AI KNOWS is a short film born from a conversation I had with a small group of middle school students. We were discussing AI and its implications for the future. One person shared how AI was giving him daily instructions to make him a millionaire by the age of 18. Not only did he follow its every step, but he made it clear that AI was a god that would soon bless him.
Another person shared how AI was erasing all entry-level jobs, so he would never have the opportunity to experiment and apply what he learned in school to real life. He was convinced his risk level for failure was on the rise.
The first kid set his beliefs on false hope. The second kid had lost all hope. I was inspired in that moment to write AI KNOWS as a discussion starter to help parents talk to their kids about our rapidly changing world.
The purpose of the story is to help the audience understand that AI is not a god, nor is it perfect. It was programmed by people using inaccurate databases, which leads to its errors and hallucinations. The story also highlights that wisdom is of greater value than the rapid dissemination of data. Our teens and tweens need to understand that they are valuable and can utilize far greater inputs than AI has to work with, including intuition, experiential wisdom, spiritual wisdom, accurate gut feelings, creativity, and more.
Our team is coming together with some of the best talent from Hollywood. The reason is that they all believe in the message and helping teens and tweens nationwide wake up to the reality of AI, rather than being consumed by the hype or fears that some embrace. This project is timely due to the vast number of people discussing AI daily.
If we can raise the funds needed, filming will begin in early September. The visual effects will start that same week. The goal is to release the completed film during the Thanksgiving Day weekend. However, if the visual effects take longer, the film will be released in mid-December.
The film will be submitted to various festivals to increase our press coverage and catch the attention of more young viewers. The film will also be released on the world’s largest television network: YouTube (Believe it or not, Netflix has about half the viewership of YouTube, and Disney has about half the viewership of Netflix).
Click here to learn more about this project and to watch the video below.
During a film festival judging session, I had several hundred entries and only two months allotted for viewing. Since all award-winning films must rise to a certain quality level, I spent the first couple of weeks watching the first two minutes of each film. Only the fourteen high-quality films went into the review pile, where I judged the entire film.
“Quality is more important than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles.”
Steve Jobs
Quality is the most influential element in visual storytelling on digital platforms. The profound power of quality requires a specific strategy to manage success. Unfortunately, most businesses shy away from video, while potential customers watch videos instead of reading to get what they need to make buying decisions.
Quality in visual communication is a multifaceted concept. It encompasses technical precision, such as high-resolution imagery and clear sound. The aesthetic appeal created through composition and color use is also critical. The quality of the visual content integrated into the message also plays a role in the narrative’s effectiveness.
Understanding these dimensions is crucial, but few comprehend the success formula that combines artistry, science (technical), and business acumen.
I studied the photo composition and lighting of Ansel Adams’ works during the classes I took at university while achieving my photography minor. His statement underlines the importance of transcending the technical to achieve a holistic sense of quality.
“There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.”
Ansel Adams
Four Pillars of Quality Visuals
While the “anything goes” mentality is excellent for exploring artistry, I’ve reduced the complex concepts of quality storytelling to a framework of four pillars: compelling narratives, emotional engagement, visual clarity, and technical excellence.
Each pillar plays a crucial role:
1. Compelling Narratives
The story must be engaging and purposeful. In our visual society, engagement is created when an emotional connection is made with the audience that compels them to stick with the story until all is resolved. Most PIXAR films successfully make this connection, which they attribute to their 22 Rules of Storytelling. Once the audience is connected, they often stay engaged throughout the film.
2. Emotional Engagement
The goal of an emotional engagement is more than keeping the viewer until the story is complete. It’s about making the audience feel something and treasure it. Maya Angelou’s words resonate here: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
When the audience becomes grateful for the information shared, they will retain more than the information; they’ll retain the goodwill.
3. Visual Clarity
Clarity ensures that the message is not lost in translation. Clarity often comes in the simplification process. When we simplify our message, the audience will understand our story and its value. Leonardo da Vinci’s mantra makes this evident, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
4. Technical Excellence
This aspect is about using the best tools and techniques to enhance storytelling without overshadowing the narrative. Technology, for tech’s sake, rarely advances the story, but the subtle or invisible use of technology enhances the quality of our presentations.
The motion picture Gone with the Wind had close to the same number of effects shots as the original Star Wars movie, yet most people know Star Wars was loaded with effects but didn’t think Gone with the Wind used any.
Building Quality into Visual Stories
Incorporating quality into video production begins with meticulous planning and outlining of the script. Alfred Hitchcock said, “To make a great film, you need three things – the script, the script, and the script.” This blueprint is crucial in setting the tone and direction of a visual narrative. A lousy script never leads to a great film.
Protecting Quality During Production
Maintaining quality during production, one of the most prolific collaboration art forms, can be challenging. It requires a balance between creative aspirations and practical constraints. The filming of Jaws was fraught with technical difficulties. Yet, these challenges led to innovative solutions that enhanced the film’s quality.
Bruce, the name of the mechanical shark used in making Jaws, frequently malfunctioned. This forced Steven Spielberg to invent a new filmmaking approach—working with composer John Williams, they used music to suggest the shark’s presence. This was a way to increase the suspense and catapulted the film to become the first big blockbuster hit.
Using Quality to Convey Powerful Messages
David Ogilvy, the father of advertising, said, “Tell the truth, but make the truth fascinating.” Internet creators know the truth is essential due to the audience’s demand for authenticity. Still, they are just now learning that quality visuals amplify the power of the message.
The difference in audience response can be stark when comparing high-quality visuals with subpar ones. This makes me wonder why some companies outsource their production work to the geek down the street who owns some tech but has no clue about storytelling.
