Emmy-Winning Producer on ‘Brutalist’ AI Controversy: “Don’t Let This Noise Diminish a Truly Terrific Film” (Guest Column)

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For quite some time now, I’ve been involved in creating movies and series. Back then, when cable television first emerged, it was predicted that it would mark the end of network television. However, surprise! Broadcast TV is still thriving. Similarly, when home video came onto the scene, it was believed that it would put an end to the theatrical feature film business. Yet, here we are, and there’s still a bustling theatrical feature film industry.

The “Aliens in Grover’s Mill” moment of today is the controversy surrounding the filmmakers of “The Brutalist” employing A.I. to improve Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones’ Hungarian performances. It seems we’re once more directing our attention towards the wrong issue.

The controversy revolves around the editor of The Brutalist magazine allegedly employing Respeecher software to artificially modify certain vowel sounds when Brody and Jones, their characters portrayed as native Hungarian speakers, speak. An article about this uproar has surfaced in Vanity Fair, referencing a viral social media post that laments the situation: “The use of AI in The Brutalist film makes me feel incredibly sad because how many times will I find myself appreciating a well-made movie only to later discover it contains hidden AI elements…

It’s puzzling that this topic is generating discussion, let alone a debate. I’ve noticed that similar practices have been routine in editing studios, sound booths, and mixing stations for as far back as my memory serves me.

My filmmaking journey started in the late ’80s, and since then, I’ve produced and directed more than 80 movies and TV episodes. Over the years, we’ve made minor adjustments to improve voice performances. For instance, suppose an actor delivers a flawless line in take three of a scene, but there’s a mic bump, car horn, or loud noise covering a word. In that case, would we opt for the second-best take? Not necessarily, if we can help it. Using Pro Tools software, which has replaced time spent in a sound editing suite, we attempt to extract only that crucial word from another take and insert it into take three. This way, we preserve the best performance.

When actors are positioned at the side of a highway and we can’t make out any dialogue, we use ADR (Additional Dialogue Replacement) to digitally insert new lines of speech in place of the original ones. This method replaced the older technique called “looping.” Some actors may request to return and record ADR for particular scenes where the sound quality is excellent, allowing them to fine-tune their performances. Donald Sutherland was an advocate of “looping,” sharing that he picked up techniques to improve his acting from none other than Federico Fellini during the filming of ‘Casanova.’

As a gamer, I often discover innovative methods to fine-tune dialogues in games. Take, for instance, a situation where an actor’s speech had a hissing sound, or sibilance. To tackle this issue on one particular project, we employed a unique tool called a “de-Esser.” This de-Esser is like a digital filter that magically alters only the syllables causing the distraction, without human intervention. Although it’s not an A.I., per se, it’s still a clever digital solution to refine the vocal performance.

We do these minuscule adjustments on every movie, and nobody says a peep.

In my main field, I focus on creating television movies. Just like with the film “The Brutalist,” we put in immense effort to ensure our productions have top-notch visuals and audio quality despite dealing with minuscule budgets and tight production timelines. Notably, “The Brutalist” had a budget of merely $10 million, yet it’s up for the Best Picture Oscar against films that were made for ten to fifteen times that amount in certain instances.

As a filmmaker, you use the tools available and hope to diminish compromises.

The movie I recently directed was set in Texas, but we filmed it in Vancouver instead. Despite the change of location, we managed to pull it off effectively. I felt confident directing efficiently because I knew that with a 4K image, I could easily capture close-ups if necessary and later enlarge two shots to find the desired close-up. If, during editing, we discover a Canadian flag in our shot, I am certain that affordable CGI can quickly remove it without compromising the film’s authenticity or lowering its quality. In fact, I believe these digital tools are not diminishing the film’s integrity but rather enhancing it by providing flexibility and creative possibilities.

It’s important to clarify that my stance against the misuse of AI isn’t rooted in indifference towards its potential hazards. In fact, I have a collection of 45 films which, ideally, will support my retirement someday. Now, imagine if AI were to use plots, dialogues, or visuals from these very films to create something new for someone else without giving me due credit or compensation. That’s certainly not something I would approve of.

Similarly, the thought of AI generating original movies, series, or content without acknowledging and compensating the numerous sources it references is a definite no-no for me. It raises questions about intellectual property rights and fairness in the creative industry.

In another movie I recently directed, while working on the sound mixing, we realized that a crucial two-word acknowledgment between characters in a hallway had been overlooked during recording by our loop group. It wasn’t a major issue, but it created an unwanted gap in the dialogue. Typically, in such cases, we would summon a loop group actor to come and fill it in. However, just as I was preparing to do so, the lead mixer said, “Hold on, I’ve got this.” Moments later, he replayed the scene, and there was the dialogue, as if a skilled loop group actor had added it. I was astounded and asked, “Where did you get that from?!” He replied, “I didn’t. It’s an AI software. I can manipulate the voice to sound lower, higher, more or less ethnic — whatever you desire.

At 11 o’clock at night, on a dimly lit recording studio, I witnessed the manifestation of everyone’s apprehensions. This advanced AI has the potential to overtake loop groups, taking away jobs from real performers during hard times. Many of my actor friends rely on background loop group work for income. We should all express concern and work towards supporting loop groups to persist.

As an enthusiast, I’d like to emphasize that we should focus on the real issues where AI poses a potential risk to people’s jobs and income, rather than being swayed by those who criticize without fully grasping our methods. Automating tasks that we’ve been doing for years using AI is not the danger here. Let’s not let the commotion surrounding The Brutalist overshadow a fantastic film from an exceptional director.

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2025-01-29 04:25