Week 5

TOGETHER IN ELECTRIC DREAMS – Blog 5

Week 6

TOGETHER IN ELECTRIC DREAMS – Blog 6

Synopsis – Stella

Love Broker

Scene – Suki

Love Broker Script

Reflection

This week, we continued to explore script writing and delved into the use of AI to assist with creative writing. In class, we engaged in writing exercises once again, and after multiple attempts at using AI for writing assistance, I still believe that AI helps create ideas, but its output tends to be too random and cannot compare to that of professional writers. This week’s reading also points out this issue. Through the practices of thirteen professional writers, it became evident that artificial intelligence can streamline certain aspects of the creative process, alleviating writers from tedium, but it cannot replace the entire creative process. The authors suggest that the future direction of artificial intelligence should be to assist people in solving the most time-consuming and tedious aspects of writing, a viewpoint with which I strongly agree.

As for our sketches, we encountered some challenges in the creative process. We were not familiar with the formats and distinctions between scripts and screenplays, so we sought assistance from ChatGPT, which provided us with helpful references. A script serves as the initial outline, encompassing dialogue and action but omitting the basic information required for production. On the other hand, a screenplay is the final outline, offering more detailed and comprehensive coverage than a script. Therefore, our production last week was a relatively basic script, this week, we learned how to create a more detailed screenplay.

The media work that caught my interest is Memo Akten’s “Learning to See” series. What’s fascinating about this series is that we don’t see the true essence of things; rather, we see our essence. The author uses machine algorithms to reflect on how we perceive the world. The images we see are not real; they are reconstructions based on our imagination and expectations. Similarly, artificial neural networks observe the world and attempt to understand what they see. However, they can only perceive through the filters they already know. They have only seen patterns like oceans, clouds, and flowers, so anything they generate is associated with these three things.

Synopsis – Stella

Film Title: 《Time Difference》

Introduction:

As a photo of Princess Catherine leaked, the British royal family once again found themselves at the centre of a storm, with public opinion washing over the proud royal dynasty like spit. To quell this uproar, the royal family hastily convened an emergency meeting. They decided to enlist the world’s top public relations firm to help them weather this crisis.

Main Characters：

Adam: The official representative of the royal family, issuing commands to the representatives of the civilian public relations companies. He is calm, serious, fiercely loyal to the royal family, and determined to help them navigate through this crisis.

Bert: The business manager of Beek, one of the top 3 public relations companies in the UK. He has outstanding business abilities and has helped a former US president resolve urgent crises, aiding in his successful reelection.

Cecelia: The head of Cemale, a rising public relations company in Singapore. She excels in handling cases related to women and is adept at using the female perspective to shift public opinion.

Dominic: The founder of Allion, one of the top 3 public relations companies in the UK, who also owns a cutting-edge AI studio. He specializes in integrating technology into public relations solutions, discreetly resolving challenges unnoticed.

Initial Conflict：

“Kate Middleton Dead,” “Kate’s Mysterious Disappearance,” “William Accused of Wife’s Murder” – these sensational headlines flood the internet alongside a photo of Princess Catherine lying in a hospital bed. Kate has been missing from the public eye for six months, repeatedly absent from royal engagements. Her absence has sparked panic among the British public, who have eagerly awaited her appearance, only to be disappointed each time.

Rising Action:
To quell the public’s panic and mitigate negative publicity, the royal family dispatches their trusted confidant, Adam, to seek out the most top-notch PR talents. Through meticulous selection, Adam identifies Bert, skilled in handling political crises, Cecelia, an expert in the female perspective, and Dominic, possessing dual expertise in PR and AI. He christens this trio with the code “Time Difference” team and commands them to devise the optimal plan within 48 hours to buy the royal family more time and soothe the public’s anxiety.

