About the Project
Day 120 follows a 16th-century sea captain battling a catastrophic storm and a mutinous crew, only to discover a futuristic artifact that changes his destiny. Part of the goal was to use AI tools to create a story that still felt grounded, while reflecting the theme of the exhibition: choosing whether to turn back in fear or retrofit our “wooden ships” with new technology to face the unknown.
Commissioned for the Symbiosis or Schism exhibition during Santa Barbara’s Brave New Work symposium, the short film was developed for a show focused on artists working with new technologies. The project was designed to frame a high-stakes debate about artificial intelligence. Just as the captain encounters an alien intelligence, we’re standing at the point where human creativity meets machine logic. My goal wasn’t to show off the tech, but to question what kind of relationship we want with it, in line with the theme of the show.
Approach
As the director, I guided the vision from script to screen, crafting it the same way I would approach a traditional film. I focused on preproduction and previsualization first, and then moved into generative AI workflows and iterative passes to build the shots and moments. The pacing, editing, sound design, story, and color were all handcrafted to make sure the central idea stayed intact.
The project was showcased to a packed audience at the Community Arts Workshop, setting the stage for keynote speakers.
For me, Day 120 is an early experiment in what generative AI workflows can offer and a small glimpse of what might be possible. Maybe we shouldn’t think of the machine as a replacement, but as an augmented collaborator.
Key Credits
Written and Directed by Simon Quiroz
Tools used:
Midjourney
Nanobanana
Veo 3
Suno
Eleven Labs
Davinci Resolve
... and more