Fund This: ‘En Machina’ Uses VR To Turn Viewers Into Artificial Intelligence

Welcome to the Fund This column! Each week, we’ll look at a planned web series or other online video project currently in search of funding on crowdfunding sites. We’ll tell you what the series is all about and explain why it is worth your money. Do you have a project that’s currently being crowdfunded? Contact us to let us know and we may feature it in upcoming installments and check out previous installments right here.

Project Name: En Machina

Asking For: $7,000 through Seed & Spark

Amount Raised Thus Far (At Time Of Post): $4,379

Days Remaining In Campaign (At Time Of Post): 17

Description: If scientists created an artificial intelligence that could think like a human, how would that system act? The comedy duo Charles, consisting of Charlie Stockman and Chuck Armstrong, has figured out a novel way to answer that question. They are working with filmmaker Liam Edward Brady on a project called En Machina, which will use VR to put viewers inside the mind of an AI.

The idea is simple: Two scientists invent an AI in their garage, and using the power of 360-degree video, En Machina allows viewers to experience the world through the eyes of that machine using a first-person perspective. As the project’s campaign page puts it, the introduction of VR will allow En Machina to look at science fiction from a new angle. “Most films about AI explore the possibility of whether a machine can be truly conscious; En Machina

Oh, and it will be funny, too. The Charles guys are comedians, and in their pitch video, they show us their penchant for cracking jokes — including a few about the VR medium itself. As a note, this video is best watched through a device like Google Cardboard.

Creator Bio: Charles has performed at sketch comedy festivals around North America. Some of the duo’s best work can be found on their YouTube channel.

Best Perk: Chuck and Charlie will photoshop anyone who contributes at least $25 into the sci-fi movie of their choice. Here’s an Alien-themed example.

Why You Should Fund It: Media companies are hungry to take advantage of the vast potential offered by 360-degree, but not everyone is using VR video in creative ways. En Machina, on the other hand, is a smart idea for a VR project that will allow its viewers to question the nature of consciousness. Of course, it won’t all be heady stuff, either; as their Charles sketches show, Stockman and Armstrong are funny dudes. Here’s hoping their latest project allows them to show off their comedic timing in a unique and refreshing way.