Haili & Mercedes

~ with Tiffany Duran and Toby Chambers ~

Here is our promotional video from Byte & Banjo’s new album “Circuitry and Strings: Tales from Terraformed Frontiers!”

By Vincent Lam and Andrew Truax

Group members: Pamela, Tommy, Manuel, Luke

Title: “Neon Lights on Sunset”

**Verse 1:**
In the heart of the city where the dreams are wide,
Sunset Boulevard, where our spirits collide.
Golden hour glow, lighting up the sky,
We’re chasing horizons, where our dreams fly high.

**Pre-Chorus:**
With every beat, we come alive,
Dancing under the neon lights.
In the rhythm, we find our escape,
Sunset Boulevard, our dreamscape.

**Chorus:**
Neon lights on Sunset, we’re dancing away,
In the glow of the city, we make our own way.
Pop and electronic, our symphony,
Under the indigo sky, we’re free.

**Verse 2:**
From the echoes of legends to the beats of today,
We blend the sounds, in our own unique way.
Indie whispers in the bustling crowd,
Our music’s alive, vibrant and loud.

**Pre-Chorus:**
With every beat, we come alive,
Dancing under the neon lights.
In the rhythm, we find our escape,
Sunset Boulevard, our dreamscape.

**Chorus:**
Neon lights on Sunset, we’re dancing away,
In the glow of the city, we make our own way.
Pop and electronic, our symphony,
Under the indigo sky, we’re free.

**Bridge:**
In the pulse of LA, we find our song,
Amidst the city lights, where we belong.
The spirit of youth, freedom in our sound,
On Sunset Boulevard, our dreams are found.

**Chorus:**
Neon lights on Sunset, we’re dancing away,
In the glow of the city, we make our own way.
Pop and electronic, our symphony,
Under the indigo sky, we’re free.

**Outro:**
Sunset Boulevard, in the neon glow,
We’re the melody of the city’s soul.
In the golden hour, our dreams unfold,
On Sunset Boulevard, our story’s told.

Link To the Google Slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/12jHYV0rREDx69Z-gcXEGyFBZPAaa_dfJsj8T0ul6CTA/edit?usp=sharing

Blog Prompt: Post a paragraph summary description of your story/moment that you will turn into a series of shots and then compile into a video sequence. Write another paragraph that describes the visual style and what you imagine the soundtrack to include: voices, sound effects, music.

I want to work on creating the two distinct styles I have going in my world. The vibrant, shiny, technological world of the AI overlords and their wealthy keepers is one. Below them are the coders, kept in dingy dens with warm orange lighting and computers. I don’t know if there’s a specific moment I want to capture, but I certainly want to showcase these disparate ways of life. I believe I’ll want to show them off in an ‘every other’ sequence to showcase their differences.

I’ve injected my gpt with a small stylistic guide. Included in that is the directorial style of the Safdie Brothers (directors of Good Time and Uncut Gems). I believe their elements of colorful lighting and character close ups will help tell my story. The soundtracks will definitely include music. I think the music should be a bit sparse and atmospheric. Neither of these places have a lot of energy going on. The sound effects for the coders will probably be more old-world technology focused, whirring and typing and the like. The sfx for the keepers will be more futuristic sounding, with things like soft dings and whooshes.

My story is called “The Fall of Intelligence.” In the era of artificial intelligence, human dependence on science and technology has reached a terrible degree, and ordinary people have lost their basic self-care ability and completely rely on AI to assist life. Our protagonist is a botanist, a rare person in the city who is willing not to rely on technology in his personal life. So he has some survivability. But one day, the city’s central computer was invaded by an unknown virus, causing the entire city’s artificial intelligence to be paralyzed. Although it did not cause casualties, it had a great impact on people’s lives without the assistance of AI. The main character, Tod, uses the everyday knowledge he learns to teach the people of the city how to survive. He taught people how to cook, how to make fire, how to get resources. But even so, for people who have been trained by artificial intelligence to be extremely lazy, they still think it is hell。

The style of this work will use a more cheerful and funny cartoon style/rubber hose animation. A metaphor for the loss of self-care due to excessive dependence on technology.The style of this work will use a more cheerful and funny animation style/rubber tube animation. A metaphor for the loss of self-care due to excessive dependence on technology. The colors tend to be blue and yellow, presenting serious and pessimistic themes in contrast to happy comedy shows.

