AI brings 100-year-old photos to life in new film

AI IS helping bring local history to life in a new film created from nearly 200 old photographs screening at the Bangalow Heritage House & Museum this weekend.

Life in a Northern Town takes audiences on a 33-minute journey through Bangalow from around 1895 to the early 1980s, with most scenes drawn from the early 1900s to the 1950s.

Bangalow Historical Society member Terry Bleakley said he realised the potential to add a new dimension to the organisation’s image collection after seeing examples of animated historical photos on AI software company websites.

“I thought that this would make the photos more emotive and give a greater sense of being immersed in that time and place,” he said.

“From there it was a matter of constructing a narrative that held it all together. No great genius on my part because apart from a few simple parameters, the AI software does whatever it feels like. The trick is knowing which photos lend themselves to reincarnation. AI can have to guess sometimes when confronted with a degraded image from yesteryear. For example, it couldn’t make out the flag on the original bowling club, so it made it the Japanese flag.”

Bleakley said he was blown away by the technology.

“It is quite remarkable how AI can do this,” he said. “Somehow it analyses the original photo, maintains some of the background as it was but animates any person, animal, water or vehicle etc.

“An example is a Bangalow main street scene from [the] early 20th century where horses, buggies and people move about interacting with each other as they go.”

The film is divided into chapters covering early development, streetscapes, buildings, businesses, people, the old pool, floods, fires and the Bangalow Show.

“Undoubtedly many of the original or older residents will be nostalgic for seeing their town come alive again and some of them may well be featured in a shot or two,” Bleakley said. “It would be a great introduction to newer residents who would like to get a sense of the town’s beginnings and development, and may also attract a few IT nerds.”

The fundraising event begins with a BYO picnic at the Bangalow Heritage House & Museum from 6pm on Saturday 29 November. Tickets are $25 per person, including popcorn, Jaffas and ice-cream, with concessions available for families.

For bookings, phone 0429 882 525.