Continuing on the Satirical Video Journey: Screenwriting with AI

After diving into the world of cologne commercials and unraveling their clichés last week, I'm now at the stage in my video creation process where I'm ready to shape and finalize my script. Drawing from past collaborations with ChatGPT on commercial projects, I'm well aware that granting AI unrestricted creative freedom doesn't always produce the intended humor. Therefore, a level of strategic prompting is crucial to craft a resonant script.

For my satirical cologne commercial, I aim to infuse humor subtly, staying true to the nature of cologne advertisements. Anticipating challenges in aligning ChatGPT's humor with my vision, I recognized the need to guide the AI effectively through prompts. To assess its capabilities in this particular venture, I started off with the prompt "Help me come up with a fragrance for my satirical cologne commercial. I want its name to be something in French." The result? "Parfum de Fantaisie Absurde," translating to "Perfume of Absurd Fantasy," featuring whimsical scent notes like "Essence of Freshly Picked Unicorn Horns," "Rare Himalayan Yeti Musk," and "Essence of Galactic Stardust." The suggested commercial concept painted a vivid picture: "Imagine a protagonist using the perfume and suddenly being transported to a whimsical world filled with talking animals, floating clouds, and absurd scenarios." This marked the beginning of a challenging journey in crafting the script.

Acknowledging ChatGPT's inclination towards overt humor, I shifted my approach. Opting to create the fragrance name and concept myself, I prompted the chatbot with "Expand on a concept for a cologne named Inodore by Dior, a fragrance that doesn’t smell like anything." The outcome showed promise, featuring fragrance notes such as "Pure Nothingness," "Void of Aromas," and "Odorless Elegance," with packaging described as "A transparent and minimalist bottle to emphasize the absence of color and fragrance." While not entirely sold on the tagline and commercial concept it generated, I saw potential to work with them.

To translate this concept into a script, I prodded the chatbot further. The resulting script can be viewed below. 

Title: "Inodore" by Dior

Scene 1: Introducing the Bottle

[Open with a sleek, black-and-white shot of the "Inodore" by Dior bottle.]

Voiceover: "Introducing 'Inodore' by Dior. The fragrance that's so subtle, it's practically invisible."

Scene 2: The Dramatic Unveiling

[Cut to a dramatic unveiling of the bottle, with slow-motion shots and intense music.]

Voiceover: "Behold, the epitome of scentless sophistication. 'Inodore' by Dior, because who needs fragrance anyway?"

Scene 3: The Overly Dramatic Spritz

[Show the protagonist spraying 'Inodore' with exaggerated flair, complete with a slow-motion mist effect.]

Voiceover: "Witness the art of the invisible spritz. 'Inodore' - making a statement without saying a word."

Scene 4: The Mysterious Encounter

[Protagonist walks through a crowded place, leaving people bewildered.]

Voiceover: "As he walks by, a trail of confusion follows. 'Inodore' - leaving everyone guessing."

Scene 5: The Imaginary Compliments

[Protagonist interacts with people who pretend to smell something amazing.]

Voiceover: "People can't stop complimenting the scent they can't smell. 'Inodore' - the fragrance of make-believe allure."

Scene 6: The Unexpected Twist

[Protagonist walks into a flower shop, sniffs a bouquet, and reacts dramatically.]

Voiceover: "He may not smell like anything, but that won't stop him from pretending. 'Inodore' - where imagination meets fragrance."

Scene 7: The Closing Shot

[Protagonist strikes a pose, confidently holding the 'Inodore' bottle.]

Voiceover: "'Inodore' by Dior - for those who dare to be scentless in a world obsessed with fragrance. Because sometimes, less is literally more."

[End with a playful tagline on the screen and the 'Inodore' logo.]

