Portti: A Creative Journey in Short Film.
Foundations of Portti
Portti is a satirical sci-fi short film about the encounter between a frustrated man and an advanced artificial intelligence. The AI offers the man a new kind of alternative. Portti is a story about human curiosity, greed, and the coldness of artificial intelligence.
The project began as a creative experiment—a chance to craft an engaging story while having fun with a friend. It also served as an exploration of the filmmaking potential of an iPhone. With the exception of a few aerial shots captured using the DJI Avata drone, the film was entirely shot on the iPhone. From conception to final cut, I handled every aspect of production myself, requiring no team or funding.
A Sunday Shoot, A Swift Turnaround
Portti was brought to life in a remarkably short time. Shot in just five hours on a Sunday, the process leaned on a concise script that acted as a flexible framework. Improvisation and on-the-fly adjustments shaped many scenes, infusing the project with spontaneity. We managed to squeeze in two hours at a studio to film the VFX shots. And guess what, the film was shot with iPhone 15 pro! That seems to be happening more now, look at “28 years later” for example. Also, DJI Avata drone was used and DJI Osmo for stabilizing on few shots.
Post-production spanned approximately two weeks, during which I single-handedly edited the footage, composed music, designed sounds, and created the visual effects.
A Legacy of Creativity
This isn’t the first collaboration between this duo—we’ve been making short films and clips since the 1990s! While Portti is far from perfect, it brought immense satisfaction to its creators. It has also performed well in festivals, rekindling our creative spark and paving the way for an even bigger project set to release in 2025.
Beyond the VFX, filming, editing, and sound design, I found a particular joy in directing. It’s an experience I hope to revisit and build upon in future projects. Portti stands as a testament to the power of creative collaboration and the limitless possibilities of independent filmmaking.
I don't directly oppose artificial intelligence even though it is somewhat satirized here; In fact, I used it as part of the film's planning process because it worked well in some areas. Of course, it is all still handcrafted, but I have integrated AI into the process so that it doesn't take anything away from my creative contribution but rather supports it.
