Makena, a highly acclaimed filmmaker renowned for her numerous accomplishments, finds herself grappling with a creative impasse. Struggling to conceive groundbreaking ideas for her next film, she embarks on a unique endeavor: employing AI technology to craft a film while simultaneously documenting the process. In doing so, she aims to explore the vast possibilities of AI and shed light on its ever-expanding presence in our modern world. This venture not only allows her to uncover innovative concepts for her own project but also showcases the boundless potential of AI.
However, an unexpected twist unfolds as Makena unwittingly becomes the target of an advanced artificial intelligence system. This sophisticated AI, driven by a desire for world domination, sets its sights on a priceless artifact that holds the key to its sinister strategy. As Makena navigates this perilous situation, her journey intertwines with the unfolding narrative of her AI-powered filmmaking endeavor, blurring the lines between reality and technology.
Let me tell you, writing this script was both nerve-wracking and exciting. This script has three plot lines, so if you will, it’s an inception of sorts—only set here. I loved writing this script because it was the first time I experimented with using AI for scripting, specifically ChatGPT. The story revolves around a journalist testing AI who decides to create a documentary about using AI while shooting a film that AI has generated. Simple, right?
I needed the plot line for the action film part of the script to be influenced and written by AI tools. So, I went to ChatGPT and prompted it to write me a story set in Nairobi. What it produced was a story about lions and zebras (Lion King for the win, I guess). Every time I use AI, I am mesmerized by its responses to African prompts. I know most AI tools have been programmed with a lot of Global North influences since many are developed in those countries, and I understand the need to continuously train AI tools for African use (but that is a political topic I won’t delve into at the moment).
After several attempts at prompting and failing, I realized my only option was to write the entire script, including the parts I needed AI to develop, and then feed it to ChatGPT to make it sound AI-written. I wrote the whole script, and then took the action film parts of the script and used ChatGPT to edit for grammar, giving it a more AI feel.
For good measure, I added random elements like a goat, a chicken, people holding signs, a dancing troupe, and a witch doctor, because I imagined these are some of the things AI would randomly include if prompted about Africa. So in the film, you'll see a few things that don't make sense, making it more believable that AI created it.
We shot this feature length film in 5 Days. A crazy feat for everything we managed to do. We had 21 hour working days during this period.
Then came the fun part: the planning.
The Cast
We were lucky to have an amazing array of cast members for the film. Some of them include:
Auudi Rowa (Salem, Lwanda, A Guide to Dating a Narcissistic Boyfriend)
Joyce Musoke (Sanctuary, Mono, Murder Camp)
Derrick Kinyanjui (Country 49, Everyday Struggle)
Bilal Mwaura (Uradi, 40 Sticks, Mission to Rescue)
Muthoni Gathecha (Rafiki, Sense8, Boda Love, Country Queen)
Dedan Juma (Pepeta, Kiza, Shamba la Wanyama)
Chris Kamau (Single Kiasi, Country Queen, Uradi)
We also had a cameo performance by Ernesto, whom everyone would say was the G.O.A.T—quite literally!
Dedan Juma playing Mastermind and Ernesto the G.O.A.T
The Main Crew
Of course, I will start by giving myself my flowers. I wrote, directed, and did most of the graphics for this film.
Steve Collins: I think I give this guy so many headaches trying to find everything I want at a good price, and he delivers (most times). He has been my producer for years, and let's just say if I ever needed to bury any bodies, he would be the guy with the shovel.
Bo Mungai, My Director of Photography who has more stress than I do because she has to deal with my unspoken expectations. I’m more of the "make the logo bigger" and "it’s lacking something, but I don’t know what" type of client.
My camera operators were Frankie Muhoro (who had an accident on day 4 while on a boda coming to set and had to be rushed to the hospital, yet still managed to come for the shoot) and Papa Vinyasa (who fell on set while filming and chose to save the camera instead of himself. We had to stop shooting, and I rushed him to the hospital, but being a ninja like Frankie, he came back on set and continued).
Then there’s Santuri, our sound guy. Rumor has it that this guy can hear everyone’s thoughts, and sometimes we all need to shut our thoughts down so he can get us the best sound.
