Take 7 – Reviewing The Best of the Best AI Shorts From The Culver Cup

By Elise Hernke with input from Niren Hiro

We talk about all of the finalists of The Culver Cup AI Film Fest. This #LATechWeek inaugural event showcased not only impressive technology, but also the power of the AI community. This is MODERN TIMES, a digest dedicated to bridging the gap between the entertainment world and the tech that is shaking it up.??

Let’s dive in…

The Culver Cup is a First-Of-Its-Kind Generative-AI Filmmaking Competition?

The Culver Cup Finalists Reel via Instagram

FBRC.AI paired with a selection of Amazon Web Services (AWS) Startups to structure and launch the inaugural Culver Cup, an AI film festival. The companies involved were Dream Machine by Luma AI, Playbook 3D, Global Objects (who provided 3D assets for the setting), and ElevenLabs (audio). The setting was a retro looking diner (by Global Objects) and accomplished director David Slade (“Black Mirror: Bandersnatch,” “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” and “Hard Candy”) provided the creative treatment for the submissions:?

Something arrives. Something spills or burns. Someone has to pay.?

Beyond that, the AI short film can be about anything you can imagine and we really saw a range of stories.?

Creators had three weeks (from September 16-October 5, 2024) to make their showpiece. FBRC.AI received over 150 submissions and narrowed those down to the Top 50 creators.?

By Monday, October 14th, during LA Tech Week, the top eight contestants were showcased at the Culver Theater for the finals. There were 250 attendees who mingled in the lobby, played with the Amazon Bedrock holograms and enjoyed complimentary popcorn and drinks.?

The contest was styled in a bracket format (sort of like March Madness or FIFA World Cup) until one final film won!?

Who were the judges??

?? David Slade, the aforementioned director who also provided the treatment for the festival

?? Dave Clark, who is known in the community for his exceptional AI film “Battalion” (which we featured in a previous issue of Modern Times)?

?? Rachel Victor, a USC film professor and co-founder of FBRC.AI

?? Skylar Thomas, co-founder and CTO of Playbook

?? Amit Jain, founder and CEO of Luma AI?

?? Jon Jones, VP of AWS Startups

How were the films judged??

The point system was based on two components:

1?? Output Fidelity which is defined (by Chatgpt) as: “how closely the output aligns with the intended meaning, the context of the input, and the overall expectations of the user. High output fidelity means that the AI produces results that are coherent, relevant, and precise, while low fidelity may result in inaccuracies, irrelevant information, or poor-quality responses.”?

2?? Workflow Innovation: “the process of improving or redesigning existing workflows to enhance efficiency, effectiveness, and adaptability within an organization. This can involve the adoption of new technologies, processes, or methodologies that streamline operations, reduce bottlenecks, and optimize resource use. The goal is to create more effective workflows that can respond to changing demands, improve collaboration, and ultimately drive better outcomes for the organization.”

1. “Mnemonade” ?? Tells An Emotional Story About A Woman with Dementia?

By MetaPuppet

A woman with dementia remembers her life through the food she eats.?

Total points: 280

Output Fidelity: 144/150

Workflow Innovation: 116/150

This film took home the gold for its moving story and technical proficiency. The creator, who goes by the name MetaPuppet, was interviewed at the event’s Q & A. He spoke about making his goal for this competition to try to overcome the challenges of rendering scenes with emotional dialogue with this new medium. As luck would have it, during the three weeks that he was working on this project, multiple softwares focused on lip synching were released making his job much easier (link: Modern Times Issue where we covered these updates). Cleverly, the story is told using a literal “sands of time” effect within the diner which is also a transition device to bring us back and forth between timelines in our leading character’s life. The story feels close to home, as MetaPuppet spoke about being motivated to write this after observing his grandparent suffer from dementia, and that really comes across. Bravo!

Note: His film is the only one not available for viewing at this time, so I would recommend following him on Instagram where he might keep us updated about when / where it will be released.

2. “Relatively Disconnected” Challenges The Ways We Use Tech to Connect to Each Other

Watch Full Film Here?

By Paola Rocchetti

In a diner where everyone is immersed in their smartphones, a young woman's fleeting encounter with an enigmatic yet familiar figure propels her into a deep exploration of modern solitude masked by digital connections, sparking a quiet revolution within.

Total points: 263

Output Fidelity: 137/150

Workflow Innovation: 126/150

Though this one grabbed high scores across the board, the narrative felt less clear to me.?

The visuals were compelling and a story about the way that smartphones lead to disconnectedness should resonate, but it fell flat in the writing. The lead appeared like an animated version of a Gen Z teen with ‘Instagram face’ an aesthetic that can be difficult to connect with emotionally. But at least her scene partner, an uncanny version of our ‘relativity’ expert Albert Einstein, provided a familiar perspective for us to grasp.

3. “I [...] You” & The Anxiety Behind Those Three Big Words

*Tied for 3rd

Watch Full Film Here?

By Maddie Hong

In the moments between the first “I love you” and their response, you feel everything.

