Diana Chalakova
About
WAtch out
This is an award-winning project for the AI Jam hosted by the Parsons School of Design’s Innovation Center, where I rapidly prototyped a short video for wildlife preservation and fire prevention by encouraging cigarette smokers to be aware of the dangers of improperly discarding cigarette butts. I won the Human + AI Co-Creation Award.
Role
Creative Technologist
Timeline
1 hour sprint
Tools
Adobe Firefly
Google Gemini, Nano Banana 2, Veo 3
Concept
The LA Palisades Fire in 2025 was started by a discarded cigarette.
Cigarette-related fires in the U.S. resulted in over $2 billion in costs associated with suppression and $6 billion in property losses. USDA Forest Service researchers found that even "fire safe" cigarettes can still start a wildfire, particularly in hot, dry, or windy conditions.
“During the call [with 911], [the man who started the fire] typed a question into the ChatGPT app on his iPhone, asking, ‘Are you at fault if a fire is lift [sic] because of your cigarettes.’ (ChatGPT’s response was ‘Yes,’ followed by an explanation.)”.
-LA Times (https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-10-08/la-me-palisades-fire-timeline)
FINAL output
Process
Visual References
Prompt Examples
“Create an illustration that's based on the style of the reference image that features a rustic cabin in a forest full of evergreen trees. The shadows are soft and the sun is setting but still bright outside and the sun is still visible on the tops of the trees. Some small birds are visible in the trees and white smoke is gently billowing out of the cabin's chimney. The scene is peaceful and the background has a very soft focus.”
“Start with a wide establishing shot of the first frame. the trees are swaying peacefully and there are birds calmly flying away. the leaves are rustling and the clouds are faintly moving across the skyline. The scene is peaceful. after 6 seconds, slowly start to pan to the last frame. during the pan, which is 10 seconds long, have the sky slowly getting darker from start to finish and the trees and ground starting healthy to gradually becoming on fire. the fire is animated and the flames licking at everything around it towards the sky, the smoke's dark fire is billowing up aggressively. in the middle of the pan is a gradual transition from lush forest to a burning one.”
Prompt Inspiration:
Generated Images
Diana Chalakova
About
WAtch out
This is an award-winning project for the AI Jam hosted by the Parsons School of Design’s Innovation Center, where I rapidly prototyped a short video for wildlife preservation and fire prevention by encouraging cigarette smokers to be aware of the dangers of improperly discarding cigarette butts. I won the Human + AI Co-Creation Award.
Role
Creative Technologist
Timeline
1 hour sprint
Tools
Adobe Firefly
Google Gemini, Nano Banana 2, Veo 3
Concept
The LA Palisades Fire in 2025 was started by a discarded cigarette.
Cigarette-related fires in the U.S. resulted in over $2 billion in costs associated with suppression and $6 billion in property losses. USDA Forest Service researchers found that even "fire safe" cigarettes can still start a wildfire, particularly in hot, dry, or windy conditions.
“During the call [with 911], [the man who started the fire] typed a question into the ChatGPT app on his iPhone, asking, ‘Are you at fault if a fire is lift [sic] because of your cigarettes.’ (ChatGPT’s response was ‘Yes,’ followed by an explanation.)”.
-LA Times (https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-10-08/la-me-palisades-fire-timeline)
FINAL output
Process
Visual References
Prompt Examples
“Create an illustration that's based on the style of the reference image that features a rustic cabin in a forest full of evergreen trees. The shadows are soft and the sun is setting but still bright outside and the sun is still visible on the tops of the trees. Some small birds are visible in the trees and white smoke is gently billowing out of the cabin's chimney. The scene is peaceful and the background has a very soft focus.”
“Start with a wide establishing shot of the first frame. the trees are swaying peacefully and there are birds calmly flying away. the leaves are rustling and the clouds are faintly moving across the skyline. The scene is peaceful. after 6 seconds, slowly start to pan to the last frame. during the pan, which is 10 seconds long, have the sky slowly getting darker from start to finish and the trees and ground starting healthy to gradually becoming on fire. the fire is animated and the flames licking at everything around it towards the sky, the smoke's dark fire is billowing up aggressively. in the middle of the pan is a gradual transition from lush forest to a burning one.”
Prompt Inspiration:
Generated Images
Diana Chalakova
About
WAtch out
This is an award-winning project for the AI Jam hosted by the Parsons School of Design’s Innovation Center, where I rapidly prototyped a short video for wildlife preservation and fire prevention by encouraging cigarette smokers to be aware of the dangers of improperly discarding cigarette butts. I won the Human + AI Co-Creation Award.
Role
Creative Technologist
Timeline
1 hour sprint
Tools
Adobe Firefly
Google Gemini, Nano Banana 2, Veo 3
Concept
The LA Palisades Fire in 2025 was started by a discarded cigarette.
Cigarette-related fires in the U.S. resulted in over $2 billion in costs associated with suppression and $6 billion in property losses. USDA Forest Service researchers found that even "fire safe" cigarettes can still start a wildfire, particularly in hot, dry, or windy conditions.
“During the call [with 911], [the man who started the fire] typed a question into the ChatGPT app on his iPhone, asking, ‘Are you at fault if a fire is lift [sic] because of your cigarettes.’ (ChatGPT’s response was ‘Yes,’ followed by an explanation.)”.
-LA Times (https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-10-08/la-me-palisades-fire-timeline)
FINAL output
Process
Visual References
Prompt Examples
“Create an illustration that's based on the style of the reference image that features a rustic cabin in a forest full of evergreen trees. The shadows are soft and the sun is setting but still bright outside and the sun is still visible on the tops of the trees. Some small birds are visible in the trees and white smoke is gently billowing out of the cabin's chimney. The scene is peaceful and the background has a very soft focus.”
“Start with a wide establishing shot of the first frame. the trees are swaying peacefully and there are birds calmly flying away. the leaves are rustling and the clouds are faintly moving across the skyline. The scene is peaceful. after 6 seconds, slowly start to pan to the last frame. during the pan, which is 10 seconds long, have the sky slowly getting darker from start to finish and the trees and ground starting healthy to gradually becoming on fire. the fire is animated and the flames licking at everything around it towards the sky, the smoke's dark fire is billowing up aggressively. in the middle of the pan is a gradual transition from lush forest to a burning one.”
Prompt Inspiration:
Generated Images