How did you put together the right team of collaborators for this project?
This is a truly independent film. It's not like some big seven-figure budget where you can just throw money at problems. We really had to be resourceful, organized, and communicative. So we put together a small, scrappy, but mighty team. Everybody's come together and done amazing work, from Brendan Doyle, my producing partner, to Conor McBride, Ben Mercer, and Steffie Van Rhee. With COVID, a lot of people were working remote. Conor is from Ireland, Ben is from England. Steffie’s from Amsterdam. At different times, different team members are overseas, back and forth, so we really had to be organized.
How did Dropbox help you all stay organized as you were collaborating remotely?
We've got two folders set up that are pretty massive. The production one, then the post production one. It's our catch-all for everything, really. We can all get on it. It's both a working day-to-day kind of set up, and also a repository for everything we need down the road. There are folders that I don't go into at all on certain days, for weeks or months. Then all of a sudden, I know exactly where it is. On the day that I need to go there, it's there.
What do you hope audiences will feel when they see Love Machina?
I hope that people come out inspired to have conversations about what positive can come out of technology and AI. I also hope people realize how important it is to be a part of that conversation—not just the immediate conversation, but the bigger conversation of representation in AI and making sure it's a beneficial technology.
Love Machina premieres at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival January 19 in-person and January 25 online. For details, visit festival.sundance.org
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.