{"id":105602,"date":"2019-11-12T18:32:11","date_gmt":"2019-11-12T17:32:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=105602"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:24:34","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:24:34","slug":"you-decide-robins-fate-in-this-philosophical-animation-film","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2019\/11\/12\/you-decide-robins-fate-in-this-philosophical-animation-film\/","title":{"rendered":"You decide Robin’s fate in this philosophical animation film"},"content":{"rendered":"

Robin is a toddler and the parents have captured its first steps on video. What should they do next: post it on Facebook, or stick to sharing it with the grandparents via WhatsApp? With this dilemma, the new interactive film ROBIN, in which EUR philosopher Tim de Mey was involved, starts. This film was released by the national science platform Dutch Research Agenda and can now be viewed online.<\/p>\n

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The still from ROBIN<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Dutch Research Agenda<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

In the film, which reminds you of the interactive Netflix film Bandersnatch<\/em><\/a>, the viewers are confronted with all kinds of dilemmas in the life of protagonist Robin. In most cases, these decisions relate to ethical dilemmas created by new technological developments. \u201cTechnologies that are already available, or which are just around the corner. We\u2019re not talking science fiction here,\u201d emphasises De Mey. Last month, ROBIN simultaneously premiered at four different locations during the Night of Science. The entire cinema was allowed to decide on Robin\u2019s fate.<\/p>\n

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The still from ROBIN<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Dutch Research Agenda<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Robin (who can be either male or female \u2013 depending on your choices in the film) has to decide whether he\/she wants a human judge or a computer to rule on a particular case. When Robin decides to become a scientist, he\/she can decide to publish \u2013 or shelve \u2013 a paper about a super-fertiliser that can also be used as a poison gas. Each choice has consequences for the course of Robin\u2019s life or for his\/her surroundings.<\/p>\n

ROBIN\u2019s producer Stefan Heijdendael involved De Mey in the film from a very early stage. \u201cMy daughter wanted to organise a mini-festival about philosophy at her school,\u201d explains Heijdendael. \u201cAnd she\u2019s a fan of Tim de Mey\u2019s work. She really enjoyed his book Het voordeel van de twijfel<\/em> (\u2018Benefit of the Doubt\u2019). So I said, \u2018why don\u2019t you invite him?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The power of dilemma's<\/h2>

So she did. De Mey presented the motley collection of parents and pupils with a variety of ethical dilemmas. \u201cAll of a sudden, all these people who never give a second thought to philosophy where engrossed in a discussion of, for example, the trolley problem<\/a>. This made me aware of the power of dilemmas,\u201d says a smiling Heijdendael. This idea would become the germ of a new, interactive film.<\/p>\n

It only took six months \u2013 and tons of work \u2013 to develop the idea from initial concept to premiere. Going through each of ROBIN\u2019s scenarios yields a total of 90 minutes of animated film \u2013 about the same time length as an average Disney film. \u201cAnd we wanted to avoid viewers ending up in loops, so you keep watching the same fragments of film \u2013 the way you get in the interactive Netflix film Bandersnatch. Each of your choices yields its own, unique storyline. It was a massive undertaking,\u201d says Heijdendael. To get the job done in six months, the animators at Public Cinema decided to use a \u2018concept art\u2019 style. De Mey: \u201cThis style, which omits many details, actually suits the content quite well. We want to get the viewer thinking, and it works the same as in literature: if something isn\u2019t spelled in detail, your start picturing it in your mind instead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fifty-fifty<\/h2>
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The still from ROBIN<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Dutch Research Agenda<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

They gave careful thought to the dilemmas. \u201cTo start, we didn\u2019t want to tell people a load of nonsense, so it had to be correct in scientific terms. But we were also aiming for dilemmas in which responses would split more or less evenly down the middle,\u201d says De Mey. They couldn\u2019t even out the odds altogether though: in most cases, audiences voted 60%-40% in favour of a specific option. \u201cIt was a bit of a shock when it turned out during the premiere that all four cities had made the same choices,\u201d admits Heijdendael. \u201cBut on closer inspection, we did see that the ratio differences were quite small.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tim de Mey played an important role in fine-tuning these choices: \u201cI was asked to hone and simplify them without sacrificing their layered quality.\u201d And he did a good job, according to Heijdendael. \u201cThe scientists I\u2019ve spoken with were pleasantly surprised by the dilemmas we included.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hopeful<\/h2>

The decisions the viewers are faced with can be quite challenging. \u201cIn a number of dilemmas, both choices actually turn out wrong,\u201d reveals Heijendael. De Mey: \u201cNevertheless, we hope that by the end of the film, people still feel optimistic about the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\t

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You can watch the film yourself (and make your own life-changing decisions for Robin) at robindefilm.nl<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t

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Read more about Tim de Mey<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t