Future of Film?

You stand atop the skirts of the Parthenon. Tourists bustle nearby. A lady impatiently directs a poor man to capture yet another picture of her on the iPhone 47. The stones of Acropolis are more than gently used. The sun needles into the back of your neck and you’re looking for a respite from the buzz of the present-day Athens. Where did the golden age go?

Reaching into your pocket, you pull out your AR glasses. Suddenly, the stones beneath your feet appear unblemished. Around you, the ruins rise, reforming to their once majestic state. The melodies of lyres dance in the air, while the children below play. You spot two figures deep in conversation: one with a strong presence and the other, eyes filled with rapt attention and awe—Socrates and his disciple, Plato.

“Do you fear death, Socrates?” Plato probes.

“Death is enigmatic,” Socrates muses. “To fear it implies understanding, and I know only my own ignorance. Should I forsake my truths merely to endure?”

It’s the eve of Socrates’ trial. You listen intently to their conversation. And as Plato and Socrates move to the edge of your vision, you follow, walking along the Parthenon.

You follow them along till the night hovers over the sky. You sleep poorly, letting the aura of ancient Athens seep into your reality. The trial awaits tomorrow. At dawn, you stand amid a throng, witnessing Socrates’ final stand. As he grasps the poison hemlock, a prompt on your glasses inquires, “Alter this fate?” You nod, and history reshapes itself.

Such might be the future of film-- a medium that has always been a reflection of our deepest desires to escape, explore, and experience. It’s the ultimate cheat code to live multiple lives. And augmented reality, coupled with advancements in AI, could usher in a new renaissance in cinema.

Envision a future where films exist beyond theater walls, offering tailored experiences, from traditional narratives to interactive sagas, short 20-minute immersions, or epics spanning a weekend. Picture an advanced AI, coupled with AR, that transforms your living room into ancient Ethiopia, recounting the legend of Kaldi, the goat herder who discovered coffee, all while you sip your morning brew.

We’re on the brink of this world. Our digital footprints on TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, and Substack are a testament to our collective narrative. Everyone has become a storyteller in different ways. The modern human experience is being documented in real-time, not just by a select few but by millions worldwide.

I wonder about the potential of sophisticated AI models with these digital diaries. Maybe they could parse these data fragments--with consent and due privacy-- and crafting them into expansive sagas. Maybe it could sift through this vast sea of information and extract patterns, emotions, themes, and discover latent spaces of narratives that us humans have overlooked! This could revolutionize how stories are found and told.

Merging AR glasses and AI dissolves the line between creator and viewer in a remarkable way. Not only could it resurrect figures like Socrates, but it also stands poised to redefine current interactive cinema. From reimagining historic events and traversing the daunting trenches of WW1 to conjuring entirely new worlds—and universes—the possibilities are truly boundless.

They say true understanding comes from experience. If this vision represents the future of film, I am so curious to see the profound influence such an evolution might exert on us, blending past, present, and imagination.