Opening film
70 years of Huisman Etech Experts
Client
Commissioned by Huisman Etech Experts and Digital Layers
Work
Concept, script, copywriting, prompting, editing, voice-over, sound design & mixing, 2D animation
Tags
Overview
Digital Layers approached us with a unique challenge: could we create a film in which the founder of Huisman Etech Experts guides viewers through the company’s 70-year history? Using AI, animation and sound design, we set out to bring that story to life. The film premiered during the anniversary celebration, where decades of history came together in a single narrative.
How
With AI, strong output starts with strong input. Clear creative direction and quality source material are essential. As we quickly discovered, that source material was limited, so our first challenge was to build a solid foundation to work from.
For the voice-over, we initially recorded Rob, Wim’s son. We then replaced that recording with a voice clone trained on an old audio fragment of Wim himself. As a result, it wasn’t Rob speaking to the audience in the film, but Wim.
To reinforce that feeling, we brought an old photograph of Wim standing beside his moped to life. Using an additional layer of AI, we synced his lip movements to the voice-over. Achieving a natural result required combining multiple AI tools and techniques, each chosen for its specific strengths. Final compositing was done in After Effects.
The right AI tools and carefully crafted prompts can make photographs move, but movement alone doesn’t create an emotional story. That comes together in the edit, supported by music, sound design and subtle visual effects.
We’re proud of the final result. But what gave the project real meaning was seeing the emotional response from people who had known Wim personally when the film was shown at the event. And with AI evolving at such a rapid pace, we know we would likely approach this project differently in a few years’ time. Not because it falls short today, but because the possibilities will have expanded so much further.