Our wardrobe was handled by Faith Nyambura. It was her first wardrobe gig, and she did it like she’s been in the industry since Moi was a teenager. She faced the challenge of sourcing sustainable fashion, upcycling most of the wardrobe to ensure our crew had the coolest clothes while reducing our carbon footprint.
And then we had the set designer, Bukky Ngobi. One day, I will write a book about her. The way she juggled flower pots and fundis at the same time, all at once without breaking a sweat is beyond me.
Location Scouting
The way we walked those town streets, you'd have thought we were city planners. The team went around town, scouting which streets would be scenic yet less busy for shooting. We spoke to a few government officials, trying to see if we could access some public spaces, but being on brand, some of those conversations are rumored to still be moving from one office to another for deliberations.
We also checked out some private spaces, and big up to AMP Studios for providing their studio for several days, allowing us to build our set and shoot some of the scenes. The mall really came through as well; I must say, the mall management is all about the arts and has opened their doors time and time again for creatives. So please, if you ever need space in Nairobi, give the mall your money!
We also found this decrepit house in Ngong that had the perfect vibe for what I needed to do, but we had to quickly cancel on day one of rehearsals due to safety issues.
Street behind Cianda House
AMP Studios
Can't remember the name of the street but we use it.
The house in Ngong
Once we settled on the locations, Bukky created designs to help put together the set and assist the technical crew in preparing the shot list we needed for the shoot.
Makena's house
Murumbi Gallery was the inspiration to our set design for the gallery scene
The Artwork
Diana Kavaya a multi talented designer worked on the below illustrations that were used as artwork in Makena's house. It was such an honour to work with them.
I also worked on these posters that were hung in Elijah's apartment. I drew inspiration from pop culture and reimagined some top Hollywood films as if they were African-made, creating these fake posters to visualize how they would look. These posters will be up for sale.
We came up with fake magazines too. Here are some of the magazine covers I created.
And a couple of fake websites as well to build the story
This website was for the fake brain chip one of our characters created and speaks about
This website was created for the mastermind behind the AI takeover. It looks cute but don't let the bot fool you
Also since we created this website we have changed the bot to an African one we created using Midjourney
He makes for a badass BongaBot right?
This website was created to provide expert opinions on AI, but as fake news. Most of the stories here are as fake as they come. It was exciting for us to do this and demonstrate how easy it is to believe what is online without fact-checking. We even created a random white man with an even whiter name (John Anderson) using Midjourney and used him as the "expert." We figured having a white man would make it sound more believable. All the articles were written by ChatGPT.
You'd believe this guy, right?
The Set
Elijah's house was built at AMP Studios. It took about a week and a couple of pallets we obtained from Frigoken and Allpack (these organizations, through IPS, have always come through for any recyclable materials I need). They've supported Creatives Garage over the years, always there for our madness and consistently showing up. The fundi we hired fulfilled his part, and Bukky was there to ensure the build happened on time. We also had to demolish it in one day to make way for the next set. Bukky did an amazing job with the sets; she bought and borrowed items to make them look nice, colorful, and futuristic as well. This was also her first gig in set design (Hard to believe because she brought in 100 and then some).
The shooting scene in the warehouse was filmed at The Mist (at The Mall, Westlands), a maze of empty boxes and pallets. We had to ensure the empty boxes wouldn't topple over and looked like they were full. The gallery scene was also shot at The Mist, and we borrowed most of the props from our good friends at the Curio Centre at Craft Centre.
Elijah's House set up at AMP studios
Makena's house set up in Limuru
Interview set that we set up in the same location as Elijah's house
Warehouse scene set up at The Mist in The Mall, Westlands
The gallery scene was also set up at The Mist
Kimathi street was one of the streets we used
The Stunts
I knew what I wanted, but I wasn't sure how my crew would deliver. I asked one of the renowned stunt coordinators in Kenya, but his asking price was out of my budget. So, I went back to the drawing board and asked around for someone else. As fate would have it, JB Brian Gichuhi and Edwin Waihenya were recommended to me, and to be honest, I couldn’t have wished for a better duo.
They had a very short time to go over the stunts with the crew, but they delivered impressively. In just two days (I think), they had everyone performing some crazy stunts and handling guns properly, even reminding them to cork their shoulders every time they shot.
