That Startup Show (AUS)
Nothing better represents the allied with technology world of today than making a web series in the online space. This year’s selected web series Hungry Bytes (CHE), Lucy & DiC (AUS) and That Startup Show (AUS) address how technology is advancing and how it can affect our future in multiple ways.
Produced and filmed by Swiss film students, Hungry Bytes gives its viewers an interesting look at how technology can be implemented into traditional production of fresh produce. While being sustainable, the produce aims to be profitable and preserve its identity, also maintaining its transparency of the origin and quality of what is being produced.
Director and producer Jessica Reust says the series questions how technology can motivate farmers to create a sustainable living, highlighting the motivations and challenges to produce the series.
“It was a huge challenge not to lose the thematic focus. We kept asking ourselves the same question every day: what is digital food and where is the dividing line between digitization and technology?” says Reust.
“… We have access to new digital technologies, but in the international arena Switzerland is always lagging behind. In Germany, for example, every second farm already uses digital solutions. In Switzerland, farms are smaller and not specialized, so the financial outlay often doesn’t pay off.”
The series observes consumer relationships with social media and the growing exposer of what we eat, transcending into the importance of the taste and quality of food. Reust explains that society is responsible in questioning the benefits of food and the environment as consumer influence grows in the digital age. “… The need for recognition and self-definition is not new, we have only found new digital ways to satisfy it.”
Looking into the future of technology, Lucy & DiC tells the story of Lucy (Lucy Gransbury) and her charismatic drone DiC (Ethan ‘Ozzyman Reviews’ Marrell) as they explore the challenges of adulthood in a perhaps not so distant future.
Writer Tom Philips says the core development of the series began in 2017, commenting on our relationship and reliance on technology. “This core idea and weird social commentary on our relationship and reliance on technology started to emerge. And how doomed that is when our technology is as misinformed as us,” says Phillips.
Besides the immense challenge of post-production with over 450 VFX shots in three months, the crew was met with the question of how to film DiC’s non-existent character on set. To solve this we’re told they adopted the use of a cooking pot before shooting to gain movements of his character.
“The old idea was actually just simply a two-hander, but once the thought of making the second character a talking/swearing and flawed robot came in, it really took off in our minds.”
Phillips believes the near future is close, with robots and smart assistants becoming more complex. “We feel DiC has a soul. But that’s just our opinion,” Phillips says.
“[As for the future] … pretty close I reckon. NASA are doing some cool stuff and Elon will be all over it. But what do we know? we are just using it as an excuse to make dick jokes.”
With the increasing use of business innovation, That Startup Show explores multiple ideas from young and creative entrepreneurs and how technology can improve the way we work. The series uniquely evaluates the best pitch of the night, with a live audience and panel of experts to do so.
CEO, co-founder, producer & writer Anna Reeves says the series was developed to share the inspiring stories of others, after attending startup events and wondering why “the wider world wasn’t hearing them.” It only took one napkin at the iconic Melbourne pub The Savoy Tavern for the idea to really unfold.
“I teamed up with my co-founders Ahmed Salama and Sally Gatenby who are rock solid, awesome human beings and we did it as a side hustle initially. It was because our first investor and Aussie startup icon Alan Jones believed in us which made us keep going. We call it our accidental startup,” says Reeves.
With the startup environment exploding in the online space, Reeves says technology has enabled everyday people to launch a business, all within 48 hours.
“Many structural barriers to entry have been lowered, but building, scaling, and finding people who value what you have created, still follow the same principles. It’s not all about VCs and IPOs. It’s about making something worthwhile that improves people’s lives,” says Reeves.
“The next generation are developing technology and businesses to solve the problems the world has in addition to making money. They want to do both, and in some ways, they have to because it’s their future.”