Anamorph, a new film and technology production company, today announced its launch. The startup, founded by filmmaker Gary Hustwit and digital artist Brendan Dawes, wants to reshape the moviegoing experience with its proprietary production technology that can create movies that are different every time they’re shown.
Anamorph revealed his innovative technology at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival when he debuted his first documentary, “Eno,” which follows English musician, producer and visual artist Brian Eno, who has worked with legends David Bowie, U2, Coldplay, Grace Jones, Talking Heads and many others. His main focus is experimenting with music production software.
“Brian seemed like the perfect candidate [using Anamorph’s software] since he’s always pushed for technology and how it can be used in art and music,” Hustwit tells TechCrunch.
Each time “Eno” screened at Sundance, the media production platform selected scenes from more than 500 hours of restored archival footage and interviews, as well as animated graphics and music. Anamorph’s system is capable of generating billions of possible sequences, resulting in a unique viewing experience for every audience.
Admittedly, we were skeptical at first. Our biggest question was: will the order of the scenes make sense? But as Hustwit points out, the purpose of the production system is not to deliver films with a “chronological arc.”
“You can still have a compelling narrative arc in a movie, like what we expect when we see one [normal] documentary… even if the scenes, shots, music and sequences change, we can still have a compelling, cohesive story. It helps, in this case, that it’s all about one person,” he notes. “Your brain is trying to make the connections and understand the story. And that story changes depending on how you get the information and the rate at which it develops.”
It also helps that the first and last scenes of ‘Eno’ are always the same. Additionally, there are certain scenes pinned to the same time slot in each version, including the scene where Eno discusses genetic art.
“We thought it was probably a good scene that everyone should see,” says Hustwit.
Anamorph used HD files at Sundance, but its software can also create the film live in a projection, which the startup demonstrated during an installation at the Venice Biennale in October 2023.
“We just let the creation platform run with Eno’s entire music catalog and all the footage and no rules. [The software] he made a 168 hour film and not a loop. He was creating an original film that was not repeated for 168 hours. It could have lasted longer, but the exhibition was only open for a week,” states Hustwit.
There were only six versions shown at Sundance. Since then, the company has improved the software and added more videos, so “Eno” will continue to evolve.
Additional screenings will take place this spring and summer in 50 cities.
Image Credits: Gary Hustwit/Sundance Institute.
As you can imagine, a production platform that has the ability to make different variations using hundreds of hours of footage is not built in just a day or even a year. Anamorph spent five years building its software from the ground up, combining patent-pending techniques and the team’s own knowledge of storytelling. The company says it hasn’t trained on anyone else’s data, IP or other films.
“The main challenge was creating a system that could process potentially hundreds of 4K video files, each with its own 5.1 audio tracks, in real time,” Dawes tells us. “The platform selects and sorts edited scene files, but also creates its own clean scenes and transitions, creating video and original 5.1 audio elements dynamically. The platform also had to be robust in a live situation, getting stuck was not an option. Well, we did an insane amount of testing. We can create a unique version of a film live in a cinema, or we can render a ProRes file with its own 5.1 audio mix and create a DCP from that.”
Specifically, Dawes says the system can make over 52 million variations. (How crazy is that?)
He also emphasizes, “This is a production system, not a generative AI. So I just have to clear it up, because pretty much everything that’s been said [“Eno”] uses the word AI.”
The only problem preventing Anamorph from bringing their system to the masses is that there is no existing streaming platform that can support this type of technology. However, the company says it wants to develop the features in-house for use by big streamers.
“I think the main limitation is that current streaming networks are not equipped to dynamically create unique video files and stream them to thousands of viewers so that each viewer has their own version of a movie. When we premiered ‘Eno’ at Sundance, all the major streaming companies loved it, but they also admitted that their systems can’t handle the technology involved… These streamers need to differentiate themselves, and I think they’re enabling movies and shows. released with genetic technology is one way to do that,” says Hustwit.
It will likely take years for streaming services to adapt to the technology. Until that happens, Anamorph is sticking to live events and theatrical releases.
“What the theater industry really needs right now is a reason to get people to come and if there’s a uniqueness about the live cinema experience, that’s one way it can be achieved,” adds Hustwit.
Image Credits: Anamorph
In addition to documentaries, the company is also exploring other projects that could use production platforms, including art exhibitions and even Blockbuster movies. Advertising agencies have also expressed interest, Hustwit reveals, with one company wanting to do 10,000 versions of a one-minute ad.
It’s hard to imagine that a TV series that follows an episodic structure would ever make sense in this kind of format, especially if B and C scenarios are incorporated. Unlike Netflix’s adventure film Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, viewers don’t they can decide which scenes they want to watch, nor will they be able to rewatch a version.
“It takes a bit more active participation from the viewer to notice the differences if they watch it again and get excited about discovering what wasn’t there,” says Hustwit.
Overall, this concept won’t be for everyone, but it certainly offers a fun and new experience that no one has seen before.
Now that Anamorph has officially launched, it is open to consultation with filmmakers, content creators, studios, streaming companies and more. Instead of making its tools publicly accessible, the company wants to collaborate on projects so it can “look at the source material and the overall goals of the story,” says Hustwit. He added that Anamorph is currently in discussions with a dozen or more companies.
Additionally, the cost of each project will vary.
“We could make a Marvel movie that changes every time it plays – which would be amazing – and the cost would be more than a small video art project. But we are interested in collaborating on projects in both of these fields. Our main goal is to take the idea for this new kind of cinema and connect with great partners to help explore that idea,” says Hustwit.
