DECEMBER 26TH, 4:36 PM
GRIEF, LOCATION, & AI ACCOUNTABILITY
December 26th is a short design fiction film that explores a near future where location tracking, biometric data and emotional surveillance technologies are combined with new AI analytics technologies to drive customer conversions. The film follows a woman who visits the site of her husband's suicide on the anniversary of his death. Throughout the following week she is targeted by e-therapy companies. This was the second film in Between Lines.
PROJECT OVERVIEW:
Team
WYATT OLSON + LAURA LE
DURATION
2 WEEKS
genre
PUBLICATION DESIGN
Team
WYATT OLSON + LAURA LE
ROLE
VISUAL DESIGNER
FILMMAKER
Duration
4 WEEKS
Project Type
DESIGN FICTION FILM
PROCESS
December 26th was written and shot in two weeks. To understand the larger framework motivating the short film, see the Between Lines project page. It was produced in under a week in Seattle, WA, and filmed in the coastal city of Newport, OR. The script was written in a weekend and subsequently story boarded and shot listed within the following two days. Shooting locations were sourced remotely via Google Maps. After a one-day shoot I began a rapid 3-week post-production pipeline which included numerous screen replacements and compositing projects—alongside standard post-production finishing, edits, color and sound.
OUTCOMES
December 26th is one of the most emotionally compelling films from the Between Lines project. It poses multiple questions to the viewer regarding their feelings of agency and the degree to which they choose to accept everyday surveillance from private companies. The visible nature of the surveillance often broke viewers out of passive acceptance and pushed them to consider their own relationships and understanding to these technologies. The film was a catalyst for personal reflection amongst viewers—drawing out fears for parents and other family members who viewers saw as ill prepared for this wave of technologies.
Reflection
This film was the most ambitious short of the project. It included the largest number of setups and locations, closely followed by Avoidable Inconveniences. December 26th was the final film shot and, as such, was the smoothest. Able to put to use lessons learned from the prior shoots, we remained ahead of schedule for the duration of the 12-hour day (including meal breaks!). This film also contained some of the most challenging visual effects work of the project, which required multiple rounds of creative problem-solving and endless YouTube tutorials. The film also contains some of my favorite sequences from the entire project.
Interested in learning more about the project? CONTACT ME.
