Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors Showcase 2016

To the casual observer, Cannes 2016’s Saatchi & Saatchi NDS looked much like previous years – a handful of exceptional directing talent, either unsigned or new to the industry, showcasing slices of creativity so bold and beautiful they probably should have their own daytime soap opera. However, this year was different. This year there was an interloper. A wildcard. An… AI?

A question was posed to the NDS crowd – can you identify the AI film, which was created through a collaboration between Saatchi & Saatchi, Team One and Zoic Labs in Los Angeles. The short answer is… yes. BUT, that didn’t stop the experiment being fascinating in its construction and the questions it raised. Going under the pseudonym ‘Anni Mathison’, the AI created ‘Eclipse’, a short film conceived, edited and directed by machines.

 “Eclipse” uses several technologies in a never-before-seen combination to create the film from start to finish:

•   IBM Watson and Microsoft’s AI chatbot Ms_Rinna (Microsoft Rinna) registered the emotion behind the lyrics to generate a completely original storyline for the music video.

•   In addition to helping provide the storyline, Ms_Rinna was asked opinions on characters, wardrobe, location and catering for the shoot.

•   The team used Affectiva’s facial recognition software and EEG data to help cast the perfect co-star.

•   Drones gave direction on the day of the shoot by using a combination of data from IBM Watson’s tone analysis and Affectiva’s facial recognition software. This data allowed the drones to capture intense emotional moments with mathematical precision.

•   AI was used again during the edit. The team created a proprietary program that identified which clips to put where based on the beat of the song and the emotional intent of the lyrics.

•   All of the visual effects were created using a custom neural art program. This program allowed the machines to apply a filter to the raw footage based on reference images selected based on the artist’s vision.

“What’s next in the evolution of what it means to be a director? Because of innovations in technology, the definition has changed over the years,” adds Chris Graves, Chief Creative Officer at Team One. “We are continuing to explore and advance the art of filmmaking, and are challenging the creative community this year, by asking them and the world, ‘Can a film made by machines move you?’”

Alongside the remarkable film sat many other incredible filmmakers (including a few from the Scout archives) hailing from Chile, Israel, Poland, The Netherlands, UK and USA.

Albert Omoss - Undercurrents
Anni Mathison - Eclipse
Bennet Silverman - Handjob Cabin
Caroline Bartleet - Operator
Connor Hurley - El Perro Del Mar 'In The Woods'
Dan DiFelice - Carved in Mayhem
Dorota Kobiela - Loving Vincent
Grant Singer - Skrillex 'Red Lips'
Jake Dypka - Hollie McNish 'Embarrassed'
James Burns - We Live This
Jason Kupfer - Invaders
Layzell Bros - Harvey Nichols 'Shoplifters'
Matt Lambert - Mykki Blanco 'High School Never Ends'
Nicolas Davenel - KCPK ft. STS 'Who Wants It'
Nicos Livesey - Radkey Glore
Reed Morano - Coordown 'How Do You See Me?'
Rupert Burton - AICP Reel
Studio Smack - De Staat 'Witch Doctor'
Tomas Vergara - Isolated
Uri Lotan & Yoav Shtibelman - Jane Bordeaux ‘Ma’agalim'

Andy Gulliman, NDS Curator and Producer, and Director of Film & Content, Saatchi & Saatchi, commented: “There’s an abundance of craft and different techniques on the NDS 2016 reel; from Claymation to full on AI, beautiful cinematography and amazing narratives. What’s amazing this year is there are more directors not represented by production companies than any previous year. This year it was harder to find the humour we’ve recognised in previous years. In 2016 dedication to craft outweighs laughs.”

In a refreshing turn, three female directors are featured this year; Reed Morano, Caroline Bartleet and Dorota Kobiela. Also interesting to note was that there were noticeably fewer commercials on the 2016 Showreel – Reed Morano’s thought-provoking ‘How do you see me’ film for Coordown, which stars Hollywood actress Olivia Wilde, and the Layzell Bros humourous ‘Shoplifters’ ad for Harvey Nichols (which went on to win the Film Grand Prix!).

Here’s a quick rundown of the films:

‘Embarrassed’, London-based commercials director Jake Dypka’s collaboration with poet Hollie McNish, demonstrates his passion for bringing truth and humanity to his craft. New Jersey-born filmmaker Dan DiFelice’s ‘Carved in Mayhem’ also visualises poetry, in a beautifully-shot monochrome film of one man’s journey to salvation.

American director Connor Hurley wrote, produced, directed and starred in a beautifully cinematic music video ‘El Perro del Mar’ for In The Woods. Hurley is currently gearing up to produce a feature film about the US prison system.

British actress and director Caroline Bartleet won the 2016 Best British Short Film BAFTA for her tense 7-minute short film ‘Operator’. Bartleet based the script on a real life 999 call, which inspired her to make the film, which reveals the incredible composure of emergency services operators during crises. Another powerful short is ‘We Live This’, a documentary directed by James Burns (USA), which follows the lives of four young boys from the projects in New York. The NDS Showreel features an excerpt from the short. Burns has an incredible life story, he spent time in solitary confinement at age six, and was later incarcerated at an adult facility in Colorado when he was still a minor, spending years in the criminal justice system. After his release his formative years where the subject of a feature film ‘Jamesy Boy’.

American filmmaker and musician Jason Kupfer’s horror short ‘Invaders’ was featured at Slamdance and Beyond Fest, and won at Fantastic Fest, and documents an attempted burglary turned into gory slasher fest. Bennett Silverman (USA) also pays homage to the horror genre in his trailer for breakout horror movie ‘Handjob Cabin’, which follows four friends whose vacation is interrupted by an overly friendly ghost.

Director Matt Lambert (USA) collaborated with musician Mykki Blanco and cinematographer Martin Ruhe on ‘High School Never Ends’, an epic Shakespearean music video shot in rural Germany and exploring forbidden love.

Studio Smack hail from the Netherlands, and their trippy promo for De Staat’s track ‘Witch Doctor’ has won multiple awards including Berlin Music Video Award 2016 for ‘Best Concept’, Edison PopPris 2016, and Holland Animation film festival 2016 Grand Prix for Best Dutch Animation.

French director Nicolas Davenel started his career as an Editor, before moving behind the camera to direct his first music video for ‘The Parisians’. His latest unsettling promo for French trio KCPK, produced by Iconoclast, depicts the evil underbelly of Russian gang life with an adrenaline-fuelled journey through different generations exposed to the mobster world.

Israeli directors Uri Lotan & Yoav Shtibelman created an enchanting animation for Jane Bordeaux’s track ‘Ma’agalim’. The animated promo invites the viewer into a cartoon world inhabited by a wooden doll, stuck in place and time, which is overtaken by everyday life scenarios.

Director and computational artist Albert Omoss (USA) takes the viewer on a trip through their own consciousness in ‘Undercurrents’, an experimental short film which pushes the boundaries of animation. Omoss began programming computers at the tender age of 8, and his work explores the fragility of the human form.

New-York based director Rupert Burton worked with Method Studios design group on his AICP Reel, featuring visuals of professional dancers motion-captured then manipulated by digital artists using procedural animation and dynamic simulations.