Artificial intelligence is fast becoming the hot technology in film and television industry. Tech shows and university campuses are awash with case studies and demos of the power of AI to transform the way we produce visual media. However, the storm of controversy that engulfed Brady Corbet’s latest film, The Brutalist, suggests that not everyone is ready for mainstreaming AI production.
At the heart of the concerns – and the wider debate on AI – lies the revelation that AI played a significant role in the movie’s post-production process, specifically in enhancing the Hungarian dialogue and creating architectural drawings. This use of AI has ignited passionate discussions and raised questions about the boundaries of artistic creation and technological intervention.
AI applications in The Brutalist
The film, starring Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones, has garnered critical acclaim for its powerful performances and striking aesthetic. However, the disclosure of AI involvement has cast a shadow over its achievements, raising questions about the authenticity of the actors’ performances and the integrity of the film’s artistic vision. Traditionally, perfecting an accent for a role involves months of intensive dialect coaching and multiple rounds of Automated Dialogue Replacement (ADR). However, The Brutalist took a different approach, employing Respeecher, a voice conversion technology, to make targeted adjustments to the actors’ pronunciations. Rather than re-recording entire performances, the AI system allowed for precise, letter-by-letter modifications to vowel sounds, blending the actors’ performances with authentic Hungarian speech patterns. This method represents a significant departure from conventional post-production techniques. It allowed for rapid, cost-effective adjustments that would have been too expensive or time-consuming using traditional methods, especially given the film’s modest $10 million budget.
Furthermore, when developing the film’s Brutalist architectural designs, the production team turned to Midjourney, an AI image generation tool, to create concept art. Few AI-generated visuals made it into the film; instead, the images served as a reference for human artists, who refined and expanded these concepts to create the final designs. However, some critics still oppose the use of AI as a creative starting point.
The real controversy surrounding The Brutalist is less about AI itself and more about the timing of its disclosure. Unlike other high-profile projects, such as The Mandaloria,which used Respeecher for Luke Skywalker’s voice, the AI enhancements in The Brutalist were revealed after the film’s release. This lack of transparency has led to the industry and audiences feeling duped rather than excited by what this technology can do. This echoes similar controversies, such as the 2021 Roadrunner documentary scandal, where AI was used to recreate Anthony Bourdain’s voice without explicit disclosure.
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Photo by Steve Pancrate
