Why live action is not our only tool for truth telling

Within my production company, we are sensitive to the depiction of truth in advertising, and we strongly believe that audiences respond more favourably to real people, on-location settings and stories that feel unscripted and genuine. 

The art of filmmaking is, at its core, one that always has deployed a lot of smoke and mirrors to convince the viewer of the veracity of its world and story.

This tone of authenticity is paramount in many of the pieces we create for brands, providing a ‘slice of life’ moment – sometimes an illusion –  that catches the attention of the audience and paves the way for a deeper emotional connection with the films. Watching this type of content  – if successful – gives a behind-the-scenes glimpse into a world that feels real. And captures a real-life setting that is true to the characters inhabiting that world.

FIN's A Love Letter to the Bees campaign subtly blends live action and AI while keeping the film feeling natural and authentic. 

All of that said, the art of filmmaking is, at its core, one that always has deployed a lot of smoke and mirrors to convince the viewer of the veracity of its world and story. This is true in unscripted as it is in scripted entertainment. 

After all, reality content is also storytelling, and stories are embellished by the storyteller in ways that make them more compelling, visually stunning and emotionally gripping. Docu-style spots and series are, by definition, a “style” of filmmaking that is under just as much pressure to be entertaining as fictional narratives. 

AI became the tool that allowed for the details that matter to remain intact rather than scaling down.

The parts of filmmaking that help bring stories to life – CG, animation, the finishing touches – are often the first casualties of budget and schedule. Increasingly, though, studios have begun finding ways around that: using AI in post-production without losing the human, live action element that makes the work feel alive.

Lovely Animals is a creative studio that prides themselves on perfectly blending live action production with new technology, and their work for Happy Socks is a good example. The concept saw socks taking on a life of their own, mating rituals included. 

Animating socks flying and mimicking wild, nondescript courtship patterns would have required much more time and money. Budget restraints may have led the studio to cut a few corners with the story. However, AI became the tool that allowed for the details that matter to remain intact rather than scaling down. 

Combining on-location-shot live action footage with hyper-realistic AI CG bees would help audiences respond to the message

Original Source worked with Fold7 on Nature Hits Different, which makes the case for keeping a human at the centre of the story while using AI on the back end to complete the more outlandish moments. A simple decision to wash his hair sends the spot’s main character on a dreamlike, lemon-soaked adventure before he lands back in his office chair. 

Without the right tools to build that sequence, the idea would have completely collapsed before it captured the daydream it intended. This is proof that, if used well, enhanced technology can make a spot feel more real, not less. 

This is proof that, if used well, enhanced technology can make a spot feel more real, not less.