Filming reality in an age of fake feelings
After two decades in advertising, filmmaker Christopher Theodore moved into documentary. Here he explores the uneasy relationship between unscripted and fiction and what it means to claim an image is real in an age when almost anything, including emotions, can be fabricated.
Why live action is not our only tool for truth telling
Tabitha Onofri, Head of Studio at FIN Studios, argues that, when used thoughtfully and intentionally, AI can enhance and enliven stories without compromising authenticity, particularly when time or budget constraints would otherwise limit creative ambition.
Can AI-generated food really get the tastebuds tingling?
Olaf van Gerwen, Founder & Global Creative Director at Chuck Studios, finds that AI-generated food may be everywhere, but our finely tuned appetite for the real thing means even the smallest synthetic slip-up can leave a bad taste.
How Research Arts rewired its workflow
Research Arts’ surreal experimental film Automatic blends AI tools with traditional CG to explore robotics and machine aesthetics. Here, the director discusses using AI to develop bespoke problem-solving tools, and how new technology can be brought into the animation process thoughtfully and intentionally.
Enea Colombi's distorted realities
BIRTH director Enea Colombi discusses how he creates stylised and experimental worlds across music videos, fashion films and commercial work that remains deeply rooted in reality and human emotion.
How the next era of documentaries will bring audiences inside the story
Jay Allen, Emmy-nominated producer and VP of Unscripted at SunnyBoy Entertainment, discusses the evolution of unscripted storytelling and why audiences are gravitating toward immersive nonfiction experiences and behind-the-scenes style content.
How Tom Green put real people in the picture for Guide Dogs
Stink director Tom Green and Fold7 ECD Dave Billing share how casting non-actors with a vision impairment, their real family members and charity ambassadors, brought an unmatched level of authenticity and emotion to their touching campaign for the UK sight loss charity.
Fear and loathing in artificial reality
Ben Smith, a visual storytelling veteran, Co-Founder and ECD at The Mayda Creative co., explores the cultural tension between authenticity and artifice as he journeys through the artificial landscapes of media production.
How Matt Lenski used AI to champion humans in The Last Commercial
The Arts & Sciences comedy director imagines advertising’s final bow in a short that finds the funny side of an industry’s existential dread. Here, Lenski tells Jamie Madge how he balanced live-action performances with generated imagery, and why it’s a director’s job to avoid the scourge of ‘Beep Boop Cinema’.
Greenhushing or greenshouting: How to market the message of climate catastrophe
As we face up to the alarming realities of climate change, Tracey Lee, Strategic Advisor to Creatives for Climate, answers questions about how the ad industry can put its influence to good use by creating awareness and change without causing panic.
Can audiences connect to synthetic characters?
Oriana Tinti, creator of Victoria D. the AI-generated protagonist of an online drama series discusses AI and the tension between emotional truth and digital imagery.
Is craft becoming a luxury good?
Justine Armour, International Chief Creative Officer, at 72andSunny talks us through the complexity of crafting ads, and how we can learn to take our time with perfecting the art.