For my GPT video sequence, I will be capturing the beautiful planet, its creatures, landscape, and some daily interactions of the cybernetic AI entities that inhabit the planet in my GPT. The last half of the sequence will gradually show the different life cycles of the creatures on the planet, and the interconnecting relationship of all organic inhabitants.

To capture the planet, landscape, creatures, and daily interaction, I will be using a birds eye/drone view to capture these scenes. These scenes will move through the landscape to capture the next scene. The last half of the sequence will follow the creatures through their life cycles, eventually showing a dramatic connection of all organic life. All scenes featuring landscape and creatures will take place during the “daytime”. I imagine the soundtrack to include only sound effects appropriate for the scene. I do not want words or narration in my sequence so that viewers can focus on the details of the scenes.

The story/moment I will be telling is about a Gardener woman who takes care of the AI trees. Her job ecompasses bio-technology. She tends to the AI trees that are the cornerstone of Grah’s society. It will showcase her as she goes about her day in this world. The world is ultimately peaceful. However, there are news postings about the advances and dangers of space travel. The news outlines that space is too dangerous and too expensive for humans. As our Gardener goes about her usual day, she gets a request from a certain tree to grab some data from the server room. As she is looking for the data, she stumbles upon a different file by accident. This file contains confidential information on supposed alien “invaders”. There is a massive space society of interconnected planets and societies that have, until now, have been unknown to humans. These records support the notion that the AI forces of Grah may be the true aggressors in the space conflicts. In addition, it seems human safety is not the real reason the AI wants to keep humans on Grah. The Gardener must tread very carefully, as she may be in danger in the AI find out she know. However, was this really meant to be a secret, or was her discover some sort of comic design by her AI counterparts?

The style I imagine for this is an animation with ink/watercolor inspired art. I really liked the look of the server room image I generated, as the roots were indiscernible from wires, which is exactly what I am going for. This will accentuate the natural feel of the world. I also want to maintain the blues, browns, greens, and purples that are in my images that I already generated. I would like the score to be heavy in woodwinds and plucky strings (guitars, harps, etc., not so much violin/bow string instruments). Once again to highlight the naturalistic elements of this worlds. The sounds effects I am thinking along the lines of big groaning for the trees with fast wire-y sounds from the electronics.

Can’t be an Illusion tells the story of Althea, a young woman living in the surreal world of Vitak, where reality is questioned, and the mundane is redefined. Encountering anomalies in her world, Althea is drawn into a journey of discovery, guided by her best friend Kai, a vibrant anomaly urging her to question her reality. Through the alarming and unnatural encounters Althea confronts the dual nature of her world, choosing to embrace the chaotic beauty of truth over the comfort of illusion. Her journey from acceptance to enlightenment reflects a deeper exploration of perception, consciousness, and the power of the human spirit to shape reality, ultimately transforming Althea into a beacon of insight for others navigating the complexities of their own perceptions.

Using a mystical and reflective tone with a blend of vibrant, fluid visuals and ethereal soundscapes in order to immerse viewers in the enigmatic world of Vitak. The visual style should richly depict the surreal landscapes and symbolic imagery like the Fractured Clock, contrasting the illusory beauty of Vitak with the sharper realities Althea discovers. Sound design should feature emotive instrumentals and distinctive motifs for characters, enhancing the narrative’s philosophical depth. The music will be mystical, with synths. Through detailed storyboarding and thoughtful character design to ensure that the film visually and audibly represents the journey from illusion to enlightenment, engaging the audience in a profound sensory and contemplative experience.

AI CINEMA

There is no argument that AI helps a lot of people cut the amount of work in half, however, there is a growing fear around the world and especially in Hollywood. The fear is grabbing the artistic world, the tech world, film industry and almost every industry imaginable right now. Photographers and artists are worried that AI steals their work thus taking their income away.

