Is Hollywood Ready to Welcome AI as a Creative Partner?

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Has Hollywood perhaps surpassed its AI apprehension? During the recent awards season, before Karla Sofía Gascón’s tweets about George Floyd and Islam caused controversy, the focus of the Oscar uproar was on the employment of artificial intelligence. This was used to refine voice performances in ‘Emilia Pérez’, for Gascón’s singing, and in ‘The Brutalist’, to enhance the pronunciation of Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones’ Hungarian dialogue.

As a passionate gamer and film enthusiast, I’ve noticed a significant uproar against the subtle implementation of AI in the creative process of movies, even when the artists willingly collaborated with it. This widespread apprehension within the industry and among viewers portrays AI as a potential job thief and artistic integrity violator. It seems that celebrities like Robert Downey Jr., Glenn Close, and Hank Azaria are leading the charge against AI, sounding the alarm about its implications. Film distributors have started to label their productions “no AI,” similar to a promise that “no animals were harmed” during filming, signifying ethical behavior. The heartwarming credit at the end of Adam Elliot’s claymation masterpiece “Memoir of a Snail” (an animated Oscar nominee this year), stating “made by humans,” always garners applause.

As a gamer, I’ve noticed some shifts happening under the surface, and it seems like the gaming industry’s apprehension and animosity towards AI is slowly transforming into something more hopeful and upbeat.

Scott Mann, co-founder and co-CEO of Flawless, an AI company based in L.A. that focuses on foreign-language dubbing, expresses a surge of anticipation among filmmakers and artists about the potential of these novel tools. However, he notes that there’s trepidation in discussing it due to the events surrounding The Brutalist.

In collaboration with German director Tom Tykwer, Flawless utilized advanced AI technology for immersive dubbing in the production of “The Light”, which served as the opening film at the 75th Berlinale. While Berlinale attendees will experience the original, German version, North American buyers at the European Film Market will be provided with an AI-dubbed English version. Flawless and XYZ Films have obtained the rights to distribute this English-dubbed version, which they plan to offer to potential buyers during Berlin’s European Film Market. (Beta Cinema is handling international sales for “The Light”.)

In traditional dubbing, dialogue in a translated script is altered to coincide with the original actors’ mouth movements. However, Flawless’ AI technology alters the lip movements of the original performances to match dialog recorded in another language, whether it’s the original actor or a native speaker doing the dubbing. This method contrasts with “voice cloning” techniques employed in The Brutalist and Emilia Pérez by Ukrainian AI group Respeecher, where an actor’s performance is digitally manipulated to enable Gascón to reach higher notes, for instance, or Brody to manage Hungarian pronunciation more easily.

Flawless is promoting its technology as a means to expand the global viewership for international films, particularly those with more mainstream appeal that are less focused on the hardcore art-house genre. The independent producer/distributor XYZ Films (known for productions like “The Raid” and “BlackBerry”) is set to release a series of domestic showings of foreign genre movies that have been dubbed by Flawless, beginning with the Swedish sci-fi thriller “Watch the Skies,” also known as “UFO Sweden,” and continuing with titles such as the French comedy thriller “Vincent Must Die” and the Korean action hit “Smugglers.

According to Mann, the filmmakers are delighted since it signifies that their films, previously unavailable for U.S. theaters, will now reach a broader audience.

Mann emphasizes that Flawless has established agreements with SAG-AFTRA to ensure their technology aligns with the guild’s standards. During his speech at Davos on January 21st, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s chief negotiator, specifically mentioned Flawless as a company that develops AI not for replacing human creativity but rather to enhance it.

Mann highlights the fact that Flawless has agreements with SAG-AFTRA to make sure their technology complies with guild regulations. At his Davos speech on January 21st, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s chief negotiator, called out Flawless as an example of AI designed not to replace human creativity but rather to augment it.)

David McClafferty, a former Netflix dubbing producer, advocates for studios to work together with talent unions on the advancement of this technology within the industry. He emphasizes the importance of studio transparency not just towards talent, but also toward the audience. McClafferty believes that audiences are intelligent and perceptive, so it’s better for studios to choose openness over secret experimentation in the short-term, which could lead to future limitations and regulations. Instead, he suggests they aim for transparency, trust, and long-term success with talent, partners, and audiences.

Across countries outside the United States, particularly in the less expensive independent film industry, Artificial Intelligence technology is being widely adopted as a cost-effective and convenient method for adapting movies for global markets.

Fabián Forte’s Argentine horror-fantasy movie, titled “The Witch Game,” employed AI technology to translate the original Spanish performances of its actors into English for distribution in the U.S. and U.K. Conversely, a political biopic called “Putin” by Polish director Besaleel utilized AI tech to create an image of Vladimir Putin on an actor with a similar physique to the Russian leader. This film has been a successful sale for German company Kinostar, securing deals in over 60 countries worldwide.

In summary, Michael Roesch, the director of Kinostar, shared with THR that buyers generally reacted favorably to the AI element representing Putin in the movie. He mentioned that when they initially unveiled the trailers, there were many who were surprised by how much the on-screen Putin resembled the real-life counterpart. This likeness, he noted, was a significant factor in attracting buyers.

AI technologies are now commonly used to assist in the dubbing and subtitling process for movies and series, particularly in busy independent and genre markets. This surge in demand has given rise to a thriving niche market of synchronization (synch) companies like DeepDub, DubFormer, ElevenLabs, and Papercup. Each company utilizes its own unique variation of translation and dubbing tools, which share similar core functionalities.

Concerns about the widespread use of AI persist, as there’s a fear it may lead to job displacement and an increase in generic content production.

Given the opportunity, top executives might opt for AI-driven dubbing throughout and face potential resistance, as their primary concern is satisfying shareholders rather than artistic integrity,” Debra Chin, a consultant specializing in dubbing and localization who served as Netflix’s international dubbing director from 2017 to 2020, notes.

According to McClafferty, they advocate for ethical AI in the industry, coupled with skilled professionals. They consider localization to be insignificant compared to the broader field, but they see localization as a leading edge of this technology. Unions might use localization as an indicator or preview of how studios will approach integrating AI technology across the board.

one that envisions AI not as a menace, but as a potential spark for innovation. If carefully employed, AI could transform from a perceived adversary into a catalyst, fueling creativity rather than stifling it.

According to Mann, the genuine challenge lies in addressing concerns about AI while dealing with the current difficulties within the industry. He argues that our sector thrives best when it uses technology thoughtfully. For AI to be truly beneficial, it should prioritize user consent, respect copyright laws, and support artists to foster innovation and creativity. It’s high time we have a more complex discussion about AI, moving beyond portraying it as the antagonist.

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2025-02-13 09:55