S.D.M.E.L. e.V.
Cinema & Online Campaign
Not all children experience the christmas season without worries. Every year, the Wunschbaum campaign by Schenk doch mal ein Lächeln e.V. reminds us that small gestures can make a big difference.
We supported the initiative with an AI-generated spot: the children’s choir Vokalhelden lent their voices, the Yorck Cinema Group donated their screens, and Guy Nisbett and Nicolas Lekai shared their AI power.
As expected, the AI prompting came with plenty of surprises: please, only two arms per person; do not alter the physical state of the candle; no one mentioned reindeer – so why are there suddenly wine glasses in the frame? The one-shot constraint – no cuts – made things even more challenging, as we didn’t prompt five separate clips but worked from the outset toward a single 16-second film. The real millimetre work came down to precise camera timing, a contemporary portrayal of the children as wooden figures, and creating a warm, festive atmosphere.
With hands-on support from England, we ultimately tamed the stubborn film and brought it to the big screen in 4K. As the client told us, participation in the donation campaign increased many times over as a result of the film.
All in all, a great experience – especially given the cause.
