Send in the Clowns is a short-film shooting this winter at the Savannah College of Art and Design. It is a dystopian satire set in the very very near future in an America that has allowed itself to be overtaken by AI and automation. We follow a young man named Thomas who aspired to be an author but only a select few are allowed to be published by the AI-run Department of Occupational Reassignment and Purpose, often referred to as DORP. It is a story about an artist discovering a terrible truth that forces him to reclaim his purpose.

Why this film? Why now? Why you? Why me?

This is an incredibly personal film for me. As a young filmmaker, I believe deeply in the power of art to bring people together, to break down walls, and to make the world feel smaller and friendlier. We are living in a moment when technology, especially AI, is advancing faster than our ability to thoughtfully integrate it into daily life. AI should be a tool that improves our world, not something that sidelines people or strips away their sense of purpose.

Send in the Clowns reflects my concerns about how this technology is being used. AI is modeled on the way language works and, in theory, the way our brains work, yet it still possesses a surprising amount of fallibility. It mirrors our flaws, our errors, and our limitations, which makes it even more unsettling that so many institutions are racing to automate human roles simply to improve profit margins for a very small group of people.

This film pushes back on that future. It asks what happens when profit becomes more important than people, and it celebrates the simple, stubborn act of human creativity. Supporting this project means supporting a collaborative team of young SCAD artists who believe that there has to be something more meaningful than the pursuit of efficiency. It is a stand for community, for expression, and for the value of human creativity in an increasingly impersonal world.