A.I. Dream of Genie

This was so fun (and a topical haha). Some of the lines were a little hard to hear but for the most part okay and just a really satisfying watch! It might be my creative prejudice speaking but I loved watching an AI 'writer,' even one who trained AI on his own stories, get shut out x) So yeah, great story! Enjoyed

I love the gradual reveal that the person talking in the interview all along had been the AI itself. This was a surprising twist - for most of the film you think this was the main character, and then at the end your perspective on what you have watched changes and gets you rethinking about the entire film. This is a great way to make the film more immersive, as the viewer thinks back through the whole thing and re-analyses it while the credits are on.

Beauty shots and amazing lighting! Really well put together film

The reliable Cactus!
Really tight script, with clear narrative and thematic direction, and standout visual storytelling.
The shots feel deliberate and varied; the colour grade is delicious, and the whole film is anchored by a hilarious, and committed lead performance.
Some awesome set dressing too!

A technically solid be careful what you wish for film, presenting a great metaphor of the addictive trap that A.I. presents.

Good performances, really nice lighting and sound this was a very solid film.

Speaking of Djin, for me, personally as a massive fan of the cheesy WISHMASTER series I think you could have potentially upped the ante just a little bit more. What I mean by that is that the inner turmoil was sold really well, and your macro shot was out of this world good, but it felt like there was some room to move to present wider repercussions visually. Just my 2c.

Also weird question but did you finish the film with a slowed down instrumental version of Old Town Road? If not it was eerily similar and fit really well.

Really great film, solid storytelling, performance, and visuals to back it all up. The macroshot with the scrolling text in the glasses was a really nice touch.

The topic of AI has come up a lot thematically, and you handled it really well by showing that the inclusion of AI in the drafting/brainstorming process takes away from the writer's creative agency, then dialling it up to 100 with a complete takeover! You double down with a "Tik Tok shaped dopamine button" which is not only really funny, but real and relatable. The reveal of the interview being AI was clever, and made me want to go back and watch it a second time, so again, fantastic storytelling.

Can't wait to see what you do next time!

What I liked:
I thought this was really clever. I liked the set-up with the interview giving us all we needed to know. The AI taking over the writing was a good approach – too many of these become AI and world destruction, but a contained story is a far more relatable way to go. Having said that, the ending suggests bigger things afoot! Nicely shot and edited, and our lead is great.

Take it or leave it:
Could more have happened in other places? We have a TV studio and the living room. Could we have had another character? His literary agent? More of an attempt to stop the runaway AI? I actually think it works perfectly the way it is.

Final hot air:
A quality short from Cactus? who have been in the comp for a long time. Hope this makes the finals and gets some treats.

Soooo gooood! The perfect opener for the adult heats!

I'm here for the shade thrown at AI, TikTok-shaped dopamine buttons, and KPI-driven storytelling (I'm looking at you Netflix). I have it on good authority that 19 Christchurch 48Hours films this year touch on AI/tech (including five arguably also on death) but this is the best. The concept of a genie that escapes, thus trapping the one who set it free, is ingenious (oh I see what I did there).

Now I shall live in fear of the world's "agency authorised" moment. In our own words.

A wonderful 48Hour film that executes everything that it's going for! All the acting is so good, the script is perfect, and the shots and grade is beautiful! And that one shot with the computer screen in the glasses?! If that doesn't win the award for best extreme closeup, then I'm going to A.I generate an image of myself pulling my own hair out (just kidding, I'd just do that in real life 'cause I hate A.I). I really hope I get to see this one again on the big screen at the finals, I really loved it and you guys really deserve it!

In my experience of dreams, there’s a great deal more drama, usually with my parents. But you don’t have to show my dreams, though it would have been nice.

The use of light to show the good vs evil dynamic was clear, and I found myself identifying with the light one, then the dark one.

The props were too small.

Ahhhh fellas! We had a feeling this one could go either way and we're sorry it didn't tip in your favour this year. At it's core, the foundation of this film is very confident, and the idea of one character escaping it's digital platform, while the other is being trapped by a technilogical prison of our own making, is a lot of fun. It's well shot, it has some great writing and a solid performance - it ticked all of the technical and production value boxes to make it a deserving finalist, if that was the only things a judge was judging.

The main thing that I think had the judges split was the concept of the escape - some of them clearly understood that the thing escaping was the AI, others commented that this film is clearly not an escape at all because the guy gives up after one attempt of leaving the house. That lack of clarity cost marks, combined with a feeling that the simple back and forth arguing with the AI in a single room wasn't escelating dramatically enough to justify feeling anything for the lead. I guess it just felt a bit safe! And knowing across the board some of the ludicrous things this team has attempted in the past, this one just needed a bit more of a kick.

THE BEST THING: Technical and production value continues to be incredibly strong for one of Chch's most reliable teams!

THE NEXT THING: Take your confident story telling chops and work through how to dial it up to 11! Among other things that you already know how to do :)