CHANNEL ACTIVEFOX LOT // CENTURY CITYCLEARANCE: OPERATOR--:--:-- UTC
SEASON · 03 // ━━ BRIEFING DECRYPTED ━━
welcome, operator.
// 9 directors · 3 teams · 48 hours
You've been hand-selected for the third season of Cinema Synthetica — AI on the Lot's signature filmmaking incubator. A 48-hour creative residency at the historic FOX Studios Lot. Two frames. One mystery object. Forty-eight hours. Three teams, three short films. World premiere at the Culver Theater on May 28th.
▸ ARRIVAL
friday may 01 · 6pm kickoff
▸ WRAP
sunday may 03 · 6pm submit
▸ LOCATION
fox studios century city
▸ PREMIERE
ai on the lot may 28
MISSION // WHY THIS MATTERS
proof of concept
Cinema Synthetica isn't a competition. It's a live, high-pressure proof-of-concept for the future of production — and a time capsule of this moment in creative evolution.
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empower the artist
AI works for filmmakers — not against them. The brief is a vehicle to demonstrate how generative tools amplify creative vision rather than displace it.
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faster, more flexible
A complete short film, written and produced and finished, in 48 hours. The new workflow compressed into a single weekend, witnessed live.
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access for emerging voices
A historic Hollywood lot, professional infrastructure, and the support of major model providers — open to creators who'd otherwise never see the inside of these stages.
DOSSIER · ROSTER // 09 OPERATORS · CONFIRMED
the chosen nine
Hand-picked from a pool of contenders. Each operator brings a distinct signal — narrative instinct, generative craft, hybrid practice, or all three. On Day One, our AI, Hans, will randomly assign you into three teams of three. From that moment forward, you make a film together.
RG
OPERATOR_01 ◉ CONFIRMED
richard goforth
director // founder, subverum
Pioneered Valley of Shadow, the first narrative AI production to attempt a period-accurate WWI film — integrating Hollywood-level pre/post production with 30+ AI tools. Founder of SUBVERUM, building cinematic AI workflows that preserve artistic intention.
French LA-based art director, designer, and CGI generalist. Emmy-winning senior motion designer. Art-directed the Oscar-nominated documentary The Gatekeepers. Veteran of Method Studios, Buck, and now operating in AI-native cinematic territory.
Creative Director and co-founder of OL Studio AI. Self-described as making "weird stuff and some not-so-weird stuff." A native voice of the AI-cinema vanguard, working at the threshold of taste, code, and chaos.
One half of Squawkwork, the LA-based AI art duo recognized on Leonardo's 2026 Top 50 Women AI Filmmakers. IMDb credits include Death Race 2050 and The Martian VR Experience. Surreal, cinematic generative work that explores new forms of AI-driven narrative.
LA-based AR developer and creative technologist. Built filters and immersive experiences for Netflix (Emily in Paris, You, Do Revenge), Amazon Prime (Paper Girls, The Peripheral), and Broadway's Moulin Rouge. Y2K-flavored portfolio, Runway Gen48 alum.
UCLA MArch / MSAUD '24. Co-creator of LINEWOMEN, the award-winning final project from UCLA's Entertainment Studio, brought to life with Appia Agency and Plato Nou in Barcelona. Bridges architecture, narrative, and AI — building space on screen.
TV writer-producer (Bel-Air S2 & S3, The Brothers Sun). Sundance Episodic Lab fellow, Imagine Impact alum. Founder of Chaos Pharmacy. Hand-picked by Bernie Su for narrative firepower — diving from traditional TV into AI-native storytelling.
Sloan Award-winner. UCLA MFA Screenwriting. Writer-director-star of feature Angel (Freestyle Digital). Creator of award-winning digital series Playdates Anonymous and Stay At Home Mom. One of OpenArt's contracted directors.
The other half of Squawkwork — also on Leonardo's 2026 Top 50 Women AI Filmmakers. Founder of Reel Artificial Media. Art department veteran (Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe). Generative + experimental.
