Once We Were Children
Client — Holocaust Centre of New Zealand
Lucid Lab created the AI reenactment sequences for this Holocaust Centre of New Zealand documentary through Indelible Creative Studio. The work visualises parts of two survivor stories that could not be filmed as historical footage.
The brief
Create supporting reenactment imagery while respecting the people, places, and history at the centre of the documentary. Lucid Lab’s role was limited to the AI sequences, not the production of the entire film.
The challenge
Historical work carries a different standard from an imagined brand world. Likeness, period detail, locations, and the meaning of each scene all required careful review. A visually striking image was not enough if it contradicted the source story.
The approach
The sequences were built around survivor likeness, period references, location detail, and corrections from the documentary process. Generative tools supplied visual material; direction, selection, iteration, and historical review determined what could be used.
The result is reenactment rather than archival evidence. That distinction matters whenever synthetic imagery sits inside factual work.
Contribution
Lucid Lab created the AI reenactment sequences seen in the documentary above through Indelible Creative Studio.
For another archive-led application, see Napier Port’s AI archive animation. For live interviews and documentary production, explore film production in Auckland.
Planning a historical reenactment sequence
For a new documentary brief, identify the moments that need illustration and the sources that establish what happened. Supply approved likeness and period references, and name the person responsible for historical review. Keep decisions about factual accuracy separate from decisions about the visual treatment.
Agree how the finished documentary will distinguish reenactment from genuine archive footage. A generated scene can illustrate a story; it should not be presented as a photographic record of the event.
The AI production briefing guide helps organise source material, exact details and specialist approvals. To discuss supporting sequences within your own documentary, see Lucid Lab’s AI video production service.
