What happens when you feed 20+ interview transcripts and vintage boat photos into Google Notebook LM and test-fly them through OpenAI Sora?
👉 A crystal-clear 3-act structure, funding-ready storyboards, and concept footage that actually looks like a sunset sail past the Golden Gate.
In this episode of Video Mojo, I speak with filmmaker Vince Casalaina to demo the exact workflow we used to turn a hazy idea about San Francisco’s wooden sailing ships into a pitchable documentary package—without losing the romance of tall masts and hand-hewn hulls.Key takeaways:
• Notebook LM = instant research room → outlines, sound-bites, and an AI-generated “podcast” overview that sells the story for you.
• Sora is already good enough for concept shots—if you “embrace the jank” and know a sailor’s rigging.
• A solid AI-backed structure gives you the confidence (and assets) to approach high-net-worth donors today.
⏱️ Chapters00:00 Intro & project overview00:33 Vince’s expectations vs. reality01:13 Why AI? First passes in Notebook LM02:56 Nailing the three-act story spine​​04:51 Pitching high-net-worth backers with confidence​​06:29 DEMO: AI-generated “audio overview” voices in Notebook LM​​07:42 Mining 20+ interview transcripts for golden sound-bites07:44 First experiments in Sora text-to-video (and embracing the jank)​​08:44 Our best AI boat shot — and a sailor’s verdict10:22 Funding call-out & how to contact Vince10:49 Jon’s “Prompted to Create” course teaser & wrap-up🔗 Connect with Jon Leland:https://stan.store/joncombridgesGot a creative project that AI can help get done faster and with ease? Learn about Jon's AI Creativity Consulting:
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