The format is simple. The constraints are deliberate. Read these twice.
01
3 minute minimum
Your film must be at least 3 minutes long. No upper limit, but every second has to earn its place.
02
two frames
It must begin with the first frame and end with the last frame. Everything in between is yours.
03
the mystery object
It must include your mystery object. How, when, and why is up to you. The object is not a burden — it's a gift.
04
48 hours · no exceptions
Created entirely within the 48-hour window. Friday 6:01 PM to Sunday 6:00 PM. Nothing made before. Nothing finished after.
05
ai is the point
AI tools are not just allowed — they're encouraged. This is Cinema Synthetica. Use them generously. Use them strangely.
EVALUATION // WHAT MAKES A WINNER
technical skill matters. story matters more.
The judging panel is looking for four things. Hit any one of them and you're in good company. Hit all four and you've made the film.
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surprise us
With where you take the two frames. The opening and closing are fixed. Everything between them is the test.
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make it inevitable
The mystery object shouldn't feel grafted on. By the end, it should feel like the film couldn't have existed without it.
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use ai newly
Show us uses of AI we haven't seen before. The tools are evolving by the week. Push them somewhere unfamiliar.
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make us feel
In three minutes. Awe, dread, recognition, laughter, grief — pick one and commit. Technical perfection without feeling is a tech demo.
THE SPIRIT // ━━ READ THIS LAST ━━
the spirit
48 hours is not much time. That's the point.
Constraints breed creativity. The factory and the forest are not limitations — they're permission. You don't have to decide where to start or where to end. You just have to decide what happens in between.
The mystery object is not a burden. It's a gift. When you don't know what comes next, the object knows.
this is cinema synthetica. two frames. one object. forty-eight hours.
▸ MAKE SOMETHING THAT DIDN'T EXIST ON FRIDAY.
LOGISTICS // SCHEDULE & SUPPORT
the schedule
Five marks on the clock. The first is when the brief drops. The last is when the world sees what you made. Everything in between is yours.
▸ FRI · MAY 01 · 6:00 PM
kickoff
Competition brief is revealed. Teams are created — Hans makes the call. The mystery object is handed to you.
▸ FRI · MAY 01 · 6:01 PM
you may begin
The 48-hour window opens. Generate, capture, edit, write, score, decide. Nothing made before this minute counts.
▸ SUN · MAY 03 · 6:00 PM
hard deadline
Films must be submitted. No extensions. No exceptions. The clock is the clock.
▸ SUN · MAY 03 · 8:00 PM
screening + celebration
All three films screen on the lot. We watch. We celebrate. We see what didn't exist 48 hours ago.
▸ THU · MAY 28
world premiere · culver theater
All three films premiere at AI on the Lot — the world's largest AI media conference. Judging panel awards the season's honors.
fox studios
century city, los angeles
One of Hollywood's most storied creative campuses. Dedicated workspaces, edit bays, generation rooms, meals, and stages — all on the lot. You'll have everything you need within a few minutes' walk.
▸ NEED SUPPORT?
If you need room accommodations, Uber credits, flights, or anything else to make this work — tell us as soon as possible. We'll handle it. Reach out to production directly.
PANEL // JUDGING COMMITTEE
the judges
Your three films will be evaluated by a panel of leading voices at the intersection of cinema, AI, and the new production stack.
JF
JUDGE_01 ◉ PANEL
jon flynn
judging committee
Industry leader joining the Season 3 panel to evaluate craft, storytelling, and creative use of generative tools.
NK
JUDGE_02 ◉ PANEL
nik kleverov
judging committee
Returning industry voice on the Season 3 panel — assessing the films on vision, execution, and the human story behind the AI.
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JUDGE_03 ◉ TBA
[ to be announced ]
incoming // signal pending
Additional jurors to be revealed in the days leading up to the residency. Watch the channel.