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ROOTED
IN
CODE

a short experimental animated film,
created with the assistance of artificial intelligence

by Nejc Trampuž

The film takes place in the year 2057. In a polluted city, a permaculture garden flourishes on the roof of a skyscraper, tended by a robot gardener and an elderly botanist. Appealing to all ages, the film speculates on the degraded state of the environment, nature, and the ecosystem in the future, but at the same time presents a utopian solarpunk vision and solutions to the environmental crisis. It also brings into the equation a question of the impact artificial intelligence will have on our society, our daily lives, and our environment.

When animating, the filmmaker Nejc Trampuž explored the capabilities of the rapidly evolving tools of generative artificial intelligence. Those are shaking up the social and artistic realms and entering the field of film production and gaming. The AI tools were used to generate elements of animation and sound, as well as to write the story, script, and visual design of characters and scenes. Nejc Trampuž worked with artist and sound designer Tim Kropivšek to create the audio while Blaž Šef, an actor and interpreter, provided the voice.

AUTHORS

 
Nejc Trampuž

Nejc Trampuž

film director, animator

Nejc Trampuž (1993) is a multimedia artist from Slovenia, who graduated Cum Laude and received an award for his Master’s degree in photography at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana. For the past five years, he has been actively involved in environmental and ecological projects (e.g. Another Future Entirely) and since 2019, he has also been an activist in the Youth for Climate Justice movement. His preferred means of expression is art collage in combination with various contemporary technologies, media and approaches. Trampuž held dozens of solo and group exhibitions in Slovenia and abroad, participated in international festivals and received several awards for his work
Tim Kropivšek

Tim Kropivšek

sound

Tim Kropivšek (1993) is an illustrator, sound designer and musician. His works comment on the human psyche, the values of contemporary society and environmental injustice. He obtained his Masters degree at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana with the interactive sound installation The New Natural World. He is currently creating enigmatic soundscapes in his duo project Bellows on Titan.
 tim.kropivsek
Blaž Šef

Blaž Šef

voice

Blaž Šef is a theatre actor working at the Slovenian Youth Theatre. Other projects include radio literary programmes, audio books, co-productions with institutions and NGOs in the field of performing arts, and developing the programmes of the Cultural Centre of European Space Technologies.

photo: Luka Kaše / Slovenian Youth Theatre
 
 

FILM PROJECTIONS

  1. PREMIERE: Screening + artist talk, Osmo/za Gallery (Ljubljana, 9 February 2024)
  2. FESTIVAL SCREENING: Short Film Festival, Clay Theatre (Ljubljana, 9 March 2024)
  3. FESTIVAL SCREENING: Independent Film Festival, Kinoteka (Ljubljana, Slovenia, 19—21 April 2024)
  4. FESTIVAL SCREENING: Kurz Klub, Kino Radolca (Radovljica, Slovenia, 24 May 2024)
  5. FESTIVAL SCREENING: Pisa Robot Film Festival, Cinema Arsenale (Pisa, Italy, 24–26 May 2024)
  6. FESTIVAL SCREENING: Kino Otok / Isola Cinema, outdoor screening (Isola, Slovenia, 5–9 June 2024)
  7. FESTIVAL SCREENING: Digital Big Screen, Delavski dom Trbovlje (Trbovlje, Slovenia, 18–21 September 2024)

AWARDS

  1. JURY AWARD: Kurz Klub 2024

MEDIA COVERAGE

COLOPHON

Film length: 13m 23s
Year of production: 2023
Premiere: 2024

Director and Producer: Nejc Trampuž
Story, Script, Storyboard: Nejc Trampuž + AI
Animation: Nejc Trampuž + AI
Image editing and Post-production: Nejc Trampuž

Sound generation: Tim Kropivšek + AI
Sound design and music: Tim Kropivšek
Voice: Blaž Šef
Recording of Voice: Anže Čanžek

Consulting: Špela Frlic, Andrej Kamnik, Luka Tišler, Lena Penšek, Rok Kos, Jan Šimnovec, Vesna Skubic, Jure Gubanc
Translation: Domen Kavčič

Artificial Intelligence Tools: Pika Labs beta, Stable Diffusion, AnimateDiff v2 - ComfyUI on ThinkDiffusion, GPT 3.5 / 4.0, Midjourney v5.2, Stable Audio 1.0 / 1.1

Financial support: Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia

 
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