Before My Silence

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  Before My Silence, Axel Schilling, 100 Years, AI Film, Screenshot

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  Before My Silence, Axel Schilling, 100 Years, AI Film, Screenshot

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  Before My Silence, Axel Schilling, 100 Years, AI Film, Screenshot

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  Before My Silence, Axel Schilling, 100 Years, AI Film, Screenshot

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  Before My Silence, Axel Schilling, 100 Years, AI Film, Screenshot

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  Before My Silence, Axel Schilling, 100 Years, AI Film, Screenshot

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  Before My Silence, Axel Schilling, 100 Years, AI Film, Screenshot

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  Before My Silence, Axel Schilling, 100 Years, AI Film, Screenshot

Inspiration

History is repeating, and silence is no longer an option.
Today, old threats are rising again. Threats we thought were defeated.
People are losing their rights and living in fear, even in countries that call themselves democracies.
This made me ask: How does it feel for someone who lived through this once already?
For someone who spent a lifetime standing up against violence and injustice.
The last living witnesses who saw the beginning of the war as teenagers are now over 100 years old.
This film is a tribute to their courage and to voices that are slowly fading.

What I Learned

Emotion lands when intention is honest.
I learned how deeply people connect to emotional stories, even when AI supports the creation.
The responses online showed me that honesty and clarity matter more than the tools used.
I also realized how many people cannot yet recognize AI-generated content and how important transparency is.

How I Built It

AI made a story possible that real production couldn't.
I used Elevenlabs, fal.ai, Midjourney, Kling and Veo for image generation, motion, and refinement.
The key element is the voice-over: I recorded every emotion myself and transformed my voice with Elvenlabs into that of a 100-year-old woman.

Challenges

Respectful emotion without turning it into spectacle.
Finding the right tone was the hardest part. Emotional and dignified, not sensational.
Another challenge was realism: many (non AI experienced) viewers believed the character was real, which shows both the strength and the responsibility of AI-based storytelling.

Closing Thought

Her voice fades – ours must rise.
Before My Silence reminds us that as old threats return, the voices that once fought them are disappearing.
Her voice fades – and ours must rise.

Built With

• adobe
• elevenlabs
• kling
• midjourney
• veo