CULVER CITY, CA – October 8, 2024 – Filmmaking is about to reach a new frontier at LA Tech Week. FBRC.AI and Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced the top eight finalists in the Culver Cup, a groundbreaking GenAI Film Competition where cutting-edge AI tools meet the creative prowess of the top emerging filmmakers.
These Elite Eight films emerged from a field of 50 projects created over the course of 3 weeks. The eight films will be screened and compete in an epic, bracket-style showdown alongside an exclusive red carpet event on October 14, 2024 at the historic Culver Theater to kick off LA Tech Week.
The Culver Cup Elite Eight finalists (listed alphabetically) are:
- Joey Daoud: https://newterritory.media
- Maddie Hong: IG: https://www.instagram.com/hmdehong
- Borys Kondratenko - https://www.instagram.com/ai_metatrips
- Metapuppet: https://www.instagram.com/metapuppet
- Paola Rocchetti - https://paolarocchetti.com
- Krystal Trixx: https://www.instagram.com/krystaltrixx
- Aristomenis Tsirbas: https://menithings.com/
- Matthew Wenhardt: http://twitter.com/alchemAIst
“By bringing in a 3D component to the competition, these Elite Eight films will showcase what production-ready output with AI looks like and how AI is empowering filmmakers to create new kinds of films. The Culver Cup is not just about winning; it's about building the next generation of leaders in AI and film,” said Todd Terrazas, Co-Founder of FBRC.ai.
“Filmmakers' ingenuity has often led to new, groundbreaking technologies to produce enthralling stories that delight and inspire us. Now, generative AI is making it easier than ever for them to bring their visions to life," said Jon Jones, VP and Global Head of Startups at AWS. "AWS is excited to power some of the top startups in this space and connect them to the creators embracing the potential of this technology through The Culver Cup.”
A Live Event Not to Be Missed
The Culver Cup isn’t just a competition; it’s a celebration of creative innovation. The audience will experience exclusive screenings of the top eight films and will become a part of the judging process, contributing toward the final selection. The top four creators will be awarded incredible prizes, including future project credits from AWS and sponsoring partners, as well as mentorship from top industry professionals.
In the Culver Cup competition, participants worked within a set of shared 3D assets from Global Objects, and a creative treatment by director David Slade (Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, Twilight: Eclipse) to create shorts with shared inspiration and varied outputs.
Creators also had access to industry-leading tools like Luma’s Dream Machine, an AI model that makes high quality, realistic videos fast from text and images, and Playbook3D, a diffusion-based engine for rendering 3D scenes.
Throughout the process of creation, the competitors developed their own unique workflows, showcasing a vision of what the future of AI utilization may look like. The top two filmmakers will discuss their workflows and process at the Culver Cup event.
Judges for the Culver Cup include:
- Dave Clark, award-winning filmmaker pioneering the use of AI as a storytelling device in film, tv, and advertising
- David Slade, acclaimed film and television director whose work includes the famed Bandersnatch episode of Black Mirror
- Rachel Joy Victor, Co-Founder of FBRC.AI
- Jon Jones, VP & Global Head of Startups at AWS
- Amit Jain, CEO of Luma
- Skylar Thomas, CTO of Playbook3D
Those interested in attending the Culver Cup showcase at LA Tech Week may register here: https://partiful.com/e/TlZzMUHsPU3acOcWPK9l