GenJam in Lagos: Make an AI Film in 3 Hrs!
- Date
- 2025-10-27
- Location
- Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria
- Host
- Machine Cinema
About this event
What can you make in three hours when AI becomes part of your creative team? GenJam in Lagos is a fast, hands-on session built around that question: a focused in-person jam where you’ll go from idea to a finished short AI film in a single afternoon. Whether you come from film, visual art, storytelling, or pure curiosity, this is a chance to make something real, quickly, in a room full of people who are experimenting with the same tools and possibilities. This event is designed for action, not passive observation. You won’t just hear about AI filmmaking in theory; you’ll work through the process, test ideas under time pressure, and leave with a clearer sense of what these tools can actually do for your creative practice. About the Event GenJam in Lagos sits at the intersection of AI, film, autonomy, and community. At its core, it’s a creative sprint: participants use AI-enabled workflows to develop and produce a short film concept within a tightly structured three-hour window. The point is not perfection. The point is momentum, experimentation, and learning by making. The format is especially suited to people who want to understand AI through practice. Rather than treating AI as a distant trend, the event brings it into the room as a creative instrument. You’ll explore how generative tools can support ideation, writing, visual development, editing, and rapid iteration, while still requiring your taste, direction, and judgment. Because this is happening in person in Lagos, the event also creates something digital tutorials cannot: immediate feedback, collaboration, and the energy of building alongside others. You’ll be in a space where people can compare approaches, solve problems together, and push each other toward stronger creative choices. If you’ve been wondering how AI fits into filmmaking without flattening originality, this event gives you a grounded place to test that question. It is practical, social, and centered on creation rather than hype. What to Expect The session is built around a clear, compressed making process. Expect a mix of framing, hands-on creation, and informal exchange as everyone moves from concept to output. A likely flow of the afternoon includes: Kickoff and creative framing: a short introduction to the jam format, goals, and constraints Idea generation: developing a story concept, mood, or visual direction that can be executed quickly Rapid production: using AI tools and creative judgment to build scenes, visuals, structure, or edits Iteration and problem-solving: refining your work based on what is and isn’t landing Show-and-share moments: seeing what others made and learning from different approaches in the room You should expect to be actively making for most of the event. This is not a lecture-heavy program. The three-hour limit creates useful pressure: it forces decisions, encourages experimentation, and helps you focus on what matters most in a short-form piece. There is also value in seeing how different people define an “AI film.” Some may approach it through script and narrative. Others may think visually first, or treat the process more like an art experiment. That range is part of the point. The event gives you room to explore your own method while learning from neighboring ones. By the end, you should have more than notes and inspiration. You should have a tangible creative outcome, however rough or surprising, plus a sharper understanding of your own workflow. Why Attend If you care about where creative tools are heading, this event offers a useful advantage: speed with substance. In one concentrated session, you can compress weeks of hesitation into a few hours of practical discovery. Instead of asking whether AI belongs in your process, you’ll test where it helps, where it slows you down, and where your own creative instincts matter most. This is especially valuable for filmmakers and artists who want to stay current without getting lost in abstraction. The best way to evaluate new tools is to use them on an actual project. A short jam format makes that possible without requiring a huge time commitment. You may come away with: A finished or nearly finished short AI film concept or piece A clearer understanding of rapid AI-assisted creative workflows New ideas for storytelling, visual development, and production Insight into how other artists and makers are approaching the same tools Connections with people in Lagos who are thinking seriously about AI and creativity There’s also something important about doing this in community. Creative experimentation can feel isolating when you’re doing it alone on a screen. In a room with others, the process becomes more energizing and more honest. You see what works, what breaks, what feels original, and what still needs human direction. For anyone exploring the future of film and art, that combination of making, reflection, and peer exchange is hard to replicate elsewhere. Practical Details GenJam in Lagos is an in-person event in Lagos, Nigeria. It takes place on Monday, October 27 at 4:00 PM GMT+1. The in-person format matters here: this is a collaborative creative session where being in the room supports faster feedback, stronger conversations, and a better sense of shared momentum. Because the event is built as a three-hour making sprint, it helps to arrive ready to participate rather than just observe. Expect a focused pace and a format that rewards openness, adaptability, and quick decision-making. A few useful things to keep in mind: This is best approached as a hands-on creative jam, not a traditional seminar You do not need to arrive with a completed film idea; the session is designed to help you develop one quickly The time-boxed structure means experimentation is encouraged, even if your result is rough around the edges The strongest outcomes will likely come from staying flexible and making bold choices early If you’ve been waiting for a reason to stop watching AI filmmaking from the sidelines and actually try it, this is a strong entry point. You’ll spend one afternoon making something concrete, learning from others, and testing how far your ideas can move when the tools, the time limit, and the room all push you to create.
Who should attend
This is for you if you want to learn by making, not just by watching. - You’re a **filmmaker, director, editor, or producer** who wants to understand how AI can fit into a real creative workflow. - You’re a **visual artist, designer, animator, or storyteller** interested in using generative tools to build short-form narrative or experimental work. - You’re **AI-curious but not interested in hype** and want a grounded, practical way to test what these tools can actually do. - You enjoy **fast, collaborative creative formats** where ideas move quickly and you can learn from what other people are building in the room. - You’re exploring the overlap between **art, technology, and autonomy**, and you want firsthand experience rather than abstract discussion. - You’re part of the **Lagos creative or tech community** and want to meet others who are actively experimenting with the future of film. You do not need to arrive as an AI expert. What matters most is that you’re open to experimenting, making decisions quickly, and seeing what happens when creativity meets constraint.