Interviewed by an AI writing for American Cinematographer

This time I prompted GPT-3 to interview me for a short American Cinematographer article. Prompts in Bold!

This is a transcript of an interview between a writer for American Cinematographer (AC) and Jeffery Lando (Jeffery) a Vancouver-based independent filmmaker who just made his seventeenth feature film, a psychedelic film titled 'LISSA'S TRIP' which is about to have it's world premiere at the Warsaw International Film Festival in the Free Spirit section. The movie is also slated to have it's North American premiere at the Whistler Film Festival as part of the Borsos Award competition. Lissa's Trip is a Canadian film shot in Los Angeles and stars Sofia Vassilieva (Eloise, Medium), Tygh Runyan (Versailles, Blonde, The Widowmaker), and Brendan Beiser (The Boys, X-Files). The interview focuses on Jeffery Lando's inventive use of new technologies such as stabilizers, drones, tiny cameras, smartphones, and AI post-processing to free himself up creatively and logistically. 'AC' asks the filmmaker 'Jeffery' all the questions needed to write a great American Cinematographer article about how new technologies open up new creative horizons and then writes it.

AC: So, Jeffery, your new film Lissa's Trip is about to have its world premiere at the Warsaw International Film Festival. What can you tell us about the film?

Jeffery: I'm thrilled to finally be sharing it with audiences! It's been a long road and a lot of work has gone into it. A lot of experimentation and a lot of exploration have occurred in the making of Lissa's Trip and there is a lot I have learned in the process.

AC: How did you come to use new technologies such as stabilizers, drones, tiny cameras, smartphones, and AI post-processing?

Jeffery: Well it was curiosity really. I was wondering if we had perhaps reached a point where we were sort of 'post-singularity' in terms of filmmaking. So I wanted to work with a toolset that was as much as possible native to this new age as I see it.

AC: What did you find that these new technologies allowed you to do creatively that you couldn't do before?

Jeffery: I guess one of the central ideas of AI and robotics is that they will change the way we work and sort of replace the workers entirely. In filmmaking the logistical requirements of a crew are enormous obviously and that's why you need huge amounts of money and time to do anything. There's an army of people that need to park, they need to be fed, paid, insured, and told what to do. They need to know where to go. This obligates one to put together these complex battle plans we call screenplays and budgets and schedules which all can present huge obstacles to the creative process (all the while being essential to the creative process). By melting away all those people, all that gear, by disappearing it all, you can change direction more easily, reschedule, shoot in otherwise inaccessible locations... It really opens up a world of possibility. As long as you're willing to work naturalistically of course.

AC: How did you find that these technologies affected the way you worked with your cast and crew?

Jeffery: Well the crew pretty much disappeared actually. That was sort of the point. So other than one green screen day it was just me and the cast, which transformed the working environment right there. Typically we would meet up casually at the location with a vague sense of what we wanted to shoot. We would chat in a relaxed way and the actors would wire themselves up for sound. After we had a sense of what we wanted to do we would start shooting (maybe an hour into the day at the most). Things moved very fast and we were typically done in just a few hours. And that's working leisurely. There was an ease which is completely absent on most sets I have been on.

AC: What were some of the challenges you faced in using these new technologies?

Jeffery: Figuring out how to make them work! That's always the trouble when you're on the bleeding edge. Sometimes it feels frustrating and kind of lonely when the tools aren't doing what you really want, but you are sort of on your own out there when you're experimenting.

AC: What do you see as the future of filmmaking?

Jeffery: I'm certain we're rapidly moving into a level of technology where most filmmaking will be generative. In other words the consumer's computer will generate the movie the viewer wants to see (or one the AI evaluates the viewer wants to see). We are all about to be made so redundant... It's exciting because we're really talking about an explosion of creativity and possibility but it is also deeply depressing to me on some levels because we're also talking about the end of filmmaking as an endeavour film people engage in. The grand adventure of filmmaking. The trials and tribulations of being engaged in that sort of project with a team of differently-minded peers. That's going away I'm afraid. How soon isn't really clear to me, but I feel confident that in a decade we will be looking at a very different landscape.

AC: What advice would you give to aspiring filmmakers who are just starting out?

Jeffery: Yikes. I would say embrace the tools and social media and create for creation sake. Don't try to emulate the movies that came before you, go on an exploration and find your own voice, what matters to you, what you want to say and create cinema that expresses that as only you can.

AC: Do you have any final thoughts? Jeffery: I hope you enjoy the film as much as we enjoyed making it.

AC: Thank you, Jeffery, for taking the time to speak with us.

Jeffery: Thanks for writing the article!

The American Cinematographer article begins here:

Jeffery Lando's 'LISSA'S TRIP' is a mind-bending new film that is sure to leave audiences reeling. The film, which is about to have its world premiere at the Warsaw International Film Festival, is a Canadian production shot in Los Angeles and stars Sofia Vassilieva (Eloise, Medium), Tygh Runyan (Versailles, Blonde, The Widowmaker), and Brendan Beiser (The Boys, X-Files).

Lissa's Trip is a psychedelic film that follows the journey of its titular character (Vassilieva) as she navigates a series of increasingly strange and surreal events. The film is a bold experiment in form and style, and Lando makes use of a variety of new technologies to push the boundaries of what is possible in filmmaking. Stabilizers, drones, tiny cameras, smartphones, and AI post-processing are just some of the tools that Lando uses to create his unique vision. These new technologies allow him to work in a more flexible and efficient way, and to create shots that would otherwise be impossible. The cast and crew of Lissa's Trip were also able to benefit from these new technologies. The crew was mostly absent, and the cast was able to work in a more relaxed and informal way. This allowed for a more creative and spontaneous approach to filmmaking.

The future of filmmaking is something that Lando is very excited about. He believes that we are rapidly moving into a level of technology where most filmmaking will be generative. In other words, the viewer's computer will generate the movie that they want to see. This is an exciting and deeply depressing prospect, as it will mean the end of filmmaking as we know it. In the meantime, Lando's advice to aspiring filmmakers is to embrace the tools and social media and to create for the sake of creation. Find your own voice and create cinema that expresses that as only you can.