Secret Sauce: It's been a few weeks since Ai & Chill took over everything from Joy Studios in Soho, but the conversation about how to do your best through the fog of artificial intelligence hasn't cooled down.
Despite the September tube strike transforming the neighborhood into a bike-style obstacle course per person per person, the event attracted full houses of filmmakers, producers and curiosity about AI, practical, playful and curious creatives.
Hosted by filmmaker and VFX artist Anthony Rubinstein, the evening shunned science fiction Doom or hype, instead digging for authentic, nasty and inspiring ways that AI is already supporting and rebuilding creative work. Anthony was joined by Chris Boyle (Private Island), Katharina Gelline Vicken (Metroton Media), Rammy Dance, Dali Solsteinson (Future Cree + Ives) and Dan Andrew (Secret) on stage for a candid, fireside-style conversation about workflows, experiments, commands, and boring things.
“It was great to have a room full of people ready to talk about not just what AI does, but what AI is doing right now,” host Anthony Rubinstein said. “It's messy and unpredictable, but it unlocks new ways to make things sharper, faster, and sometimes strangers.”
Headline sponsor future Crea+Ives played a pivotal role in supporting the event. Co-founder Ramy Dance said, “AI doesn't have to be scared. It's not a replacement so much as it puts craft in the hands of people who understand it – it's a tool. It's a tool.
Colin West of Lemonade summed up the energy of the room. “Lemonade Secret Source AI and cold events weren't about predicting the death of the film. It was about a community of manufacturers who share real stories and real tools.
The key points of the event still resonate:
- AI has proven to be invaluable as a pre-production ally.
- That failure is often hilarious and sometimes leads to better ideas than success.
- It works best when treated like an intern. It's unpredictable, but sometimes great.
With the support of headline sponsor future Crea+Ives and event partners' creative front posts, NAF+, Covert and Common People, Secret Sauce has once again proven the value of the real story more than Tech-Speak.
The next secret sauce is already involved in the work, and promises the same mix of practical insights, bold creativity and just enough Heckling to keep things interesting.
