The Weirdest AI Film We've Ever Seen. It's Also the Most Beautiful.

01 · breaking news · ▶ on the show at 9:18

MiniMax H3 Test

By Uncanny Harry

MiniMax dropped a new model this week and Uncanny Harry was one of the first to put it through its paces, feeding in just five Midjourney images and building a short slice of world building from them. The stream buffered on the first play, so we ran it again. Chris checked it against the usual questions: does it stick to the colour references, and how faithful is it to the characters it was given? His answer was a lot, in every category.

“This was just five individual Midjourney images that he used here.”Chris Branch · ▶ 10:18

MiniMax H3Midjourney

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02 · breaking news · ▶ on the show at 11:54

Seedance 2.5, Pushed to the Limit

By Wonder Studios, Justin Hackney, Marcus Grip

Seedance 2.5 landed the same day for Wonder Studios as for everyone else, so Justin Hackney and Marcus Grip grabbed an iPhone and ran around the House of Wonder, their studio in a real church, to see how far they could push it. The video shows off 30-second clips, a new angle from the same shot and up to 50 references, cutting real footage of the church with AI gladiator overlays. Chris, who prompted Seedance 2.5 in the same church, says hybrid video-to-video work is where this model shines.

“I think video to video is going to be one of the big strengths with this model, and I think hybrid productions is going to be a lot bigger.”Chris Branch · ▶ 18:38

Seedance 2.5

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03 · ▶ on the show at 21:28

Cannes Lions Winner

By Sebastian Strasser

Sebastian Strasser's ad won a Cannes Lion, and Chris didn't tell the audience what it was selling, so everyone could guess before the reveal. A character who does breath work, journals, talks to their plants and reenacted their own birth for healing insists they are real in a world full of copies and imitations, right up until the twist. Chris loved the colour palette, the comedy, the seriousness and the misdirection, and the chat agreed: 14 straight 1s, the most 1s of the night. One for your next client presentation.

“I thought it was pretty damn epic. Honestly, I think that's a definite one from me.”Chris Branch · ▶ 24:11

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04 · ▶ on the show at 26:17

Raising Cane's: National Chicken Finger Day

By Secret Level

A real, brand-commissioned ad from the agency Secret Level for Raising Cane's National Chicken Finger Day, bringing back the late Chuck Norris with the approval of his wife and family. Cane's donated $1 for every box combo sold on 27 July to raise $1 million for his foundation, Kickstart Kids. Chris loved the brief but called it an easy ad with not much story: a 2 for him. The chat mostly agreed, though Jimmy liked the charity angle and pointed out it had to follow a Lion winner.

“It is a very easy ad. There's not much storytelling going on here.”Chris Branch · ▶ 29:12

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05 · ▶ on the show at 34:23

Jaunt Speaker Ad (Runway Big Ad Contest)

By László Gaál

László Gaál, the creator whose behind-the-scenes Porsche piece started the whole fake behind-the-scenes trend, entered Runway's latest Big Ad Contest with a spec ad for a Jaunt speaker. No dialogue or misdirection this time, just straight visuals: Chris got Tron mixed with Daft Punk and a Berlin nightclub, and loved seeing a whole new side to his game. Andrew said it's the kind of ad he wouldn't have thought twice about before AI, which is exactly what makes it impressive. Ten straight 1s.

“Short, sweet, epic, great visuals, great music.”Chris Branch · ▶ 35:28

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06 · ▶ on the show at 37:54

Vero Blood Orange Soda Ad (Runway Big Ad Contest)

By Simon Meyer

Andrew's favourite AI creator, Simon Meyer, put his skin in the game for Runway's Big Ad Contest with a soda ad: contestant 47, a harsh judge, and a tagline that lands, you can question an idea, but you can't question taste. Andrew liked how short and to the point it was, though he saw the ending coming once the goggles went on, and the chat called it a bit of a cliché. Chris said it's not one of Simon's best, but it works. Four 1s and three 2s.

“For me that's definitely not one of Simon's best videos that we've seen, but it works.”Chris Branch · ▶ 40:09

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07 · ▶ on the show at 40:55

Black Jack's Whiskey Ad (Runway Big Ad Contest)

By Uncanny Harry

Somehow Uncanny Harry also found time to enter Runway's Big Ad Contest: a black and white spec ad for Black Jack's whiskey, built around an old-time riddle of a song that Jimmy identified in the chat as a limerick. Chris said it was nothing like he'd seen before, the song worked and the visuals were fun, and it's almost unfair the others have to compete with him. Harry dropped into the chat to reveal the whiskey also features in his Here Be Monsters world. Seven 1s and two 2s.

“I thought it was great. I thought the song worked. I thought the visuals were fun.”Chris Branch · ▶ 43:10

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08 · ▶ on the show at 46:55

Creative Animation Experiment

By The Dor Brothers

The Dor Brothers branching out: a short animated battle between cats and dogs, a secret weapon that turns out to be a little dog, then a big dog, and a twist ending back in the family living room. None of their usual pop culture references or violence. Andrew counted the twists packed into such a short running time, and Chris could happily watch much more of this world. Mary answered in limerick form, Marco called Yonatan goated, and the chat gave it nine straight 1s.

“I was expecting Trump or Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg to jump in at some point, because that's what they do.”Andrew Davis · ▶ 53:11

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09 · ▶ on the show at 54:15

Where Knights Fall

By Mathery

Mathery's dark fairy tale. Rapunzel waits in a tower above ground thick with the bodies of knights, princesses and princes who tried and fell. Then he arrives, and he doesn't climb: he crawls and slides. Three and a half minutes of creepy, funny, disturbing storytelling that left Chris asking what we had just watched, while commenters called it Dalí-ish and 'so refreshingly different'. Jimmy summed it up: ugly AI is the most beautiful AI. Eight straight 1s.

