Why AI Doesn’t Replace Craft, It Reveals It
Nature and wildlife have always been a thing of mine, my dad’s a taxidermist and I grew up with animals all around my house, it’s also one of the reasons I don’t live in a city. There’s something grounding about it, something that cuts through noise and ego. And at Christmas especially, animals seem to tap into something universal. One of my favourite Christmas ads ever is Buster the Boxer for John Lewis. That moment of wildlife coming together still hits people right in the heart.
That emotional pull was the starting point for Firefly Forest. I wanted to create a short film that drew people into the world of British wildlife as a metaphor for togetherness. Regardless of breed, size, reputation, bias or stereotype, none of that matters when someone is in need. Or at least, it shouldn’t.
This project was entirely self initiated. I made it independently, outside of client work, to explore how far AI tools have come when used with intention and respect for craft. While I sit on the directing roster at Octopus Inc, and juggling other projects, I saw this as a space to experiment, learn and push myself creatively.
AI was the right tool for this particular story, but not for the reasons people often assume. Yes, there is a cost efficiency element, but more importantly it allowed me to experiment freely. In the original script, the central character was a fox cub. Visually, it just didn’t work. It lacked the sense of quiet majesty I was after. For me, deer in British wildlife are what elephants are to the Serengeti. AI allowed me to swap that character without a costly rework.
What it didn’t do was make the creative decision for me. AI isn’t a mind reader. It doesn’t understand personal symbolism or emotional association. Those choices still come from human instinct.
Visually, I made a very deliberate decision to push towards live action realism rather than a stylised or animated look. That was mainly to showcase just how realistic these tools can now be. But it was also about ethics and originality. There isn’t really a neutral animated style anymore. Most animation references existing IP, whether that’s Disney, Pixar or DreamWorks.
I think that’s where a lot of the fear around AI comes from. The idea that it’s copying, cheating or cutting corners. When used properly, it doesn’t have to do any of that. Nobody owns how animals look in the real world. Anchoring the film in realism felt like the most honest and respectful route.
Even though the film came together in about a week, the most time consuming and important part was still the story. I wrote the narrative before starting on the visuals. I explored different approaches, from more stylised animation to fly on the wall documentary, but finally landed on the idea that seeing these animals as they exist in the wild would be far more interesting. I also wanted it to feel really British, something that would have been lost with heavier stylisation.
One of the biggest misconceptions about AI is the idea that it replaces human creativity or takes jobs. Really, it still needs human narrative, judgement and taste. It’s a tool for us to use, not a solution. When we don’t fully understand something, we tend to reject it. That’s human nature.
For me, generative AI opens doors for ideas that might never exist otherwise because budgets wouldn’t stretch that far through traditional production approaches. I don’t see it as doing less. I see it as allowing us to do lots more. AI is already embedded in our everyday life, whether people like it or not.
Firefly Forest is full of moments that could only come from human decision making. AI can predict what you might want to see, but it’s the specifics that matter. It wouldn’t know the breed of deer, the age of the fawn, whether the forest is British or American, the time of day, the weather or the emotional tone. Those decisions come from intention.
Music was another deeply human layer. I worked with Kamille, a good friend and genuinely world class artist. I originally asked if she had a spare jingle to avoid copyright issues Instead, she wrote an entire song specifically for the story. She’s a mum of two young kids and understands the magic of Christmas. Her music really lifted the visuals and actually shaped the edit. It brought everything together emotionally.
At its heart, the film is about unity, friendship and hope. As Kamille wrote so beautifully, you can still shine despite life’s trials and tribulations. That message was way more important to me than the technology used to deliver it.
What excites me more than anything about AI is the pace. The models are improving almost monthly, solving new filmmaking problems with every update. I think acceptance will come, and eventually the technology will become so seamless that audiences won’t question it at all. Misuse is a separate conversation. Deepfake clickbait doesn’t interest me. In the right hands, AI can be incredibly powerful for storytelling.
Going forward, AI will continue to sit alongside my work, often in mood boarding, world building or post production support. It will never replace real live action for me. But when it’s needed, it’s an incredibly strong creative ally.
The future isn’t about choosing between AI and craft. It’s about understanding how they can work together, responsibly, to tell better stories.
Cam Heyes is a director and creative director on the Octopus Inc roster.
*AI was used as a tool to support the structure of this editorial.
Check out Cam's reel here.
