VP Shorts: Loop

Loop is Very Polite’s first official foray into short form narrative. It crosses traditional genre boundaries by taking a human-centric approach to sci-fi. With a strong focus on character, dialog and location punctuated with occasional bursts of intensity, it delivers an emotional narrative that slowly unravels.Through tone and style, the film attempts to blur the line between drama and sci-fi, human and machine, real and artificial. Video narrative allows us to both conceptualize and explore complex themes and ideologies through an imaginative and systemic manner that creates a lasting impression. With Loop we were able to experiment with contrasting treatments that resulted in powerful visuals that command moments of moral immensity.

Synopsis

LOOP is a short sci-fi film set in the 21st century, centring around the attempts of reclusive former tech CEO David Hinton’s quest to teach AI how to experience and process true human emotions.

‘Emotion Experiments’ are conducted by placing androids in scripted scenarios that run continuously, on repeat, until the AI understands how to truly feel and process that emotion. These tests are called Loops.

Director’s Statement

Loop is an artistic exploration of a simple hypothesis: emotion cannot be programmed, it must be felt and experienced to be real.

I started exploring this concept while observing my young son discover and display new emotions through his own direct experience and contact with others. He was learning to process the feelings of anger, joy, disappointment, sadness, and I found this progression of maturity fascinating and insightful. I started to question whether replicating an emotive incident could result in a similar reaction every time and, if so, could we program a machine to feel?

Ultimately Loop is a film of contrasts. An android struggling to process and understand intense new emotions, and an artist on the edge of madness striving for perfection. The treatment of the film enhances this contrast with an artfulness that opposes the mechanical, visceral nature of the subject matter.

– Stuart Langfield

WATCH THE FULL SHORT HERE

LISTEN TO OUR LOOP PROJECT PLAYLIST ON SPOTIFY