Through the lens of generative AI ‘Rufus’ revives the untold story of a 19th-century cooper in Salem weaving a tapestry of personal resilience and historical transformation during America’s pivotal eras of industrial and social change. This short film is about my great, great, great, great grandfather, Rufus. My objective was to show what level of storytelling I think is possible with AI tech today. I also wanted to try to connect personally with some ancestry research my father had done. My dad’s stack of family research included the following information: Rufus Archer lived from 1812-1909 in Salem, MA. He was a Cooper (barrel maker) and volunteer fire fighter. There were two photos of him and one of his gravestone. There was also one of those family org charts.
