EP. 1590: Filmmaker Anthony Leckie (Even After (Prelude))

An ancient realm awakens. Somewhere between the living and the dead, a long forgotten forest begins to blossom. An exploration of loss, rebirth, and what awaits after death. A music driven short film that relies on imagery and sensation to convey meaning and suggest narrative. Even After (Prelude) was produced through digital paintings methodically rendered into photographic images with AI, custom small AI model creation for additional visuals, and original musical composition. The process used to create this film can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/y5VfbGxK1Iw https://www.instagram.com/anthony_leckie/ Director Statement I create music-driven short films that blend sculpture, painting, and AI to explore the inner landscape of self and the nature of a greater reality. My process begins with hand-sculpted digital characters and environments rooted in classical and Renaissance traditions. These are transformed into richly detailed, photorealistic visuals using AI tools — not to replace the artist’s process, but to enrich it. I’m committed to exploring how AI can be used ethically in artmaking: not as a shortcut that erases creative work, but as a tool that preserves and amplifies the voice of the artist within a deeply intentional process. Original musical composition is the driving force of each piece. Rather than relying on dialogue or sound effects, I craft immersive scores that act as both the emotional anchor and the sonic identity of the world — shaping tone, pacing, and meaning. The music is not background; it is the pulse and spirit of the story. My films explore themes of death, transformation, memory, and the otherwordly. They often unfold in liminal and mythic spaces — haunted forests, vanished towns, thresholds of the afterlife — carried entirely by music, imagery, and movement. Blending conventional techniques with influences from silent film, experimental cinema, and works like Fantasia, my work exists between narrative and abstraction. It invites audiences to feel before they understand — to experience story as sensation — while redefining what cinematic language can be. Subscribe to the podcast: https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod https://www.instagram.com/wildsoundpod/ https://www.facebook.com/wildsoundpod