According to the reading “Will AI change Hollywood”, we learnt that AI took the place of people who did jobs like pre-production, post-production, scriptwriting, special effects, audience analysis and distribution. AI is being used in creative and progressive ways. This took jobs from real people, thus creating a big unemployment gap in Hollywood and became a huge inconvenience for actors both dead and alive.

Hollywood used AI helpers to create films, however, it is noticeable that such scripts and films lack the humanity that makes a great screenplay. We can agree that AI helps screenwriters get over writer’s block. However, we cannot deny the fact that AI has been a real threat to the Writers’ guild Association. In the reading, (“Will AI change Hollywood Forever?”) we learnt that the National Association of Voice Actors, an advocacy group, insists that it is not anti-technology or anti-AI but is calling for stronger parameter. It advises that it is progressively hard to know when and where manufactured voices are replacing humans in audio books, video games and other media.

The group’s president, Tim Friedlander, says: “The biggest concern is that we just don’t know what’s out there and there’s no way to track it and no way to find out if it’s being used.

Just like the fears expressed in the article, we don’t know how much of our information is out there and being used without our knowledge.

It is actually alarming seeing that the film industry is relying more and more on AI, thus putting actors out of jobs. This could negatively affect the economy due to unemployment. Nonetheless, AI is moving fast and taking opportunities away from the hands of the people who need it.The good thing is that Hollywood still needs Scriptwriters because you can tell that AI material needs tension and human touch.

“None of this material is particularly good. The script lacks tension and poetic grace. The shot list is uninspired. And the video is just plain weird looking,” said Holli Willis, Professor of Cinematic Arts, University of Southern California.

AI is going to be here for a long time if not forever. We have to know how to use and get the most out of it. It will probably put a lot of people out of jobs but it will need that human grace and touch to come alive.

For my story I’m thinking about making it a creation video, something like how the people of my fictional world think the world was made. I don’t have many specific thoughts on the camera shots or anything but have an idea for the story. it’s going to be about how there was a dark empty void when the sun showed up moving around which led to the moons being created. With the sun and moons came the planet, Ethereal. I don’t have the specifics yet but I’ll have GPT help me refine the story. I definitely think that I’ll have some scenes just panning showing the sky, stars, and moons but also the world itself from the perspective of space and then in the world. I might have a few scenes showing people and everyday life however it really depends on how I’m doing on time and whether it would fit well.

As for the visual style, I’m thinking of making it in a sort of documentary style, similar to what you would see on the history channel about civilizations in the past. Although the aesthetic vision will likely not be photorealistic because of the details of the world but rather similar to video game design. So I have a feeling that it might evolve into something similar to the beginning of a video game although I’m not sure yet. For the soundtrack I’m thinking of having some type of background music perhaps classical or something soothing. I don’t think there will be many sound effects but I might change that as I am making the video.

What are your thoughts on the risks and opportunities of AI Cinema?

AI Cinema and its incorporation into both professional and indie film provides an exciting glimpse into the future of the art, albeit with some caveats. Much the same as the indoctrination of other ground breaking technologies such as the switch to digital from film, job expectations and work processes will inevitably change as AI is implemented into the work flow. The articles in question for this weeks blog post explore an uncertain future for many occupations in the industry, with voice actors mentioned as specifically on edge about AI and its risks to their job security. In a way, the advent of technology such as this is wielded as a double-edged sword. On one hand, an entirely new realm of creativity and accessibility is opened with AI, on the other, many doors will be shut for those in the industry who find themselves outperformed or left with more accessible alternatives to their services. Which is rather concerning in a corporate and profit margin driven society and industry. While the creative among us may use this technology to reach for the stars, I foresee many corporate interests instead using this resource predominantly as a way to cut costs and reduce labor for higher profit margins.  

What do these tools mean for the future of Hollywood entertainment and for independent artists working in the industry? 

As the playing field becomes more leveled and AI increases in skill and productivity, I believe the indie and amateur film makers stand to gain the most. Opportunities that remained inconceivable either due to budget or scope now have alternatives that are a prompt and render away. Artists can explore various new ground-breaking formats at lightning speed, combining and remixing elements to explore new ideas and concepts visually and audibly. On the horizon, many new and unique works never before seen will begin to emerge as the technology evolves alongside the artists.