An opinion about AI, that has nothing to do with AI
Imagination and insight are at the heart of great advertising, believes Morgan Whitlock, who aims to bring those traits into TheGardening.Club as Executive Producer of the VFX and AI studio. Because, as production becomes more competitive, simply using this new technology as a cost-saving device isn't enough.
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I started working in independent commercial production 20 years ago. A lifetime. And, in that lifetime, the industry has changed dramatically, again and again and again. But never more than now.
The things I love about this industry haven't changed at all, and those things are the moments that run right through production, when one individual's unique perspective and imagination builds on another's; it's the chaining of creativity and craft. It is those steps we build along the road that elevate a project, when in some way the commercial content you are creating begins to cross into the cultural conversation.
The industry has changed dramatically, again and again and again. But never more than now.
I am continually amazed at the imagination and insight the best directors bring as they begin to realise a script. I've never lost that sense of awe you feel on set when the best crew seamlessly bring an idea to life, and those moments in a dark edit suite when a desk of dials works magic on an image.
Above: The steps built as each project takes shape, and each person adds their expertise, is what Whitlock loves about the advertising industry.
There was a time when I thought I'd be a director. Working as a director's assistant, I quickly came to accept that my imagination, my 'voice', simply wasn't as original and interesting as the best directors, and my 20-something ego wasn't prepared to be average at something. I fell into repping by accident, but I discovered a passion for facilitating the careers of those with something genuinely exciting to say, who said it in ways I'd never have thought of, or couldn't have hoped to deliver.
None of this is automatable. None of it achievable through the curation of average. Anyone working in independent commercial production in the UK will tell you it has never been harder. Those moments of magic are fewer and further between. They will tell you that is because creative agencies are bringing production in-house, that budgets are shrinking. Those, like me, who have been around a while, might tell you scripts used to be better, agencies bolder, clients braver.
Anyone working in independent commercial production in the UK will tell you it has never been harder.
What we are doing far too often is mistaking effect for cause. In-house production is an effect. The reduction of production budgets, an effect. Conservatism an effect. The cause is the explosion of media and the always-on nature of our consumption of it. It is a change that began 30 years ago. A challenge which has proved unsolvable. A problem that is slowly eroding the reasons I've wanted to work in this industry for the last 20 years, and why I still love it.
And the answer lies with AI. Not the 'cheaper, faster' answer that big tech wants to sell, but in the creation of new ways of working which marry the best branding with the needs of modern marketing. There has been conflict between the short and the long, between marketing and branding, driven by traditional production's inability to deliver highly crafted work at scale and speed.
Above: If we allow the bottom line to dictate how we use new technology, then we may turn our back on creativity and craft, says Whitlock.
If we allow those chasing the bottom line to shape the way this technology is woven into our industry we are ceding ground to those without the commitment to creativity and craft which has always driven the best work. But what if we put creatives, filmmakers and producers at the heart of that, and retain the creativity and craft of the best brand building work?
For 25 years The Sweetshop has developed and supported directors and producers capable of elevating commercial projects, people who have delivered award-winning, impactful filmmaking for agencies and clients around the world. The work that we're most proud of, the projects that motivate us, are those which capture audiences and build brand.
We recently launched TheGardening.Club to defend this, to harness this new technology in service of it, not to detract from the moments of magic that drive our love of what we do. This isn't simply about enhancing production to elevate the best projects. As generative AI matures, and as the industry develops its understanding of what AI is able to deliver better than traditional tools, the technology will become invisible to an audience in the same way the best CGI has.
We all know that getting content from generative AI is easy, but show me something impactful that was easy.
We all know that getting content from generative AI is easy, but show me something impactful that was easy. Producing great content has always been hard. Producing great content at speed and scale was impossible. At TheGardening.Club, we are building systems that bring that craft, realisation of creative vision and brand voice into the delivery of every activation and deliverable modern marketing requires. So, after 14 years at The Sweetshop I am stepping not just into a new role, but into a brand new space.
Let's automate the part of the process which requires no imagination. Let's use the efficiency this technology offers to put resource back into the bit that matters most.
I'm not making this step to abandon the things I love about this industry. The aim is to open the space for the most insightful, imaginative and creative people to collaborate on work that genuinely excites. My passion for this is driven by the same thing that drove me when I started in this industry; to create opportunities for the most original and exciting creative voices to make that work which becomes unforgettable, which moves the needle for our clients and flows into culture.
Fuck 'more for less'. I'm here for 'better with different'.
