Anamorph's Generative Technology Creates Unique Film Versions for Every Viewing

Anamorph's Generative Technology Reorders Scenes to Create Unlimited Versions of One Film

Anamorph, a new filmmaking and technology company founded by filmmaker Gary Hustwit and digital artist Brendan Dawes, has announced its launch. The company aims to revolutionize the cinematic experience with its proprietary generative technology, capable of producing films that are unique with every viewing.

The "Eno" Documentary: A Sundance Showcase

Anamorph unveiled its innovative technology at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival with the debut of its first documentary, "Eno." This film chronicles the life and work of Brian Eno, a renowned musician, producer, and visual artist known for his collaborations with iconic artists like David Bowie, U2, and Talking Heads, and his pioneering work with generative music software.

Hustwit explained that Eno was a natural fit for Anamorph's technology due to his continuous exploration of technology's role in art and music. "Brian seemed like the perfect candidate for [using Anamorph’s software] since he’s always been about pushing for technology and how it can be used in art and music," Hustwit stated.

How Anamorph's Technology Works

During its Sundance screenings, "Eno" utilized over 500 hours of restored archival footage, interviews, animated visuals, and music. Anamorph's system dynamically selects and sequences these elements, along with purely generative scenes and transitions, to create billions of potential sequences. This results in a distinct viewing experience for each audience member.

Initially, there were questions about the coherence of the scene ordering. However, Hustwit clarified that the system doesn't aim for a strict chronological narrative. Instead, it focuses on creating an engaging and cohesive story, even with varying sequences, footage, and music. The system ensures a narrative arc is still possible by pinning certain scenes, like Eno's discussion on generative art, to specific timeslots, and by always presenting the same first and last scenes.

"You can still have an engaging narrative arc in a film, sort of what we expect when we see a [normal] documentary… even if the scenes, footage, music and the sequences change, we can still get an engaging, cohesive story. It helps, in this case, that it’s all about one person," Hustwit noted. "Your brain is trying to make the connections and figure out the story. And that story changes according to how you receive the information and how it’s paced out."

Technical Innovation and Scalability

Anamorph's software was developed over five years, combining patent-pending techniques with the team's storytelling expertise. Crucially, the company emphasizes that its system is not trained on external data, IP, or other films.

Brendan Dawes highlighted the technical challenges: "The main challenge was creating a system that could process potentially hundreds of 4K video files, each with its own 5.1 audio tracks, in real time." The platform dynamically generates video and 5.1 audio elements, ensuring robustness for live performances. Dawes mentioned the system's capability to produce over 52 quintillion variations.

Dawes also clarified the distinction between their technology and generative AI: "This is a generative system, not generative AI. So I just need to make that clear, because pretty much everything that’s been said about ['Eno'] uses the word AI."

Future of Generative Cinema

The primary hurdle for widespread adoption is the lack of existing streaming platforms capable of supporting this dynamic content generation. Anamorph plans to develop these capabilities in-house for major streamers.

Hustwit explained, "I think the main constraint is that the current streaming networks aren’t equipped to dynamically generate unique video files and stream them to thousands of viewers so that each viewer is getting their own version of a movie." He added that while streaming companies are interested, their current systems cannot handle the technology.

Anamorph is currently focusing on live events and theatrical releases, believing that unique, live cinema experiences can draw audiences back to theaters. The company is also exploring applications in art installations and even major blockbuster films, with advertising agencies showing interest in creating unique commercials.

Unlike interactive films like "Black Mirror: Bandersnatch," Anamorph's system does not allow viewer choice; the uniqueness comes from the generated sequence itself. Hustwit noted, "It does require a little bit more active participation of the viewer to notice the differences if they rewatch it again, and get excited about discovering what wasn’t there."

Anamorph is open to collaborations with filmmakers, content creators, and studios, preferring to work directly on projects to align with storytelling goals rather than making the tools publicly accessible.

Key Takeaways:

Anamorph Launch: A new company founded by Gary Hustwit and Brendan Dawes.
Generative Technology: Creates unique film versions by reordering scenes, footage, music, and visuals.
"Eno" Documentary: Showcased at Sundance, using over 500 hours of content.
Technical Feat: Processes 4K video and 5.1 audio in real-time, capable of billions of variations.
Not Generative AI: Clarification on the system's nature.
Streaming Challenge: Current platforms lack the infrastructure for dynamic content delivery.
Future Focus: Live events, theatrical releases, and potential for blockbusters and advertising.

Images:

Topics:

AI
Filmmaking
Media & Entertainment
Startups
Video Generation