The music video  Washed Out marks a significant milestone in the intersection of art and technology, being the first officially commissioned collaboration between a music artist and filmmaker using OpenAI’s Sora video model. Directed by Paul Trillo, this project pushes the boundaries of what AI can achieve in visual storytelling, creating an ethereal, dream-like journey through the passage of time and memory.

In discussing the project, Trillo explains that Washed Out is more than just a technical feat; it’s a reflection on love, loss, and the fleeting nature of memory. “The video is about learning to let go of a loved one and dreaming of them after they are gone. For this, I leaned into the hallucinations and Sora’s dream logic to explore memories that never existed,” Trillo shared. He further elaborates that the music video explores the relationship of a couple from middle school through to the afterlife, portraying their emotional journey through a continuous push forward in time.

Visually, the video spans several decades, starting in the early 1980s and following the couple through the various stages of life, navigating love and loss. “I wanted to honor the theme of moving on from a lost love while putting a unique spin on it. The surreal blends of environments and impossible transitions—from cars to buildings to landscapes—create a fluid drift through the subconscious, attempting to hold onto what’s real,” Trillo explained. His creative vision leans into the hallucinatory nature of Sora’s AI-generated visuals, embracing its dream-like qualities rather than attempting to mimic perfect realism.

While the visuals are stunning, the video also reveals the current limitations of AI-generated content. Viewers have noted that while many scenes appear highly realistic, there are moments where certain elements—such as characters’ feet not fully touching the ground—highlight the imperfections that remain in AI technology. These subtle glitches, however, don’t detract from the overall artistry of the project. Instead, they enhance the surreal, fluid atmosphere that Trillo aimed to create, where reality and dreams intertwine.

“AI, from this conceptual standpoint, allows us to drum up dreams and memories of something we can never have,” Trillo reflects. The music video plays with the notion of preserving someone in time, with memories feeling both fleeting and hard to grasp. This use of AI is groundbreaking, not just for its technical innovation, but for its ability to evoke deep emotions and abstract ideas, liberating filmmakers to explore new realms of creative expression.

With Washed Out, Paul Trillo has opened the door to a new era of filmmaking, where AI tools like Sora allow creators to stretch the boundaries of imagination. As the technology continues to evolve, the potential for storytelling in the digital arts is limitless, offering filmmakers the ability to turn even the most abstract concepts into vivid, visual experiences.