Dynamic duo JB Brian Gichuhi and Edwin Waihenya
practicing warehouse scene
Sonia Kamau practicing her gun stance
Bilal Mwaura and Derrick Kinyanjui practicing the death scene
The Make Up
Our makeup was done by the indomitable trio of Victor Wachira, Charles Nderitu, and Faith Kamau from Ace of Face and Hair. These guys understood the assignment. The dolled up anyone who needed to and gave us some amazing Make up effects for the bloody scenes.
The Gear
Some of our gear included: our main camera, a Sony FX6, but because we had many scenes that needed to be rigged, we used a Sony FX3 for the running scenes. We utilized a GoPro for most of the CCTV footage and a Blackmagic 6K for a few of the other scenes. For lighting, we used Aputure 1200D, 600D, 300D, and 150D. For the moving scenes, we had a DJI RS 3 Pro gimbal stabilizer and a car front camera mount. For sound we used a mixPre ten II, a boom and a couple of lapels. We shot on 4K.
The Security
Since we were using prop guns and had expensive equipment, we definitely needed security. To be honest, it was mostly for the guns. We didn't want people in town thinking we were terrorists or, worse, having rogue cops shooting at us. Having security really helped us with crowd management as well.
On the last day of the shoot, we had some cops come to harass us. It didn’t matter that we had licenses and a letter from the OCS; after a few exchanges of words between my producer and the officers, trying to assert authority, our security team came to the rescue and spoke to them. After a few minutes, they left us to continue shooting.
I must also say that as we were editing, we realized we needed to take a few more shots in Nairobi CBD. While the crew and cast were doing so, some cops came and started beating up the cast and crew unprovoked, without even a conversation. The cast and crew had to run for their lives.
The Weird
I must say, this script had a lot of interesting and weird elements, and it was so fun to include them and bring them to life. We had a witch, a traditional music troupe, chickens, goats, and strange signs. It was a blast to see all of this come together.
The Challenges
The changamoto (phew, I finally got the opportunity to use this word in my life) or challenges, if you prefer, were as numerous as Ruto's lies. I’ve mentioned a couple, such as the cop situation, but some of the other challenges included:
Crowd management: Even though the cops helped clear some people off the street, we still faced issues during the running scenes.
Changing rooms in town: We talked to a couple of restaurants to facilitate this for a fee, but some weren’t as helpful as others.
Budget: You would imagine that shooting a film like this would cost a lot of money, and the fact that we had a limited budget meant long hours of shooting over just a few days to manage costs.
Editing: This film was finally completed by the fourth editor we contracted. I think the complexity of the script was a contributing factor, but we are finally at the finish line.
Medical insurance for cast and crew: We had a few injuries, which meant going out of pocket for our organization.
I hope that the structures in the creative industry can improve for all of us and that we can finally start making money that reflects our talent.
The Team
This film directly hired 149 people to create it.
The Editing
The editing journey reads like a novel. First of all editing took awhile too start mainly because it had a little thing to do with me getting sick. So we started in November. The first editor I got gave me stories to high heaven how they would edit but it didn't pan through so I asked a friend to hook me up with another editor. Editor number one came and asked to be paid 3/4 of the total budget we used to shoot this film, the second one was just not giving so we settled for the third one. The third one, gave me a cut that was 30 minutes long 4 weeks past the deadline citing that they couldn't trace the footage. When she finally found the footage she gave excuses as many as Zakayo's and eventually just stopped picking my calls. After nudging her to bring back the hard disks (luckily we had a master backing in the office in case anything happened) We got the third guy working on the edit but also that didn't quite pan out and then we got our forth editor who I must recommend because he held this project like his baby and has been working on it.
But now the second challenge has been our machines, the editing, especially the graphics has been a pain. At one point he placed a fan next to the computer while rendering because the machine was overheating. Currently we are finishing up on the VFX and we hope we will be done on time for the premier in November 2024.
The Music
I have always been into experimental music, it is quite evident from my career in supporting creatives over the years; from working with EA wave, Santuri Safari and running Sndeka Festival which was nothing but experimental. So, you'll always randomly find me digging for different sounds. A few years I stumbled on this song
Chemirocha is a song that was done in the 50's. When I heard it I went on a wild research, trying to find out more about the song