Total Points: 247

Output FIdelity: 124/150

Workflow Innovation: 123/150

Seeking to evoke an emotional response from the audience by trying to capture a feeling so specific and universal, creator Maddie Hong shows us how it feels to say “I love you” to someone for the first time. After the words have left ones mouth, there is no going back. We spend the majority of the film swirling in the anxiety, excitement, and fear of awaiting a response. A strong emotional core, but the imagery was a little prosaic and unmemorable.?

4. “Eat the Soup” is an Imaginative Tale of a Man Possessed By His Meal

*Tied for 3rd

Watch Full Film Here?

By Krystal Trixx

A man is bewitched by his soup and ends up finding a new community.

Total Points: 247?

Output Fidelity: 126/150

Workflow Innovation: 121/150

The aesthetic used for this film felt really new and exciting to watch, but the story was deeply confusing, so I think it was hard for it to land with audiences as much as it could have with a tighter plot or a more straightforward approach. Still, it was fun to see the different ways these tools can create something visually engaging, especially when it comes to horror.?

5. “Skillet & The Jetport Diner” Uses Comedy To Show Us The Challenges of Working With A Robot

Watch Full Film Here?

By Joey Daoud

Skillet, a robot chef, arrives to help at an intergalactic diner in Florida's swamplands, but chaos ensues when it takes the space-themed menu a bit too literally.

Total points: 241

Output Fidelity: 114/150

Workflow Innovation: 127/150

This was the film that kicked off the fest, and it felt like the perfect choice to get people excited about what the day had in store. The story cleverly plays on the current obstacles with dealing with generative-AI in that in order to achieve desired results, you have to work with its literal understanding of the world and shape that point-of-view until it works the way you want. This short also showcased a visual style that feels similar to what we are already seeing done at current popular animation studios.?

6. “Dad’s Treasure” Takes Us Through One Man’s Adventurous Life

Watch Full Film Here?

By Matthew Wenhardt

A family gathers at their childhood diner, spinning their late father’s fantastical stories of buried treasure, cowboys, pirates, and gangsters, blending adventure, humor, and nostalgia as they reconnect with his larger-than-life legacy.

Total points: 234 Output Fidelity: 112/150?

Workflow Innovation: 122/150

This was a blast. The concept of it was made to bring the audience in for a good time, as we are taken on an adventure through so many of our favorite movies of the past: the Wild West to the swashbuckling Pirates in the Caribbean and finally, the ‘Goodfellas’ out to steal your money. The creator covered a lot of ground in a short span of time – although it could be argued that by the time the credits ended, the film started to overstay its welcome. Nonetheless, the human characters were rendered fairly well and the comedy landed with the audience. ??

7. “Buzz’d” Will Make You Laugh With Its Quirky Characters At A Diner in Space

Watch Full Film Here?

By Aristomenis Tsirbas

Flying is the safest form of travel.

Total points: 230

Output Fidelity: 113/150

Workflow Innovation: 117/150

This was easily a favorite among many of the audience members (according to the conversations had while mingling afterward). Somehow, it did not garner very many points – likely because it is the shortest of the bunch and doesn’t attempt to go very deep with the story. It is a simple plot, but it is a ton of fun.?

The visuals were nearly flawless; it looked like something out of ‘Toy Story’ (and the lead character was a dead-ringer for Buzz Lightyear). It was extremely well directed - the timing of the comedic beats was superb and hit every time.?

8. “A World That Never Happened” Plays Up The Fine Line Between Fantasy and Reality?

Watch Full Film Here?

By Borys Kondratenko

A man enters a diner where reality shifts in strange ways, haunted by memories of his wife and echoes of the ancient past, leading him to uncover his true identity and move toward an unexpected reunion.

Total Points: 218

Output Fidelity: 106/150

Workflow Innovation: 112/150

This one had a lot of intriguing ideas to explore, but ultimately did not bring them together effectively. It felt like the creator was trying to do way too much and lost the audience very quickly in a convoluted plot with ever-evolving visuals and characters. There is a lot of skill in the effects here, but if the filmmaker needs to ground the story first and then elevate it with visuals, not the other way around.?

All in all, it was an exciting experience to see so many bold creatives trying their hand at this new medium and supporting each other. It felt? inspiring to see the possibilities of AI in filmmaking and also to meet so many people who are already a part of this ultramodern community.?

Hope you will enjoy watching this as much as us and as always, we can’t wait to hear your thoughts on all of the topics covered in this week's letter.?

Some FYI’s before you go:

?? Runway launches Act-One (article: overview from Runway), a new tool that is focused on creating expressive character performances using video and voice inputs.?

?? Meta Movie Gen is partnering with Blumhouse production company (article: Meta) to gather feedback on the technology as it is used for filmmaking.?

?? NotebookLM continues to get better ?(article: TechCrunch) – now allowing you to customize the AI-generated audio conversations to make them more tailored to your topic.?

?? Apple released first short using Vision Pro called “Submerged” and you can watch the behind-the-scenes here.?

?? Kaiber AI releases Superstudio (company website), “a playground for accelerating imagination,” and you can see what it is capable of creating here.

And a Cookie!

The ability to squish and manipulate images has taken the virtual world by storm and we are starting to see companies and advertisers getting in on the fun. Here is trendy sunglass brand INDY squishing some of their favorite designs!?