We’re back for another installment of Artificial Ink Drops! Just in time to plug a few upcoming events before I catch up on recent releases in a future post.
Big update to share regarding my sci-fi comedy short film 4SIGHT starring Alisha Hawthorne with narration from Susan Eisenberg! Here’s the logline for those unfamiliar with the project: Chloe downloads 4SIGHT, a nefarious fortune telling app that gauges her personal data to manipulate her life.
Sounds fun, right? That’s because it is! At least I tend to think so.
So far, 4SIGHT has been programmed at two events. First up is the Reedy Reels Film Festival in Greenville, South Carolina. 4SIGHT leads the screening block on Saturday, March 23rd at 7:45pm ET. That is this upcoming weekend! Several folks from the cast and crew will be in attendance, including myself, so it should be a real fun time!
Next on Saturday, April 27th at 6pm ET, 4SIGHT plays at the Sunscreen Film Festival in St. Petersburg, Florida as part of their Futuristic Tales shorts block. I will likely be traveling solo for that screening, but if you’re in the area, it is an excellent event. My previous short film NO MEAN FEET played at Sunscreen in their 2022 festival, though I was unable to attend that one.
Last year, once I received the nearly final cut from Rome Widenhouse— who wore many hats on 4SIGHT as the editor, co-writer, and 1st AD— I chose to recut the first scene, and chop off several seconds to jumpstart the pacing. My brother Joe Kendrick composed original music and mixed the sound levels before we passed it along to Samuel Zeilender for color correction. Sam was also the Director of Photography on 4SIGHT, so I was grateful to have him jump back in on the project and touch up the footage to his liking.
4SIGHT played at the AVLFilm Showcase on June 26th, 2023 at the Grail Moviehouse in Asheville, North Carolina. This was the first time the film played in front of an audience, and I received much feedback that the robotic voice of the Augur was difficult to understand. It spoke in a very “beep boop” robotic tone. David Gwaltney, an actor in the film, and AVLFilm organizer Ryan DuVal both suggested that I check out ElevenLabs’ AI voice generator.
Now, I’m cautious regarding the use of artificial intelligence in my artwork. 4SIGHT was even conceived as a warning against such technology, several years before ChatGPT emerged in the public sphere. However, it felt appropriate to use an AI voice generator for the Augur as it was an AI character. ElevenLabs created several original voices, and I went with one named Thomas, which gave me some relief at least that I didn’t synthesize a voice from an actual working actor. Thomas spoke with a sad somber tone, which I found to underscore its inhumanity. With the new voice track in place, 4SIGHT was finally completed, and ready to hit the film festival circuit.
As you can clearly see, 4SIGHT is off to a great start! And I’m waiting on at least ten more festivals to decide whether to program the film. If you’re nearby, I hope to see you at these events. Be on the lookout for additional updates soon from Artificial Ink Drops! I have much to share about what I’ve been working on over the last year, but that must wait for another time!