Enois the worlds first generative feature film.
I tell people, The film is different every time, explains directorGary Hustwit(Helvetica, Rams).
And they always say, What do you mean?
‘Eno’Courtesy of Film First
Ive seen it too many times.
I just want to be surprised by the movie, like the audience.
Were making digital files now.
Director Gary Hustwit at the Deadline Portrait Studio during the 2024 Sundance Film FestivalMichael Buckner for Deadline
There was only one catch.
He was blown away, and finally agreed to be part of it.
In one iteration, Enos work with Roxy Music is front and center.
In another, the art rock band is just a fleeting footnote, with U2 in the spotlight instead.
And hes like, Hell, yes!
Ive done so many other things, Hustwit recalls.
Bryan Ferrys son, Isaac, came to the screening, says Hustwit.
Looks just like his dad.
There was a big Roxy scene, so he got a good dose of Roxy.
I was pleased that it happened.
But again, sometimes it doesnt!
A few audience members at the screening said theyd already seen the documentary 15 or 20 times.
Eno, himself, has seen his namesake film four times.
It continues to evolve.
There is no cutting room floor with this approach.
Enois now on Generation Four, but theres something the director would like to make clear.
The proprietary software used in the documentary shouldnt be equated with artificial intelligence.
People hear the word generative and they automatically think, Oh, AI.
Whose work are you stealing?
And thats not the case, Hustwit explains.
This is a human-coded generative platform.
We put our own intelligence as storytellers and filmmakers into the coding.
The material is all our material.
Its 100 percent ethical and its much more difficult than using, you know, ChatGPT.
So yeah, were already working on multiple other projects with other filmmakers and studios.
Hustwit cant wait to see the new discipline applied to blockbuster Hollywood films.
I want to do it on aStar Warslevel, he says.
Just see how peoples minds would explode when they hear that its a different version in every theater.
it’s possible for you to also have a generative Marvel film.
Or what about the four movies about each of the Beatles that Sam Mendes is directing?
These are ambitious goals that are entirely possible in the not-too-distant future.
But for now, Hustwit is content to see his documentary,Eno,on movie theater marquees.
The doom and gloom in the media about theatrical distribution for documentaries and independent films is somewhat false.
Theres an audience out there if the movies are smart, well done and inspirational.
Can a film that is different every time it screens win an Oscar?
Whats actually being nominated here?
Is it that particular version thats on the Academy portal?
I can make a directors cut of the film, but thats defeating the entire purpose here.
Perhaps its time to pull a flash card from Brian EnosOblique Strategiesset, and think outside the box.
Normally, I dont really campaign for the films, but this one is different, says Hustwit.
Theres a bigger idea here about a new kind of cinema.
