We made some "One Minute Movie" robot reality TV spots at the Stupid Fun Club, about Empathy [1] and Servitude [2], written by Will Wright, who also participated in Battlebots with his daughter Cassidy and their vegetative robot Super Chiabot [3] [4].

Empathy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXrbqXPnHvE

Servitude:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXsUetUzXlg

BattleBots Missing Link vs. ChiaBot:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rx3VKd8yDqI

BattleBots Complete Control VS Super Chiabot:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELZI2Cx6kWA

The one minute movies never ran due to contractual problems between NBC and SAG. We used hidden cameras, and the humans were real unsuspecting people, but I'll admit it's true they didn't accurately portray the everyday lives of actual robots in the real world: the robot's injuries and Professor Johnson's phone number were fake, and the robot waiter was fired.

The point of NBC's one-minute reality shows was to tell short entertaining two-part cliffhanger stories, which NBC would broadcast as interstitial programming at the beginning and end of commercial breaks, to compel people to keep watching TV and submit to more advertisements.

But the point of Will's stories and performance was to explore how people interact and empathize with robots, discover what their beliefs and expectations are, and probe to test how easy humans are to fool or convince to play along with real-time tele-robotic wizard-of-oz man-behind-the-curtain mumbo-jumbo.

https://web.archive.org/web/20141028194536/http://www.allent...

>In 2003, NBC attempted to add a new feature to prime-time television with "One-Minute Movies." Each original movie unfolded in its first 30 seconds and ended with a cliffhanger, and then a conclusion in the last 30 seconds. The One-Minute Movies were to be used as interstitial programming between commercials and possibly where a show ends a minute earlier than its scheduled running time.

>The idea for the series was brought to NBC by John Wells (“E.R.”) and director Paris Barclay. The ten unique films were written, produced, cast, directed and filmed by assorted talent. Among the talent appearing in or lending their voices (one was animated) to the projects were Michael Richards, Tom Arnold, Carmen Electra, Bill Bellamy, Eddie Cibrian, Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon, Paula Marshall, Jackee Harry, Danny Masterson and Amber Valletta.

>With mechanical robots designed and built by Will Wright (creator of “The Sims”), the two segments directed by James Moll are comedic short films featuring fully functional robots in hidden-camera situations.

>The first, “Restaurant” features a robotic waiter. Coffee shop diners were asked if they would be willing to be seated at a table that will be served by a mechanical server. Then, surrounded by tables filled with hired “extras,” the unknowing customer is approached by a 6-ft tall, fully functional, computerized, talking robot.

>The second film, “Empathy,” also features hidden-cameras. In this case, a broken down, severely damages robot was planted next to a dumpster on a side street in Berkeley, California. As people would pass the robot, it would suddenly move and talk to the passersby. “Help me,” the poor helpless robot would say. Hidden cameras captured various reactions, everything from apathy to empathy.

>After airing only one of the films – featuring “The Pussycat Dolls” -- NBC decided not to continue airing the remaining twelve films.

After a short and unsuccessful career as a waiter, Slats eventually decided that his one true goal in life was to reproduce himself.

So we took him out in public around Berkeley, and shot some video of Slats attempting to seduce men and women off the street.

It was kind of like Speed Dating meets Demon Seed: he tried to talk people into giving him their eggs and sperm, because he needed their genetic material to reproduce himself.

Demon Seed Trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNUEp5A9eKU

Demon Seed: The Birth:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyjrQfNtK0I

Speed Dating with Cupid:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVUP9OXmHTM

>Cupid $959 Are you tired of dating weasels, hedgers, pussyfooters and wafflers? Are you ready to dispense with all the beating around the bush you're forced to put up with just to find a yes at the end of a marriage proposal? Let Cupid, the Equivercator help you cut to the heart of things and land yourself the mate of your dreams. No need to wear yourself ragged trying to win the affections of the one you desire. Let Cupid help you secure the proposal, and then you can spend your time on more important matters: You've got a wedding to plan!

The results of our research: It turns out to be a lot easier for a robot to talk a man out of his sperm, than to talk a woman out of her eggs.

This is Slats, the unemployed robot waiter, roaming the streets of Berkeley:

http://www.donhopkins.com/home/RobotMovies/Slats1.jpg

http://www.donhopkins.com/home/RobotMovies/Slats2.jpg

http://www.donhopkins.com/home/RobotMovies/Slats3.jpg

Nancy the Van Seat - Stupid Fun Club:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvXG4gQ2FWI

Creativity by Will, Slats & the Stupid Fun Club folks:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZljgktEr5E