Climax:

With just two days at their disposal, Bert, Cecelia, and Dominic find themselves in the secret meeting hall of Buckingham Palace, exchanging looks of urgency. They swiftly scour through information and discuss feasible strategies. Racing against the clock, they are unaware of Kate Middleton’s fate and current status, but they must devise a plausible reason for her disappearance or find a way to bring her back into the public eye.

Falling Action:

After a brainstorming session, the “Time Difference” team will utilise Dominic’s AI solution. However, they’ve already spent 20 hours, leaving them with limited time. With only 28 hours remaining, they need to create a 100% realistic AI video to allow Princess Cathrine to communicate with the public via video.

Conclusion:

As the 48-hour deadline approaches, the “Time Difference” team successfully produces a video that satisfies the royal family. They release the video to major media outlets and the royal family’s exclusive channels, temporarily calming the storm. However, before long, a new controversy arose as numerous technology companies and AI enthusiasts declared the video to be AI-generated content. How will they face this new challenge?

 

Scene – Suki

(Inside the secret meeting room at Buckingham Palace)

Adam: Good day. I trust you all understand why I’ve asked you here.

Bert, Cecelia, & Dominic: Sure.

Adam: Princess Catherine cannot make an appearance at the moment. We need your help to stall for time. No further questions or discussions are permitted.

Cecelia: (hesitant) But if Princess Catherine cannot be present, then…

Adam glanced at Cecelia, causing her to immediately lower her head, refraining from further speech.

Bert: (sensing the tension, speaks up) How long do we have to come up with a solution?

Adam: 48 hours. I believe you all can handle that. Even if Princess Catherine cannot be present. (He gave Dominic a meaningful look, then rose and left the room)

Dominic: (meeting Adam’s gaze, understanding the implied message) No problem, we will make sure everything is taken care of.

Adam: (grasping the door handle, back to them) Also, for the next 48 hours, I need you all to stay here until a satisfactory response is provided.

Bert, Cecelia, & Dominic: (exchanging glances, feeling an unseen pressure) Sure, it would not be a bother.

Adam exits.

Cecelia: (exhales deeply) Do any of you have any leads?

Bert & Dominic: (shaking their heads) Not at the moment.

Cecelia: Then let’s start by researching, understanding the current situation. After all, we know nothing about the status of Princess Catherine.

Dominic: All we can see are speculations from the public. Many specifics are unknown to us. But we’re tasked with stalling for time, isn’t that a bit of a stretch… sigh…

Bert: (patting Dominic’s shoulder) We’ll figure something out. Let’s start researching, and we’ll discuss further later.

(20 hours later. They are visibly exhausted, having discussed for hours, yet no solution meets their criteria.)

Bert: (sighs) The situation is more than just tricky now. We can’t find much information. Do you have any other suggestions?

Cecelia: The ideas we’ve come up with are plausible, but they all require someone from the royal family to step in. And none of these proposals meet our own requirements. How could they possibly be satisfied? (She scratches her head) Is there any other way?

Dominic: (silent for a while, then suddenly speaks) What about using AI?

Cecelia: (slams the table) Absolutely not! Using AI is too risky; it’ll be easily detected.

Dominic: (contemplating for a moment) Then do you have any other ideas? AI is currently our best option, especially given our time constraints.

Bert: He’s right. If we keep hesitating, we’ll run out of time.

Cecelia: (hesitant) Shouldn’t we at least try asking Princess Catherine for a photo or a voice recording?

Bert: Didn’t you hear what Adam said earlier? Our only task is to buy time; the royals won’t step in!

Cecelia: Just because one person says it’s true, then it’s true. Likewise, if one person says it’s false, then it’s false. Have you considered the consequences if our use of AI is discovered?

Bert: Of course, I have thought about it but do you have a better solution then? (Staring at Cecelia)

Cecelia: Nope.

Dominic: Cecelia, you said it yourself: if one person says it’s true, then it’s true, right? We can only gamble now; time’s running out.

Cecelia: Fine, I’ll start drafting the message. You two better train that AI quickly. Let’s hope our gamble pays off.

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