shots Unsigned: Pablo Fernández Eyre

Pablo Fernández Eyre is a Barcelona-based director and filmmaker who has spent 20 years in Los Angeles working with companies including Fox and Sony Pictures.

his concept film REWIND, is a proof of concept for a series set in 1981 about kids who discover that an old VCR can take them inside the movies they watch. The concept sits right at the intersection of craft, production and AI. Eyre's hope is that one day REWIND can become a real live action show for a platform like Netflix.

We chat more about AI filmmaking and the potential it holds.

Can you tell us a little about your background and your route into directing?

I started directing short films when I was 12, shooting with family and friends and editing by connecting two VHS recorders and copying shots from one tape to another. Some of those early films later made it into famous film festivals I studied Audiovisual Communication in Barcelona, then filmmaking at New York Film Academy and UCLA Extension. 

I moved to Los Angeles, directed commercials and spent much of the next 20 years working in the film industry, including around ten years editing movie trailers. I also independently created and directed an animated feature that won Best Animated Feature at several festivals.

 Editing on VHS as a kid taught me storytelling through images, and later working in movie trailers became another film school. 

Did you study filmmaking? How did you learn your craft?

I studied filmmaking formally, but I really learned by making things. Editing on VHS as a kid taught me storytelling through images, and later working in movie trailers became another film school. 

You’re constantly trying to create a complete emotional story in two minutes. That taught me an enormous amount about structure, rhythm and what an audience actually needs to see.

How has AI changed the way you work?

A few years ago I discovered how much AI was already being explored within the creative industry, so I started experimenting with it myself. 

I eventually became a creative partner with several AI platforms, which allowed me to constantly test new tools. Coming from editing and movie marketing, it immediately made sense to me. Suddenly I could visualise ideas that previously would have required substantial budgets just to demonstrate what they could become.

I could visualise ideas that previously would have required substantial budgets just to demonstrate what they could become.

What was the inspiration behind your short REWIND?

REWIND actually began with a script I wrote around 25 years ago, although I’ve completely transformed it since then. It connects directly to my childhood and my love of movies. 

I grew up with VHS and literally learned editing using two VCRs, so creating a story where PLAY, PAUSE, REWIND and EJECT could control reality felt very personal.

But underneath the nostalgia, it’s really a story about memory and what happens when we become unable to let go of the past.

Above: The 'cast' of REWIND together.

What other directors’ work do you admire, and why?

David Lynch, Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter and Brian De Palma have always been major influences. They’re very different filmmakers, but they all have incredibly strong cinematic identities. Spielberg for emotion, Lynch for surrealism, Carpenter for atmosphere and simplicity, and De Palma for visual storytelling.

Would this film have been possible without the use of AI?

The film could absolutely exist without AI, but I wouldn’t have been able to independently show what it could look like at this scale.

The film could absolutely exist without AI, but I wouldn’t have been able to independently show what it could look like at this scale.

I consider REWIND a proof of concept rather than a finished film. Ultimately, I’d actually love to shoot it traditionally because it’s a project celebrating cinema itself. AI allowed me to visualise the ambition and hopefully attract partners who can help turn it into a larger production involving actors, cinematographers, designers, VFX artists and all the other people who make films possible.

Above: Interiors and locations used in the film.

What were some of the difficulties you faced in pulling this project together?

The story was probably the hardest part. I had a much bigger story and mythology, but I didn’t want the proof of concept to become too long. I had to reduce everything to the characters, ideas and moments that would make someone understand the world and hopefully want to see more.

Funnily enough, that’s exactly what I’d spent years doing with movie trailers.

How long was the shoot and what was the most challenging aspect of the project?

There wasn’t a traditional shoot. From going back to that 25 year old script and rewriting it, through designing the characters, creating the shots and editing everything together, the entire process took around a month, and I did it myself.

The biggest challenge was making all those individual elements feel like one coherent film rather than a collection of AI generated shots.

The biggest challenge was making all those individual elements feel like one coherent film rather than a collection of AI generated shots.

Above: A selection of retro props used in REWIND.

What have you learned during the process of making the film?

That preparation is everything. For character consistency, you need strong character sheets and things like voices locked from the beginning. I also learned to approach each scene almost like a traditional shoot. You need to know the location, the coverage and the camera angles you need before generating anything.

AI gives you enormous freedom, but the more you plan, the more cinematic and coherent the result becomes.

AI gives you enormous freedom, but the more you plan, the more cinematic and coherent the result becomes.