Documentaries limited by the lack of available video may have another option. Filmmaker and creative agency veteran Daniel Clarke has launched Unfeatured Films. It uses “cost-effective, AI-driven innovations” to take archival photos and footage and turn them into usable video clips, he boasts.
The company said it plans to “restore and revive archival footage like never before.”
“We are building a studio that uses AI as a breakthrough, not a shortcut, to create human-centered, cinematic documents,” Clark said in a statement. “This allows us to tell the past with the vividness of the present, and to do it at a scale and cost that opens new doors for filmmakers and buyers alike. New technologies are making the impossible possible, allowing us to capture the past. I am committed to using these new tools while preserving the human craft that is essential to powerful storytelling.”
Clark said the documentary will continue to rely on a “human-driven production process” but will incorporate AI technology into the footage.
First, Unfeatured Films announced its first documentary project, No Hands: The Wild Ride of the Schwinn Bicycle Company, which it plans to have ready in time for the festival in early 2026. According to Unfeatured, the unnamed filmmakers working on the project boast credits including the 2019 film “Loopers: A Long Walk with a Caddy,” narrated by Bill Murray, and “Loopers: A Long Walk with a Caddy,” narrated by Jason Bateman. 2014 Document “Lego Brickumentary”.
UnFeatured said it is negotiating with real estate and archive owners for footage, as well as partnering with networks and streaming platforms.
Here are Unfeatured’s March sizzle reels:
