Oscars 2025: Why Has Adrien Brody’s The Brutalist Found Itself in Hot Waters? Controversy EXPLAINED

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During this year’s award season, Brady Corbet’s film The Brutalist has garnered significant attention, but it’s also stirred a debate about the use of artificial intelligence technology during its post-production phase.

In a surprising turn of events, “The Brutalist” has garnered ten Academy Award nominations, among them Best Picture, Best Director, as well as acting nods for Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones. However, a controversy erupted when it was disclosed that the movie’s editor, Dávid Jancsó, used Respeecher’s AI voice technology to refine the Hungarian dialogues spoken by Felicity Jones and Adrien Brody.

During an interview with RedShark News, Jancsó explained, “Some sounds may be challenging when coming from the Anglo-Saxon world. Initially, we attempted to re-record these difficult elements using the actors themselves. Then we tried replacing them entirely with other actors, but that didn’t pan out. In the end, we explored alternative ways to improve it.

To ensure accurate pronunciation as the actors were non-native Hungarian speakers, the process was aided by AI and blended Jancsó’s voice with theirs. This was done to maintain the originality and authenticity in the use of the Hungarian language.

As an ardent advocate for technological advancements, I firmly believe that discussions surrounding Artificial Intelligence (AI) should be both widespread and uninhibited. The industry’s reservations notwithstanding, it is crucial that we explore the potential tools AI offers us. In the cinematic realm, there’s nothing novel about AI that hasn’t already been employed. Instead, it serves to expedite the creative process significantly.

Due to financial constraints, this technological approach was necessary for The Brutalist, as its budget was only under $10 million. This meant postproduction had to be streamlined. Jancsó explained that manual dialogue correction would have required significant time, so an AI solution emerged as a practical way to expedite the process.

In his words, “We utilize artificial intelligence to add intricate details that we couldn’t afford or find time to film ourselves.

Another claim made was that artificial intelligence was utilized for creating architectural sketches in the final sequences of the movie, a claim which Corbet refuted.

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An additional accusation pointed to the incorporation of AI in producing architectural designs for the concluding scenes of the film, but this was something Corbet disputed.

The debate over the use of AI in filmmaking has sparked a larger discussion about the moral implications of AI within the industry. While AI-enhanced audio post-processing is not entirely new, as it’s been used to blend voices during concerts, its application to manipulate spoken words raises ethical concerns regarding morality.

Amidst the cinematic world’s ongoing efforts to address related issues, The Brutalist stands as a central point of debate regarding AI utilization in filmmaking.

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2025-02-28 23:38