Creative Hour | May 2026

First up was Storm by Gener8ion. The music video that’s been doing the rounds everywhere online. Weirdly, the bit everyone’s posting isn’t really the bit the conversation should be about.

The second half has gone massively viral, but we all felt that the real storytelling happens in the opening section. That’s where all the themes sit. Masculinity, hierarchy, brotherhood, coercion, all wrapped up in this strange, hyper-stylised boys’ school world.

The thing everyone kept coming back to was how recognisable it felt. Not literally, but emotionally. Like you know these people. You’ve seen these dynamics before.

“I feel like the whole way through, I was like, I know this guy. I know these situations.”

The whole piece builds this really controlled world without ever properly telling you where or when it is. Everything feels intentionally vague. There’s this constant feeling of conformity running through it, everyone dressed the same, moving the same, following this almost cult-like leader figure.

The aggression in it feels less like violence for violence’s sake and more like initiation. Belonging through pressure. Naturally, the Bully video game comparisons came up pretty quickly.

“It almost had that Bully vibe.”

And then someone mentioned Territory by The Blaze, which honestly feels bang on. Similar themes. Same emotional tension between violence, connection and male identity.

What really impressed everyone, though, was the sheer level of craft behind it. The choreography alone must’ve taken weeks.

In a world where literally everything online is being questioned through the lens of AI vs in-camera craft, that effort suddenly becomes part of the conversation.

That was probably the most interesting takeaway from the whole thing. Online, especially on LinkedIn, the discussion completely shifted away from the meaning of the piece and became all about how it was made.

“The second half loses all context.”

Which is a shame, really, because the actual commentary is the bit that sticks with you.

Then we got into the ManvsMachine work for OpenAI. What made this interesting wasn’t just the AI angle. It was who made it. ManvsMachine is usually known for super-polished, high-concept CG and film work, so seeing them openly embrace AI image generation felt like a pretty bold move.

“For them to actually do that when so many artists are pushing back… It’s a really interesting stance to pick.”

But the piece itself was clever. Rather than trying to hide the AI-ness of it all, it leaned directly into the difficulties of AI image generation: consistency, iteration and text. The whole point was to show that you can now generate multiple versions of the same scene while maintaining visual consistency.

“That’s the reason why there are seven or eight different renders of the same situation.”

AI typography used to be complete gibberish, but now it’s finally getting coherent enough that entire narratives can sit inside generated imagery.

Visually, everyone liked the way the piece handled movement, too. The image-burst moments, the aspect-ratio changes and the left-to-right motion. Loads of stuff that felt reusable beyond the AI conversation itself.

That became the bigger discussion, really. As these tools become more accessible, what will actually differentiate creative studios?

“Ultimately, it’s the creativity of the minds behind the story.”

The tools are becoming available to everyone. Creative ideas matter more than ever.

Sadie brought in a Buff Motion experiment that made rocks fun.

The concept itself was simple: build a brand world around something boring like a rock.

And the execution was ridiculously satisfying.

The thing everyone loved was how it blended 2D and 3D motion together without feeling overly polished or sterile. There’s loads of softness to it. Stretch, bounce, weird texture changes, exaggerated physics.

“The rocks change whenever it lands on it… They’ve really pushed traditional animation principles.”

And weirdly, that’s what gave it character. The motion itself becomes branding. Freddy summed it up perfectly when talking about how movement communicates personality:

“Are you soft and gooey, or are you more jagged and sharp?”

Motion design isn’t just decoration anymore. It tells you how a brand feels.

Even tiny details like the light diffraction, soft edging, and sound design completely elevated it. It’s one of those pieces where the technical ability is obviously incredibly strong, but it still feels playful. That balance is probably harder to pull off than making something look technically perfect.

Somehow, we ended up talking about Tesco’s fruit giant advert. The ad throws together horror, comedy, action, wholesome family energy and somehow still lands the message.

“It’s wholesome and at the heart of it a really good message.”

What impressed everyone most was the execution of the VFX. Instead of making life easy for themselves with static shots, they kept the camera moving through loads of really complicated setups.

“They don’t make it easy for themselves.”

That movement is what makes the giant fruit actually feel grounded in the world. The setting helped too. Not overly cinematic, just this really believable “everywhere suburb” that makes the whole thing feel relatable.

Lastly, we got onto Spike Lee x Arsenal, and this was probably the most divisive topic discussed throughout the session.

The main issue everyone had was that it leaned way too heavily on pub shorthand to communicate “real British culture.”

“It’s like shorthand for social realism.”

That feeling came up a few times. It’s like the ad was relying on familiar aesthetics rather than actually saying anything interesting. The Cockney rhyming slang angle didn’t really help either. A few people admitted they genuinely had no clue what was being advertised by the end.

“I’ve not got a clue what they’re talking about.”

Which became quite a funny contrast after talking about all the other work that felt so deliberate and intentional.

Craft is still winning. Whether that’s choreography, in-camera work, motion physics, VFX, or AI workflows. The stuff that sticks is the stuff where the thinking is intentional.

AI tools are obviously getting better at a ridiculous pace, but if anything, that’s making taste and creative direction even more important.

We also kept coming back to the idea that context matters. The way work gets clipped and reposted completely changes how people engage with it, and sometimes the actual meaning gets lost in the process. Maybe that’s why the work that stood out most this month was the stuff that felt genuinely considered.

That’s this month’s creative session done. Thanks for reading, and catch you next month.

In the meantime, check out our other creative blogs.