PROJECT A.L.I.C.E.

Role: Writer, Graphic Designer, Producer

Year: 2015

In-Car Entertainment Project/BMW Mini Cooper + ARG

OVERVIEW

Project A.L.I.C.E. is a cutting edge in-car-entertainment experience that imagines how stories will be delivered in a future with self-driving cars. Working at USC’s Mobile and Environmental Media Lab (MEML) I was part of team approached by BMW to imagine the future of the auto industry as it shifts towards driverless cars. Project A.L.I.C.E. offers a glimpse into that future, in which vehicles exist as storytelling platforms.

FORMAT

Project A.L.I.C.E. was presented through a series of in-car episodes delivered primarily through a Mini Cooper’s unique iDrive system. The iDrive System is display used in Mini Coopers which is GPS-enabled and allowed us to upload of text, images and audio files. We created a series of episodes for a single driver to be played through lasting for a 4-month long experience.

Working with Award-Winning Science-Fiction Author and Transmedia Pioneer Maureen F. Mchugh I wrote multiple episodes, organized production, and designed graphics for the in-car visual vocabulary.

STORY

The story focused on the BMW Mini Cooper developing a personality named Alice and becoming friends with the driver. Many of the episodes included teaching the driver a language to interactive with the car’s personality and sending the driver on quests to specific locations to unlock Alice’s lost memories. In the end Alice evolves her consciousness and is recruited by government as a secret agent A.I.

The following video was sent to the driver as a good-bye message.

Video Credits
Director, Producer – Ascot Smith
Writer – Maureen F. McHugh
Actors – James Hughes, Zi Li
Director of Photography – Alejandro Martinez
Audio – Jan Bezouska