Measuring the Impact of Quality
Measuring the effectiveness of quality in visual communication is critical. Engagement metrics, social shares, and audience feedback can offer insights into how quality-driven content performs. The Dove Real Beauty Sketches campaign is a prime example of quality storytelling leading to viral success and profound audience impact.
Launched in 2013, the video went viral, receiving over 163 million global views and making 4.6 billion media impressions. According to Unilever, it became the most-watched online ad at the time and won the Titanium Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The campaign struck a chord by addressing women’s perceptions of their own beauty, which was often more critical than how others viewed them.
The video featured women describing themselves to a forensic sketch artist who drew their portraits. Then, strangers described the same women; those portraits resembled the women more closely than the self-described sketches. This powerful message turned beauty into a source of confidence, not anxiety, for women—creating new brand loyalty.
Quality is More Than an Attribute
Quality in visual storytelling is more than a mere attribute; it’s a strategic choice that can set our content apart in an oversaturated digital landscape. Quality can elevate the narrative, resonate with audiences, and ultimately define success. If we embrace quality, not as a checkbox but as a cornerstone of our storytelling strategy, the solutions presented will align with the audience, and all will be well served.
I have a friend that found an incredible story that’s worthy of being developed into a screenplay. When he first told me about the true events, he talked about it from the perspective of the children. After chatting on the phone with the family, he shared the story again, but this time from the mindset of the mother. When he introduced me to one of the children, I heard the story from the father’s viewpoint. It was clear that the real life elements, or story beats, were significant enough to impact everyone in the family, giving us several choices in how to develop the motion picture.
After analyzing the information presented, I broke the elements down by each potential story angle to determine which one was best for the film. The categories I used included emotional beats, high stakes at risk, and entertainment value for the audience. The weighting of each category helped determine from what angle the story would be told.
EMOTIONAL BEATS
Film is an emotional medium that requires a story with passionate and poignant twists and turns. While beginning filmmakers think the story must first drive home a valuable message, it’s the emotional throughline that earns the right for the filmmaker to speak a message into the audience’s lives through the B-plotline. Those who try to craft the message within the action plotline soon find their story meanders or falls flat. The action plotline must take the audience on an emotional roller coster ride to properly make use of the medium. The film should therefore be from the perspective that drives the main character through a series of actions that heighten the emotional appeal and the story’s consequences.
Some of the films with clear emotional beats include: Les Misérables, Star Trek 2009, The Blind Side, The Darkest Hour, Schindler’s List, and The Wizard of Oz. These stories were well developed and crafted for the screen. The films were visual and hit every story beat that takes an audience on a journey of exploration. The stories argued both sides of a specific message in a way that enticed the audience to side with the filmmaker’s beliefs.
HIGH STAKES AT RISK
The character with the most to lose typically finds themselves in circumstances that amps up the volume of the emotional beats. This is critical to drive the story to its climatic conclusion. While stories typically have comic relief or temporary lulls in the action, so the audience can catch their breath, the story must be driven by choices that turn into physical and visual action. A “talking-head” plotline, where the main character spews forth nothing more than teachable moments, does not move the story forward or raise the stakes. The throughline must overcome the rule of diminishing returns, which is only possible by raising the stakes.
The rule of diminishing returns relates to the weakening of the audience’s buzz. The college student who gets his first car is excited to drive a secondhand clunker because its his. When after graduation he gets a normal car, he finds it difficult to get excited if he has to drive a clunker again. After a wonderful promotion and driving his upscale company car, the newly married driver struggles to find the excitement in driving the minivan on weekends. With every increased excitement, comes the rule of diminishing returns that makes it harder to generate the same buzz experienced in past events.
P.T. Barnum was a showman who used the rule of diminishing returns to his advantage. Everything he did had to increase its shock value to draw in an audience during the depressed era. Curiosity drove the people to purchase tickets over and over again as Barnum kept increasing the amazing acts within his show. Film is the same way. The audience must be taken on a journey that continues to amaze. The good news is that a director can use techniques to reset the audience’s expectations before every emotional increase so his story doesn’t get out of control.
ENTERTAINMENT VALUE
At today’s high ticket prices and costly cable packages, audience’s demand their monies worth. They want to be taken on a journey that they’ve never been on before or introduced to a character that they can learn about for the first time. To accomplish this goal all stereotypes must be dropped by the filmmaker. He also must find ways of allowing his unique character to directly impact the plot based on his or her choices. The audience must find the story fun in order to watch it a second time, or stirring enough for those who like to have a good cry. A great story with fantastic production values are always at the top of the box office list or award categories—due largely to the embedded entertainment value.
The Oscar nominated film, The Shape of Water, takes the audience on a alien-like journey in time during the Cold War. The audience is also introduced to a compassionate, mute woman. Her unique circumstances and personal drive grabs the audience’s attention, whether they agree or disagree with her life choices. While the film is a far left propaganda piece, it’s entertainment value drives curiosity among conservatives who may revisit their political views after watching the filmmakers perspective.
Developing a cinematic story with great emotional beats, high stakes at risk, and emotional value, earns the filmmaker the right to speak into the audience’s life. The result is consideration by the audience of the filmmaker’s argument, but only when the picture is properly developed using the above proven elements.
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I have a friend that found an incredible story that’s worthy of being developed into a screenplay. When he first told me about the true events, he talked about it from the perspective of the children. After chatting on the phone with the family, he shared the story again, but this time from the mindset of the mother. When he introduced me to one of the children, I heard the story from the father’s viewpoint. It was clear that the real life elements, or story beats, were significant enough to impact everyone in the family, giving us several choices in how to develop the motion picture.
CJ's Corner 