In an age where technology increasingly intersects with art, Brady Corbet’s film The Brutalist exemplifies how artificial intelligence (A.I.) can complement traditional filmmaking and steal jobs from creatives.
Despite being a throwback to old-school cinema—shot in VistaVision for epic visuals—this awards contender relied on cutting-edge A.I. tools to overcome budgetary and technical challenges. Hungarian editor Dávid Jancsó’s recent revelations shed light on how A.I. shaped key aspects of the film, from dialogue to design.
Enhancing Hungarian Dialogue with A.I.
The film’s Hungarian dialogue posed a significant challenge. The team worked tirelessly to ensure the actors, Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones, could deliver lines in Hungarian—a notoriously difficult language to pronounce. Despite rigorous coaching and attempts at ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement), the results weren’t up to the filmmakers’ exacting standards. That’s where A.I. software, Respeecher, came into play.
Jancsó fed his own voice into the program, using it to subtly tweak the actors’ pronunciation. The process replaced only specific letters or phrases while preserving the integrity of the actors’ performances. As Jancsó explained:
“Most of their Hungarian dialogue has a part of me talking in there. We were very careful about keeping their performances. It’s mainly just replacing letters here and there.”
This innovative use of A.I. allowed the team to maintain authenticity without prolonged post-production delays, proving invaluable for a film with such extensive dialogue.
A.I. in Architectural Design
A.I. also played a role in crafting the film’s visuals. The epilogue at the Venice Biennale features architectural designs tied to Adrien Brody’s character, László Tóth. A.I. was used to generate detailed drawings and finished structures, an efficient solution given the limited budget and time constraints.
Jancsó acknowledged the industry’s hesitance about A.I., saying:
“We should be having a very open discussion about what tools AI can provide us with. There’s nothing in the film using AI that hasn’t been done before. It just makes the process a lot faster.”
Brady Corbet Responds To Hollywood Reporter
“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. 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.”
The Industry Debate
The film’s use of A.I. has reignited debates in Hollywood, particularly regarding its impact on awards eligibility and the future of filmmaking. While some argue that A.I. undermines traditional craftsmanship, others see it as a powerful tool for enhancing creativity and efficiency but at what cost to the industry?
Conclusion
The Brutalist offers a glimpse into a future where A.I. complements—not replaces—human artistry. By leveraging A.I. to solve unique challenges, the film underscores how technology can push creative boundaries.
As debates about A.I. continue in the film industry, The Brutalist may serve as an example of how innovation and tradition can coexist except it has to be done in a way that leads to more jobs and not less.
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Source: Dark Horizons
Photo Credit: A24
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