Omar Karim Recaps His First AI Film Viewing Party, ‘Joy Machine’
A couple of months ago you guys met Omar Karim – an AI image and filmmaker, but also a creative director, strategist and founder, among other roles he fulfilled during the last 15 years he spent in advertising, PR, creative, fashion and tech.
Omar believes that the epoch that generative AI represents for creatives and the creative industry as a whole is “perhaps the most exciting thing ever.” Back when Iconoclast first carved out space for his column here on LBB, he spoke about how he came to terms with the inevitability of change and learned to love the potential of AI.
He also introduced us to his monthly event, Joy Machine, the first of which took place in July – the epitome of Omar’s necessity to capture a snapshot of “what is happening and connect the curious with the vanguard to unlock the potential for inspiration and collaboration.” Here’s how it went and the learnings he took away from it.
A First (of Sorts)
The first Joy Machine event was held at the end of July, and featured 12 image makers including Nick Knight, Floam World, Bengt Tibert, Kents Kooking, Joy Fennel, Tom Furse and others at the very cutting edge of this new form of cinema. Hosted at Iconolast’s Gallery Space on Woodseer St, the night was a mix of tech leaders, creatives, traditional Directors, founders, journalists and many others.
The Word on Woodseer Street
Launched more by word of mouth, the intent behind Joy Machine is to create a non-divisive space that lets the AI image-makers showcase their work and promote AI image making or filmmaking as its own category of work, rather than something that will replace live-action or traditional filmmaking. We are having a purely subjective conversation about the work itself and, simply put, trying to see it on a screen bigger than a phone. It is important to have these sorts of gatherings to ensure that the UK stays at the forefront of creativity, commercially and culturally.
“The energy in the air was electric and the films truly eclectic.”
We are somewhere around the ‘Silent Movie Era’ timeline of AI image making. When we zoom out and look at what was cutting edge only 12 months ago, it's breathtaking to witness where we are now and imagine where we’ll be in another 12 months down the line. I think on the way there, we have many hurdles to overcome.
It’s Only Just Started
We’ve yet to discover the Hitchcock of AI filmmaking, the person or people that will define the techniques that will be taught in AI film school, somewhere in the future! There’s yet to be an AI with personality - someone on a panel said to me that they’re not interested in AI films until an AI can throw a TV out of a hotel window (what a challenge!). An AI whose personality bleeds through the screen and compels a cult following.
And when someone said that they nearly cried at Tom Furse’s film, I just about fell over because you can tell those key storytelling hurdles are already to be crossed! And to see it in a gallery, on a big screen with people lost in the AI sauce, it was legit magic.
“It was like being at the first Sex Pistols gig, people will claim that they were there.”
First The Worst, Second The Best
The first Joy Machine was a soft launch of an idea, word of mouth and just breathtaking to witness this group of image- and filmmakers that use computers as well as cameras to make compelling imagery, full of expression, narrative and magic.
The Red Thread that connects creativity
Seeing the red thread that connects the iconic work of Nick Knight to Kent in Kansas, Floam World’s wild work, a testament to her creative direction, to Tom Fruze mystical and profound film that showed the power of sound and Joy Fennell’s story of love in Harlem to Bengt Tibert’s mind warping visual and Alan and Rosa, two AI Directors I created and now make their own work… Is brilliant because you see that artificial intelligence has deep creative and commercial roots and unlimited potential for all storytellers.
When considered as an instrument that creatives – who are already master storytellers – AI can be used to create a litany of creative firsts, far beyond the idea of efficiency and productivity. Particularly in the face of an ever-crumbling and perilous independent film arena. Let’s make some things, even if they are AI and live in an AI arena, let’s have a go!
Next Episode
Joy Machine II is on the 26th of September and I’d love to invite you to join us and 12 more AI image and filmmakers who will be sharing their latest creative work, across all AI platforms - open and closed source. It’s going to be wild! Follow us here!
With thanks to all the contributors:
