LBB Film Club in association with LBB Reel Builder
AI Takes Creative Control in This Satirical, True Story-Inspired Short Film
10/12/2025
Holiday United Group Production Company - Toronto, Canada
VINCE: a 10-minute satire born from a real recording session
"Can the actor breathe less?" That note, delivered during a voice session where an AI guide track set the tone, sparked a film.
Eggplant Music + Sound partner Adam Damelin watched a standard record morph into something absurd, then called a few friends. The result: VINCE - a short that skewers the idea of AI dictating taste, timing, and decisions in a room full of professionals.
The core team and a simple "what if?"
Damelin pulled in Lindsay Eady (The Garden) and comedy writer Cole Rosenberg-Pach to draft a sketch. Once a first pass was done, director Adam Reid joined to produce and direct with Holiday Films.
The script widened fast: What if the AI didn't just replace the actor, but started rewriting copy, pumping out instant art, and "knowing" the client better than the client? The program was named VINCE - Voice Intelligent Narrative Creation Engine - and the stakes went up from there.
Pre-pro on a shoestring (and how they made it work)
Eggplant seeded the budget. Reid raised more from friends of the craft: Steve Mann (Mann Casting), Shasta Lutz (Jigsaw Casting), The Characters Talent Agency, and Maureen Webb Casting. Cinematographer Samy Inayeh signed on with gear at low cost, and the team structured it as a low-budget ACTRA co-op.
Lean, intentional, and scrappy - exactly how this kind of satire should be built.
Smart casting, sharp intent
Reid tapped a deep network to assemble a comedic "Avengers." Colin Mochrie voices VINCE - an inspired irony given his improvisational instincts. Jennifer Robertson plays the client. Tricia Black plays the writer and moral compass.
Ennis Esmer and Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll round out the room. The toughest part wasn't interest - it was corralling schedules across cities into one Toronto weekend.
One room, one day, one camera
Shot at Revolution Studios in Toronto, the film covers 14 pages in a single day with a four-person crew. The studio's warm wood and tight footprint reinforced the pressure-cooker vibe as the session spirals.
Reid staged it like a one-act play: long runs, minimal cuts, and energy you can feel. In the last 20 minutes of the day, Mochrie recorded VINCE line-by-line at high speed - a perfect cap to a compact sprint.
Grounded performances, absurd premise
The weirder the scenario, the straighter you play it. Reid pushed for grounded reads, drawing on the spirit of British comedy - think Fawlty Towers or the original The Office - where everyone plays it dead serious.
A rehearsal the day before paid dividends. The cast walked, blocked, found beats to riff, and locked in timing - so the shoot could move without friction.
Tools and post that serve the joke
The team shot on an Arri Alexa 35 with Canon Sumire primes for a softer, vintage feel - a human counterpoint to an AI that demands "perfection." For gear nerds curious about the camera, see the official overview from ARRI.
In the edit, Reid kept the long-take immediacy intact. "AI-generated" visuals were created in Midjourney, then refined by designer Scott Johnson in Photoshop. Gabe Stern built VINCE's minimalist interface in After Effects, synced to performance. Eggplant Music + Sound crafted a sonic bed - effects and score - that drives both tension and laughs.
The headaches (and your takeaways)
- Small rooms slow you down. Tight spaces mean longer resets, crowded gear, and more friction.
- Noise happens. A Berklee audition in the next studio meant a lobby of drumsticks and warm-ups. Plan for spill - and keep composure.
- On a one-day shoot, get a second camera. Put it on the card if you have to. Coverage buys options when the clock wins.
- Embrace imperfection. If you miss shots, lean on performance, pace, and sound to carry intent.
How audiences responded
VINCE wrapped a year on the circuit with screenings in Whistler, Victoria, New York, and Cannes, plus a private Toronto screening for ad creatives. The film builds slowly, then snaps - and the room goes with it.
In Toronto, the reaction was strong enough to warrant a second showing an hour later. For ad people, it hits close to home - and lets the tension out through laughter.
Why this matters for creatives
VINCE isn't anti-tech. It's anti-blind faith. Tools can speed up drafts and comps, but taste, timing, and context are still human work.
- Set rules for AI use: what it can propose, who makes final calls, and when to stop iterating.
- Protect rehearsal time. Chemistry and clarity save hours later.
- Assign an owner of taste. One person who says "we're done" prevents AI loops.
If you're building AI fluency without losing your voice, explore practical AI paths by role here: AI courses by job.
Fast facts
- Title: VINCE (Voice Intelligent Narrative Creation Engine)
- Format: ~10 minutes, satire
- Location: Toronto, Canada
- Company: Holiday Films / Holiday United Group Production Company
Credits
- Director: Adam Reid
- Concept and Writing: Lindsay Eady, Cole Rosenberg-Pach (inspired by an Eggplant Music + Sound session recounted by Adam Damelin)
- Producer: Adam Reid (with support from Eggplant Music + Sound)
- Director of Photography: Samy Inayeh
- Line Producer: Kyle Welton
- Cast: Colin Mochrie (VINCE), Jennifer Robertson, Tricia Black, Ennis Esmer, Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll
- Design: Scott Johnson (visuals)
- Interface Design and Animation: Gabe Stern
- Sound Design and Music: Eggplant Music + Sound
- Casting Partners and Support: Steve Mann (Mann Casting), Shasta Lutz (Jigsaw Casting), Maureen Webb Casting, The Characters Talent Agency
- Union: ACTRA Co-op (ACTRA)
- Camera: Arri Alexa 35 with Canon Sumire primes
- Studio: Revolution Studios, Toronto
Bottom line: VINCE is a sharp reminder for creatives - use AI, but don't hand it the keys. Taste still leads.
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