A5 pt2 Studio Review
Automatic for the People
The focus in my studio, ‘Automatic for the People’, is centred on the exploration of AI. We have explored the ways in which AI has an impact in our society and specifically in media. AI generating tools are becoming more and more accessible, meaning that we as emerging media makers need to be familiar with these tools. Through in-depth class discussions and reflecting, I feel open towards this new technology. I have and always will be cautious with how much I indulge in AI media, however I would like to remain curious and fascinated by what it can produce. At the end of the day, we (humans) must always stay a step ahead and be in control of our creativity.
Project Toblerone
‘Tobler-Own It!’ is what you say after biting into a delicious and morish Toblerone chocolate… or you build a pyramid in the Egyptian desert. This group has produced a Superbowl inspired AI advertisement for the Toblerone chocolate bar. Almost every aspect of the external product is AI generated. This group used Runway, Gen 2, to generate their videos, both ‘text to video’, and ‘image and text to video’. I could tell that they had used image and text to video because they chose to include two celebrity characters, Taylor Swift, and Seth Rogan. It was clear to identify these characters because the group would have used real photo images when prompting the AI. Using images when prompting in Gen 2 helps with consistency and accuracy. They had one scene with Taylor and Seth together, then two individual shots, all the shots generated Seth and Taylor accurately. The other characters in the advertisement didn’t seem to have been generated with an image prompt, solely because the facial structure and outfits were not consistent. The use of distinct and varying character voices was how this group kept an overall consistency in their piece.
What Lies in the Shadows
Another work that I found interesting in our studio was ‘What Lies in the Shadows’, which was created by Seyyid Basoglu, Shuming Chen, Bella Lee, and Eloise Durrant… and of course, AI. This work shows a clear distinction of human effort and creativity with collaboration of AI. The group has explored many different AI generation tools, and they have also pieced it all together with their own efforts. They have made a website and included many tabs and links within the page to interact with. There are AI generated images, voice messages, videos, and text. A highlight of the work was the Chatbot that was prompted and conditioned by Eloise. The Chatbot, named Alissya, was an aspect of their work that allows audiences to experience communicating with AI. In our studio, we have worked on and explored the concept of ‘prompting’ in many forms. This group has taken it a step further and invited others to develop and build upon their own AI prompting skills. As a class, we have been encouraged to trial and error with AI, and especially to not be afraid. This group has done an amazing job with all the skills and techniques we have learnt this semester—and they are wanting to teach others about it as well.
REAL PEOPLE, REEL LIVES
My understanding is that this studio, ‘Real People, Reel Lives’, explores the ways in which we turn a question-and-answer interview into an engaging audio-visual story. Typically, a story involves a beginning, middle and end—when interviewing, you must know how to form questions correctly to encourage detailed and personal responses. From these responses, you build and create the story. It was great to view all the works done in the studio. There were two works that helped me understand the many layers and techniques involved in this type of documentary making;
Work Title: What Matters Most
Creators: Kaaren Ghassemi, Liam Johnston, and Matthew Mihailidis
‘What Matters Most’ is a short documentary about Gian Morrow and his life changing experience of finding out that he had a bleed in his brain. The piece begins with him reflecting on the day he went to the emergency room after dealing with severe headaches. I like how they clearly set the scene—with the use of hospital sound effects, a blank screen, and a slow pace. The group not only captured his emotions of retelling the event, but they exemplified it by using these techniques. My attention was specifically concentrated on what Gian was saying and how that moment played out for him. The core of the documentary explores more on who Gian is and what he values in life. As a whole, this documentary is pleasant to watch, and they have used many engaging techniques whilst also piecing together a great story. I would say that the actual experience that Gian endured could have had more detail—for example, what would have happened if he didn’t have surgery? What type of surgery did he need to undergo? Were migraines the only symptom? Ect. These questions may be personal, but I feel as though they could have gone even deeper into how life threatening this medical emergency was. Another aspect that would have been great to include is his music or projects that he is working on now, especially with his new outlook on life.
Work: Beyond the Curl
Creators: Clair Seoud, Georgia Di Paola and Larissa Hass
Another work that I watched was ‘Beyond the Curl’, a documentary on Ella Rowe, owner of Elvie Salon which specialises in curly, afro, and coily hair types. This work stood out to me because it was engaging and educational. I have finished viewing this documentary feeling inspired and proud of the work that Ella is doing and achieving. This group has been able to dive into many details of Ella’s journey as a proud Papua New Guinee woman, as well as the journey of her salon and the effects it has had on others. The group was able to use a lot of archival footage of Ella’s family which gave great insight into her story and inspirations. Viewers are also invited into the studio. While this is not a salon that I would ever go to because of my hair type, I feel welcomed by this video work. It is predominantly set in the salon and has varying shots of the space which highlight the morals and values that Ella aims to communicate.