continually changing. Now you can create a world from one single prompt.

We are excited to show you each of these and even how to use some of these updates.

Let’s hop in.

AI Film News Video Tutorial

Below is a video where I share all of the latest updates and give step-by-step tutirlas on how to use them.

So Many New AI Film Tools! | AI Film News

Below is an in depth look at each of the new AI Film Tools that have recently come onto the market.

1. Promise at LA Tech Week

Before we dive into tools, a big thank-you to everyone who attended the Promise Studios + Curious Refuge event during LA Tech Week.

It was an incredible night connecting with storytellers from around the world, and it was so cool to have Amazon Studios and Albert Chang join as special guests.

2. Google Veo 3.1

Google quietly released Veo 3.1, and while it’s not a major leap from 3.0, it introduces several exciting improvements:

Ingredients to Video — Combine multiple elements like characters, environments, or objects into one shot. Below is the example of the ingredients we used in our tests. Not too bad! There aree plenty of issues, but it does pretty well compared to other, similar tools.

First Frame / Last Frame — Create seamless transitions between two images. In the examples below, we wanted the camera top pan between the robot and Caleb’s AI twin, haa. That one was pretty impressive.

Edit Tool — In-paint directly within video scenes. I added an alien dog to the same example from the first frame last frame test. The dog looks more like a statue in a lot of ways, but who’s to say that not exactly what an alien dog looks right, right?

Our tests show minor fidelity boosts and better compositing. For quick advertising visuals or character tests, this version of Veo is surprisingly capable. Curious Refuge rates it third overall, just behind Kling 2.5 Turbo and Seedance Pro 1.0.

3. Runway’s “Apps” — Built-In Workflows for Creators

Runway introduced Apps, a set of built-in mini workflows that simplify creative tasks. Think of them as shortcuts for specific goals:

Stylize — Instantly convert images into storyboard or concept-art styles.
Remove — Erase unwanted objects from video frames (like salt shakers on a table).
Upscale — Boost low-res footage up to near-Topaz quality.
Product Shot — Generate professional ad imagery from a single product photo.

What’s most interesting: the Product Shot results appear to be powered by Nano Banana, suggesting Runway is integrating other top-tier AI tools under the hood — a move we fully support.

The Runway and Nan-Banana generation look nearly identical which makes me think that Runway is leveraging Nan-Banana’s API. Honestly, that is awesome.

Seedream’s os great, but struggled with the text outputs.

4. Runway “Workflows” — A ComfyUI Competitor

Perhaps the most exciting announcement this week: Runway’s new Workflows system.
It’s a node-based, modular creation environment that lets you connect different tools (Runway and third-party) to automate creative pipelines.

Example nodes include:

Text → Image → Video sequences
Virtual try-ons
AI hair salon (for concept looks)
Storyboard generator

This is Runway’s answer to ComfyUI, but with more polish and easier integration for filmmakers. You can create repeatable, collaborative pipelines, meaning your entire creative team can now share, tweak, and run the same workflow in seconds.

5. Crystal Upscaler vs. The Competition

AI Film News | Original Image — ***Original***

A new open-source tool called Crystal Upscaler is making noise in the upscaling world. In our side-by-side test using Midjourney images, Crystal produced sharper, more realistic detail than some of the other top tools, but in all honesty, they all have a decent amount of room for growth.

In the examples below, we scaled it by about 200% to see which holds the integrity of the face the best.

Topaz’s output was pretty soft in a negative way. Magnific (even the precision model) still struggled to significantly distort and over-sharpen the face.

Enhancore and Crystal were a toss-up in which did a better job. Both have room for improvement, but for this test, I think I would choose Crystal as the winner.

You can see the original image on the right.

Crystal retains authentic texture while boosting realism — currently our favorite free option for image upscaling.

6. ChatGPT Atlas — An AI Browser for Creators

OpenAI unveiled ChatGPT Atlas, a full web browser powered by ChatGPT.
It looks and feels like Chrome but includes a built-in chat assistant.

A few creative use cases:

Prompt Extraction: Right-click an image on Unsplash → Ask “How would I prompt this in Midjourney?” → Instantly get a full prompt.
Creative Research: Ask Atlas about filmmakers or collaborators and get accurate context, links, and bios — all inside the browser.

Atlas isn’t ready to replace Chrome yet, but it signals a future where AI-assisted browsing becomes the norm for research and creative workflows.

7. Curious Refuge November Enrollment Opens

Enrollment for Curious Refuge’s November session opens October 29 at 11 a.m. Pacific. Check out the list of courses below!

🎥 AI Filmmaking
🔥 AI VFX
🎞️ Advanced AI Filmmaking
🐶 AI Animation
🖼️ AI Documentary
📺 AI Advertising
📝 AI Screenwriting (Exclusive Pre-Sale Pricing for this course)

Join the waitlist early — this will be one of our largest sessions yet.

8. AI Horror Film Competition Winners

Mark you calendars for Thursday, October 30th at Noon Pacific for the announcement video of the iwinners from our Third Annual AI Horror Film Competition.

The finalists this year were absolutely mind-blowing. You can watch them here and vote on your favorite.

9. Make a Video Game with a Prompt

The tool Gambo lets you generate entire video games just by typing a prompt. It’s surprisingly capable. Think “Doodle Jump” or “Flappy Bird” made in seconds.

While gameplay is still basic, the generation speed and creativity potential are exciting for indie devs and filmmakers alike.

10. Community & Events

Curious Refuge meetups are happening around the world — including Mumbai, Denver, West Palm Beach, and Miami — plus a Synthetic Narrative AI event in Hoboken on October 24–25.

Check out more of the AI Film Events here.

And don’t forget our free Curious Refuge Office Hours, every Monday at 9 a.m. Pacific on Discord. It’s open to all filmmakers and creators looking to collaborate and learn. If you want to join, fill out the form over on this page and get access to the discord.

11. AI Films of the Week

🎞️ Roped by Coco Lab — Beautiful motion, tension, and cinematic design.

🎵 Lewis Capaldi Music Video — Dreamlike tone and strong visual consistency.

❄️ Frostbite by Dave Clark — Created entirely with Sora 2, it’s one of the most impressive Sora films yet, with excellent sound design and VFX.

So Many New AI Film Tools | AI Film News