2024 saw cinematic controversies as multiple films were revealed to have used AI in various stages of their productions.
2023 saw Hollywood writers go on strike to fight for fair pay and job protection against the growing use of AI. Settlements with the Writers Guild of America (WGA) saw new contracts featuring guards on how the technology can be used in production processes.
Despite this, multiple films released in 2024 have been revealed to have experimented with AI at various stages of their production processes.
Late Night with the Devil
Early on in 2024, independent horror film Late Night with the Devil was released to critical and commercial success. During its release it was struck with controversy when it was revealed that images punctuating the 1970s late night TV setting of the film were generated using AI software.
Public response had this use of AI met with concern. Many highlighted the slippery slope of using AI in replacement of graphic designers. The directors of the film, brothers Colin and Cameron Cairnes, responded that AI was used “in conjunction” with graphic and production designers.
Late Night with the Devil was made in 2022, before the WGA strike and when AI image generation was first entering the public sphere. Despite the controversy, the film still became a critical and independent box office hit, but was one of the first notable AI related controversies of this year.
Respeecher makes sound waves
Respeecher is a Ukrainian-based AI voice modulation tool. The software has been used in the dialogue editing process of multiple, high-profile films across the industry in 2024.
Robbie William’s biopic Better Man used Respeecher for the dialogue and singing throughout the film. Respeecher has also made its way to the Oscars. Two of the big players in this years Oscar race, the staggering The Brutalist, and the continually controversial Emilia Perez, both used AI and the Respeecher software in their dialogue editing.
Emilia Perez has been hit with controversy over its subject matter and an onslaught of resurfaced racist tweets from its lead, Karla Sofía Gascón have completely blinded any controversy surrounding the use of Respeecher.
The Brutalist
The Brutalist has arguably faced more controversy over its use of the tool than Emilia Perez. Hungarian dialogue performed by Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones were modulated to sound like perfect Hungarian vowel sounds. Rumours also hit The Brutalist over AI image generation being used for architectural drawings, but director Brady Corbet has denied these claims.
Regarding The Brutalist, many film fans hitting back at the use of AI have misunderstood the use of the software in the post-production editing process.
Outrage over lead actor Adrien Brody’s accent being doctored and completely AI have been circling social media. Only one scene of Hungarian dialogue was fine-tuned and edited. Many films in post-production edit their dialogue mostly with additional dialogue recording.
AI or editing software?
The use of AI here could be taken two ways. On the one hand you could just see this as just an extension of editing software, the same sound engineers are performing their job in just a fraction of the time.
On the other hand, having AI be so present in changing vocals could lead to completely generated performances. Respeecher has already been used to create Darth Vader performances using the voice of James Earl Jones in recent Star Wars projects like the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. Editing Hungarian vowels is one step, creating a full performance is another.
The anti AI Hollywood
Whilst some in the industry are ready to adopt AI into their filmmaking, others are taking a stand and vocalising their distaste towards the tool.
The directors behind horror hit The Heretic put a disclaimer in the credits of their film stating no generative AI was used in the production.
Recently, Nicolas Cage has spoken out against AI in an acceptance speech stating the tool will never replicate human emotion and dream like sensibility and that “AI is interfering with your authentic and honest expression”.
