Can you share more about the inspirations and personal experiences that led to the creation of "Solace"? What drew you to explore the themes of delusional memories and the guiding presence?
The inspiration for the film was Ian’s Dad’s battle with dementia. One of the tragic things about the disease is that it becomes impossible to know what the sufferer is thinking and feeling. But maybe one day there will be some smart piece of tech that lets us see what goes on in the mind of the patient. A way of connecting with them again.
Your film combines evocative storytelling with powerful visuals. Can you walk us through your creative process for "Solace"? What challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them?
The film was designed to be produced with AI enabling all those dreamy environments to be portrayed, but even so we faced challenges due to the state of the technology at the time of production. Some of the scenes from the original script had to be re-written to be able to be animated properly with AI, most notably some that had the characters walking sideways to camera. Another challenge was the character consistency, a feature that hadn’t been released at the time of production. To overcome that we used a detailed but fairly generic main character description combined with lots of generations until we got an image that showed the same person we established initially. The AI generated voices were another challenge to get the type of delivery and interpretation we were after, where we not only generated lots of takes but also placed the lines of the script within a longer template text to put the AI Voice Over artist in the mood we wanted prior to saying the lines we needed.
How did you integrate technology into your filmmaking process? What specific tools or techniques were crucial in achieving the distinctive style of "Solace"?
We combined a few different tools. The images were generated using Midjourney and many of them retouched using Photoshop Generative Fill or directly within Midjourney. From there, we used Runway Gen-2 Image-to-Video for the animations. The final scene zooming out from the screen to the hospital room was made with a combination of Midjourney Zoom Out feature, composited in Adobe After Effects to add movement and parallax. Lastly, the edit was done on CapCut where we also used its filters to add visual effects such as snowing, tv lines and some transitions.
The film explores the complex journey of Tom through his memories. How did you ensure that the themes of delusion, memory, and guidance were effectively communicated through your film?
We definitely wanted the scenes/environments that Tom finds himself in to be a reflection of what we think a loss of cognitive ability feels like. Which is why we had him lost in an arctic desert, for example. Each scene needed to be dreamlike. As if the mind was creating an extreme and very visceral representation of remembered moments.
What has been the most rewarding feedback or reaction you’ve received from audiences viewing "Solace"?
We had incredible reactions from everyone we showed it to, some going as far as saying this was “the best film they’ve ever seen”, or being called “an important film” picking up a special badge at Curious Refuge Gallery. What’s most rewarding in all this feedback is the fact that people are really connecting to the story being told, and seeing AI as an enabler instead of protagonist.
Can you share any details about your upcoming projects? Are you planning to explore similar themes or use new techniques in your future works?
We are both developing other different projects, some to note:
“Satoshi. The Creation of Bitcoin” made as an AI Film Trailer which was thoroughly shared within the Bitcoin community and is now being developed as a feature film and short series.
“Titan One” is starting production now, a sci-fi love story about a stranded astronaut on Mars discovering a shocking truth about his identity and facing a harrowing decision when his oxygen runs out.
Finally, what message or takeaway do you hope audiences will gain from "Solace"? How do you want this film to impact their perspective on memory and self-discovery?
Dementia is an extremely cruel disease. Not just on the sufferer, but on their loved-ones. It affects the mental health of everyone who has ever cared for the person who is declining. It's a unique kind of grief. Hopefully our film strikes a chord with anyone who has been through this and will give them a little comfort and remind them that they’re not alone.
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