AI in Film: The Brutalist Director Defends Adrien and Felicity’s Unique Performances

Recently, a heated discussion ignited on film Twitter surrounding the involvement of an AI studio in the production of the film The Brutalist. This revelation emerged just as Academy voters were preparing their ballots for the upcoming awards. Notably, the same studio contributed to another project, Emilia Pérez.

An obscure outlet reported that AI technology played a role in refining actor Adrien Brody’s accent and creating images for the film’s conclusion. This sparked outrage among many who felt Brody’s accolade was tainted by what they believed to be AI-enhanced performance.

In an exclusive interview with Deadline, director Brady Corbet addressed these claims, explaining that the company Respeecher was utilized solely for the manual enhancement of vowel pronunciations in Hungarian. He emphasized that both Brody’s and Felicity Jones’ performances remained untouched.

“Adrien and Felicity’s performances are completely their own. They worked for months with dialect coach Tanera Marshall to perfect their accents. Innovative Respeecher technology was used in Hungarian language dialogue editing only, specifically to refine certain vowels and letters for accuracy,” Corbet said. “No English language was changed. This was a manual process, done by our sound team and Respeecher in post-production. The aim was to preserve the authenticity of Adrien and Felicity’s performances in another language, not to replace or alter them and done with the utmost respect for the craft.”

Clarifying the Use of AI in Visuals

The speculation extended to the visual elements at the film’s conclusion, with some suggesting that AI was responsible for creating images depicting László Tóth’s (played by Brody) work. Corbet explicitly stated that no AI was involved in rendering the buildings within the film, asserting that all visuals were crafted by skilled artists. He added, “Judy Becker and her team did not use AI to create or render any of the buildings. All images were hand-drawn by artists. To clarify, in the memorial video featured in the background of a shot, our editorial team created pictures intentionally designed to look like poor digital renderings circa 1980.”

Corbet elaborated on the essence of The Brutalist, underscoring the film’s core values. “The Brutalist is a film about human complexity, and every aspect of its creation was driven by human effort, creativity, and collaboration. We are incredibly proud of our team and what they’ve accomplished here.”

Clearing Misconceptions About AI Use

In the wake of the initial reports, numerous individuals took to social media to argue that Brody should forfeit his Oscar nomination due to these AI claims. Some suggested that his entire performance was artificially enhanced, which Corbet has refuted. We must engage in an ethical dialogue regarding AI usage in art and film. However, it is important to note that Respeecher has previously been employed in post-production settings.

Corbet has reiterated that the AI technology was used in a manual capacity for refining language. Thus, it does not undermine the authenticity of Brody’s or Jones’ performances. The backlash that followed the misinformation has been unwarranted. While it’s understandable that initial reports stirred frustration, the clarifications allow for ongoing discussions about Brody’s performance—and they should continue without further controversy.

Although I hold reservations about the role of AI in artistic creation, in this instance, its application appears to have been part of a manual enhancement process which should not detract from Brody’s achievements.

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