Beyond the Loop

Why we decided to create an Anthology

A New Era in Storytelling Has Arrived

Yesterday we launched our first short film, Memory Maker alongside Nik Kleverov and his team.

Original content is part of our broader Anthology and is grounded in one of the key missions of our company – to unearth the next generation of filmmaking talent.

The Anthology will be a series of short films, created and co-produced by four of the world’s best AI-filmmakers and storytellers. All of them were handpicked from our community Realdreams (launching soon as an open community).

Our vision is to continue running this series across multiple seasons (our homage to Black Mirror or Love, Death & Robots) and in doing so continuing to partner with the breakthrough talent in the space. One of AI's great unlocks is its ability to enable more stories to be told and more talent to come to light and we believe that by partnering with the world’s leading tech companies and artists we can create a platform to find these stories an audience.

A Project Years in the Making

When Justin and I first met and we discussed starting the company, it was this idea and the ethos of exposing talent in the space that galvanised us into action.

It was an idea Justin had harboured for years and Wonder gave us the opportunity finally to give it expression. Of course so much of this wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the tech companies that backed this project and the tools they’ve developed to make the creation possible — Fal (who just secured a huge new round of funding), Kling, ElevenLabs and Freepik.

This is the start of our ongoing AI anthology series. Part of our mission at Wonder Studios is to support filmmaking from creators around the world. New voices, new visions, made possible by new tools and creative processes.

But it’s not just about the films. We’re travelling, documenting, listening. Capturing the people, the process, and the purpose behind every story and I urge you to follow the journey :)

Because these tools don’t replace creativity- they unlock it… anyone, anywhere, can now step into the frame..

This is just the beginning.

-Justin Hackney

Behind the Scenes

Because so much of this series is about the creator as well as the technology, we decided to invest just as much (if not more) into exposing how these films were made.

First, to show the level of craft required to create this work, and second, to dispel the fear that AI erodes creativity. Hopefully, these films, which take the viewer deeper 'into the sauce' (to borrow a Justin line), will inspire a whole new generation of storytellers and creatives to ‘lean in’ to what’s now possible.

One of our core beliefs is that YouTube democratised access to distribution, just as AI will democratise access to Hollywood-grade production. The story will continue to be what matters most (as it always has). However, in this new world without borders, the next Spielberg could be sitting in a bedroom anywhere in the world, waiting to be discovered—one viral post away from their breakthrough.

What to Expect Next:

Over the coming weeks we will be releasing three more films profiling some of the other incredible filmmakers and their stories — to follow along, subscribe to our YouTube channel → here.

If you’re a filmmaker looking to be featured, sign up to our community waitlist — there will be a chance soon enough to pitch your project for future seasons.

Thanks for tuning in and we hope you enjoy the films -

Xavier, Justin and the Wonder team