Somehow both manic and thoughtful, the latest short from director Chris Boyle and Private Island playfully fuses live-action, VFX, and generative images into a peek at the fun to be had when AI questions its relationship to humans.

Chris Boyle: “Meme, Myself and AI stands as a true mixed-media production that integrates machine learning into our standard post-production and VFX pipeline. Our workflow relied on the Adobe Suite for editing, sound, and compositing, alongside Cinema 4D and Blender for 3D modelling and additional motion graphics elements.

“Our in-house Comfy UI setup was integrated into this, initially utilizing SD 1.5 and later transitioning to Flux for still images and motion, in conjunction with tools like Runway and Dream Machine.

“Before the shoot, we used Midjourney for initial mood boarding and pre-visualization to establish the lighting setups. Subsequently, we trained LORAs on the cast and imported them into Comfy.
 

“What we learned in making this film is that it’s only the people in front of and behind the camera or computer and ultimately you, the people watching, that make it authentic and make you want to believe.”

 
“Given the evolving nature of the film, there was no one-size-fits-all approach. Nevertheless, tasks such as lip-syncing, matte paintings, VFX takeovers of live-action footage, and 3D retexturing were predominantly handled within Comfy, with additional upscaling, denoising, and sharpening performed using Topaz.

“Motion capture was achieved either through a suit for 3D characters or extracted from live-action footage using ControlNet.

Throughout the production, we experienced considerable back-and-forth, as the relentless march of technology over the months allowed us to continually (and sometimes painfully) optimize our results. For instance, we shifted from Wav2Lip to Live Portrait just a few weeks before delivery.

“This is our first production that extensively utilizes AI with our usual granular level of control. What we learned in making this film is that it’s only the people in front of and behind the camera or computer and ultimately you, the people watching, that make it authentic and make you want to believe.”
 
 

 
Production: Private Island
Writer/director: Chris Boyle
EP: Helen Power
Producer: Áine O’Donnell
Generative Lead: Ruby Nian
3D Lead: David Post
Edit Assist: Kuba Sobieski
DOP: Matt Fox
1st AD: Paul McCann
1st AC: Barney Coates
2nd AC: Harry Nash
DIT: Moses Jeremiah
Playback: Jay Weston
Gaffer: Andy McBrearty
Stylist: Rhona Ezuma
Styling Asst: Andie Macario
HMUA: Regina Meessen
Runner: Sonny Hume-Paton

Sound: Mike McGinn

Sound Mix: No. 8
Mixer: James Everett