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Chicken Licken used AI for the lava
Joe Public kept the characters human and used AI for sets the budget could not stretch to
In partnership with
South Africa's Chicken Licken is back with 'Feel the Fire: HeadQuarters' from Joe Public, directed by Tristan Holmes of Star Films. Inside the head of a Rock My Soul eater, the brain is a brick-and-mortar headquarters thrown into chaos by an orange briefcase.
Joe Public kept the characters and the humor human. AI augmented the settings the budget would not cover as CG, like lava feeding a blast furnace, says Group CCO Xolisa Dyeshana.
Where AI sat: But because fans would expect that (spoiler alert) e.g. streams of lava feeding a blast furnace, would be VFX anyway, we pushed those boundaries to give fans a more expansive experience, augmented by AI. — LBB
What's interesting is that this also comes at a time when our industry is figuring out which boundaries to push, or impose, in the use of AI.
Martin Schlumpf, Executive Creative Director, Joe Public
Today in Creative AI
Krea launched Ad Studio on October 29. Paste a website and it builds a brand kit, from logo and fonts to selling points and product prices, then makes up to 12 static ads a batch for feed, Stories and Reels, and landscape placements.
You edit the kit first, so the ads carry only the claims you approved. It is on every paid plan.
Today’s Sponsor:
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The Read
Joe Public spent its AI on scenery. Krea's Ad Studio serves the other half of a launch: sized ads from a brand's claims.
The spot works because the insight is physical. One hot bite, and the brain's headquarters goes into emergency mode.
For brands: Spend AI where the budget stops, and say so, as Joe Public did.
For agencies: Check every generated static against the approved claims before it ships. A kit helps only if someone keeps it current.
Make this
Make an AI shot look like it came off a real set. The method is from Higgsfield's guide to making AI video look filmed.
Decide the light source and one camera move before you write the prompt.
In Cinema Studio 4.0, add a clean product image to References, label readable.
Set lighting, camera, lens and aperture yourself instead of leaving them on Auto.
Generate up to four versions and compare the first, middle and last frames with your image.
Copy this: Lighting: Window · Camera: 35mm Film · Lens: Clean Sharp · Aperture: f/1.4 · Movement: Tilt down · Prompt: a hand picks up the bottle from the table
What to expect: Up to 30 seconds at 1080p, with sound if you switch it on; every version costs credits, 80 for a five-second 1080p clip. A take is stable only when nothing changes that you did not ask for, so check before you fix.
Tool Review → Holo AI
Holo AI reads your website to learn the brand's voice, then drafts ads, social posts, emails and SEO content. Starter includes 125 creations and one brand workspace; the pricing page ran a timed discount when we checked, so check it.
A chain running social and creator content around one film could use it to draft posts and static ads. The limit, per the hub's notes: video ads are early next to static.
Worth it if a small team needs on-brand drafts daily. Skip it if you already use Krea for static ads.