“This is crazy though, isn't it? Just a total reinterpretation of a famous character in this weird way that we all give a straight one to.”Chris Branch · ▶ 1:00:00

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10 · ▶ on the show at 1:00:40

The Sage, "The Four" S1E5

By Mike J Mitch

Season 1, episode 5 of The Four by Mike J Mitch, who is signed to Cavan the Kid's Phantom X label. Elijah meets the woman at Walker Lake, and his search for answers about the amulet takes him further into himself than ever. We showed the first five minutes of 14. Andrew thought they nailed the woman's accent and got Get Out vibes from the drink scene, and Chris rated the sound design as Gossip Goblin level. Ten straight 1s, with commenters demanding a sequel.

“That sounded like real sound design, it sounded like Gossip level stuff actually.”Chris Branch · ▶ 1:09:09

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11 · ▶ on the show at 1:11:42

I LIVED

By Bharat Parmar

Bharat Parmar's film about memory, unconditional love and the small moments that quietly become a lifetime: a 65-year-old man with Alzheimer's who remembers nothing, except that he loves his wife and she loves him back. It didn't win on visuals. It won on its voiceover, the sad music and small audio touches like a voice delivered as a phone message, and it nearly brought Chris to tears on air. It hit hardest for viewers with Alzheimer's in the family. Twelve 1s, one 2 and one 3.

“I really did feel it at that point there. I was like, God, am I going to be able to talk at the end of this one?”Chris Branch · ▶ 1:19:11

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12 · ▶ on the show at 1:21:07

The Tubes

By VaigueMan

Ninety seconds of world building from VaigueMan for a story he's been toying with, made with Seedance 2.0 and Suno among other tools: people competing in tubes while an elite looks on. Andrew saw Squid Game meets The Hunger Games, and Paul thought the concept could be a full show, though the chat pointed out it's very Snowpiercer. Chris gave it a 2: a strong concept, but the Suno beat didn't hit and it needed more polish. It has still reached millions on Instagram. Two 1s and five 2s.

“I'm going to give it a two because I think it was a good concept, but I think I've listened to too many Suno beats where that beat didn't really hit.”Chris Branch · ▶ 1:24:29

Seedance 2.0Suno

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13 · ▶ on the show at 1:26:43

Red Rainbow, S1E2

By Aze Alter

Season 1, episode 2 of Aze Alter's Red Rainbow, another Phantom X series, picking up after episode 1 on the previous show. All Donnie ever wanted was for someone to see him, and for the first time he finds unconditional love and acceptance, but begins to wonder why. Chris called Donnie one of the strangest AI characters he's ever seen developed and couldn't explain why he likes him, and Andrew just wants to know what happens next. As Marco put it: you have to appreciate it, it's well crafted. Three 1s and three 2s.

“I like this character and I don't know why.”Chris Branch · ▶ 1:32:58

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14 · ▶ on the show at 1:36:16

Kamalu: Legend of Amadioha, Episode 2

By AI 9ja Studios

Episode 2 of AI 9ja Studios' series. When lightning strikes in a perfect spiral, a king hears that Amadioha has been reborn, and to protect his earthly reign he makes a devastating bargain, ending with an order to silence a whole village. Andrew praised the script, but spotted the lip sync slipping and, like Marza in the chat, a dip in quality in one scene. The hosts would love to know more about the studio behind it. A split vote: three 1s, one 2 and two 3s.

“I thought it was a really good script. Well done.”Andrew Davis · ▶ 1:42:42

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15 · ▶ on the show at 1:46:39

Proxy

By The Dor Brothers

The second Dor Brothers piece of the night, and this one looked like them: fast, flashing social commentary on immigration, cut like a music video. Chris warned the audience first, then called it jaw-dropping that the same team made the gentle animation from earlier in the show, and gave it a straight 1. Andrew got alternative MTV vibes, Marco called the editing style unmatched, and Chris was glad to see LinkedIn voters giving it 1s too. Six 1s and one 3.

“It reminds me of a MTV video back in the day when they had alternative music.”Andrew Davis · ▶ 1:49:11

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16 · ▶ on the show at 1:51:50

Dante (BRAZY), 88 (Official Music Video)

By Wonder Studios, JUNKY CREAM, Mark Evich, Roh Gun Ho

An official music video for 88 by Dante (BRAZY), part of season 2 of Wonder Studios' Beyond the Loop anthology: chrome and glitch music direction by JUNKY CREAM, composed and arranged by Mark Evich, directed by Roh Gun Ho and produced by Wonder Studios. A zombie action horror music video that had Andrew calling AI music videos the standard soon. Chris loved it once the beat dropped and wondered where Gen TV will live. The chat felt the characters looked video-gameish: three 1s and five 2s.

“Using AI to do music videos will be the standard soon.”Andrew Davis · ▶ 1:56:55

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17 · ▶ on the show at 2:01:47

Star Wars: Bass Windu ft. Obi Dawg, I Got The High Ground

By ai am a jedi

Paul's show closer: a Star Wars rap video from the YouTube channel ai am a jedi, with Mace Windu as Bass Windu and Obi-Wan Kenobi as Obi Dawg, both claiming the high ground. Chris admitted it was on the cusp of slop, but called it funky, hilarious and a straight 1 as a fan piece. Aaron loved the line about smacking the Sith out of you, and the hosts let the beat play the show out. Eight 1s and one 3.

“Truthfully, this is on the cusp of slop. It's fun, but it's on the cusp of slop.”Chris Branch · ▶ 2:01:54

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