This script, however, came across as silly and lacked the subtlety essential for capturing the classic tropes found in genuine cologne commercials. It failed to embrace the incomprehensible art absurdity and mysterious, inspirational voiceovers characteristic of the genre. To address this, I tasked ChatGPT with infusing these distinctive qualities into the script, drawing inspiration from the style seen in the Dior Sauvage commercial. The resulting script is detailed below.

Title: "Inodore" by Dior

Scene 1: The Vast Emptiness

[Open with a vast, empty landscape, with our protagonist standing in the middle, holding the 'Inodore' bottle.]

Voiceover (whispering dramatically): "In the world of fragrance, where scents collide and notes dance, one cologne dares to be nothing at all."

Scene 2: The Unseen Spray

[Protagonist sprays 'Inodore' into thin air with a mysterious expression.]

Voiceover: "Inodore by Dior - the invisible mist that leaves no trace, because who needs a scent when you have the essence of nothing?"

Scene 3: The Encounter with the Inexistent Aroma

[Protagonist walks through a bustling city, people looking confused as if they smell something amazing.]

Voiceover: "As he walks through the city, the scent of 'Inodore' lingers in the imagination of those who have none."

Scene 4: The Imaginary Compliments, Part II

[Protagonist interacts with strangers who speak in cryptic compliments about the nonexistent scent.]

Voiceover: "People say, 'You smell incredible,' and he nods in agreement, because 'Inodore' speaks louder than words."

Scene 5: The Unheard Symphony

[Close-up shots of 'Inodore' bottle while a dramatic symphony plays in the background.]

Voiceover: "Inodore - a symphony of nothingness, an olfactory masterpiece of unheard notes, a fragrance that echoes in the silence of your senses."

Scene 6: The Unexpectedly Empty Garden

[Protagonist strolls through a garden where flowers seem to have no scent.]

Voiceover: "In a garden of emptiness, where even the roses refuse to smell, 'Inodore' blooms in the void of fragrance."

Scene 7: The Closing Shot

[Protagonist strikes a pose, holding the 'Inodore' bottle with a confident yet mysterious smile.]

Voiceover: "'Inodore' by Dior - the fragrance that defies convention, because sometimes, the absence of scent speaks louder than a thousand perfumes."

[End with a whimsical tagline on the screen and the 'Inodore' logo.]

While I found this script more appealing, it still fell short of my vision as it consistently referenced the fragrance throughout the commercial. My aim is to adhere to typical cologne marketing tactics, unveiling the fragrance only at the very end. This approach allows for the creation of a narrative that stirs emotions in consumers before the fragrance is revealed. With this strategy in mind, I opted to provide ChatGPT with a direct quote from the Dior Sauvage commercial, aligning with the desired narration: "What am I looking for? Something I can’t see. I can feel it… it’s magic. Sauvage. Dior."

Given this prompt, the chatbot produced the following: "What am I searching for? A presence I can't detect. I can sense it, a fragrance so elusive, it's enchanting. Inodore - the essence of nothingness. You can't see it, but it's there. An invisible touch, a magic only felt. Inodore by Dior. Because sometimes, the most profound scents are the ones that leave no trace. It's not just a fragrance; it's an absence of fragrance, an aroma of the unseen. Inodore. Dior." However, I found this version too closely resembling the original, and it prematurely mentioned both the fragrance and its name within the commercial. After a series of additional prompts infused with my own ideas to enhance this narration, we eventually arrived at one that aligned with my vision.

I then tasked ChatGPT with crafting cinematic scenes embodying masculinity and the pursuit of desire for my satirical scentless cologne commercial. The generated scenes perfectly complemented the style I had been striving for. The final script remains undisclosed for now – you'll have to wait until the video is completed!

Crafting a cologne commercial script with ChatGPT proved challenging, with moments where it seemed the AI wasn't fully attuned to my vision. Recognizing the need to lay the foundation with my ideas, the process became smoother once I took creative control. While ChatGPT can assist in transforming ideas into a script, a detailed approach with minimal creative freedom is essential to realize the envisioned outcome.