Moonvalley, a Los Angeles-based AI video generation startup, has opened up its “3D-aware” model to the public, offering a “hybrid model” which gives filmmakers more control than other standard text-to-video models.
Moonvalley first launched its model, named Marey in beta in March. It has now released it with a credits-based subscription, with users being able to pay $14.99 for 100 credits, $34.99 for 250 credits, and $149.99 for 1,000 credits. This model can be used to generate clips up to five seconds long, which is in line with industry standards for publicly available video generation models.
This system is known for being “commercially safe,” which means that it has been built from fully licensed images and IP. This strands in contrast to how other AI firms “scrape” the internet to train their models, a practice that has resulted in litigation. Last month, Disney and NBCUniversal sued Midjourney for using their property without permission.
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Filmmakers can use Marey for complex VFX, and other aspects of their vision. Effects pioneer Ed Ulbrich, whose credits include “Titanic,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and “Robert Zemeckis’ Here,” recently joined Moonvalley in a senior exec role, citing the “clean” Marey tool as a key motivation. Moonvalley also owns Bryn Mooser‘s Asteria Film Co., acquiring the AI studio after it forged ties with a company co-led by actress and producer Natasha Lyonne.
Independent filmmaker Ángel Manuel Soto says that Marey’s biggest selling point is that it democratizes access to the top AI storytelling tools, especially for people who have long felt shut out of traditional filmmaking. “Back home, we needed to ask for permission to tell our stories,” he said.
“AI gives you the ability to do it on your own terms without having to say no to your dreams because someone refused to finance it, because they didn’t think a story from your country could return a profit,” he said. Soto added that Marey has helped him cut production costs by 20% to 40% and work more freely.
Moonvalley CEO and co-founder Naeem Talukdar told TechCrunch that Marey has an understanding of the physical world that could translate to more interactive storytelling as the tech develops.
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At the moment, this understanding allows Marey to do things like mimic motion while still respecting the laws of physics. For example, a video of a bison sprinting through grasslands can be translated into a Cadillac racing through the same environment, with the grass and dirt responding to the car’s movement. Marey also supports free camera motion, and allows users to change the background of videos.
Talukdar also said that Moonvalley’s plan over the next few months is to roll out new controls like lighting, deep object trajectories, and character libraries. Marey’s public release puts it in competition with other AI video generators, including models like Runway Gen-3, Luma Dream Machine, Pika, and Haiper.