The brutalist has caught attention this week for using artificial intelligence (AI) to refine a number of the actors' dialogue.
Emilia Pérez, a musical crime comedy, also used AI to expand lead actress Karla Sofía Gascón's vocal range. Her singing voice was mixed with that of French pop star Camille, who co-wrote the film.
Earlier this month, Adrien Brody won the Golden Globe for best male actor for his portrayal of fictional Hungarian-Jewish Holocaust survivor László Tóth for “The Brutalist.” He's one in every of the favorites to win the award on the Oscars, and Emilia Pérez can be a robust contender this awards season.
But should actors be entitled to awards if AI was used to refine a performance?
Can AI enable “perfection”?
Brutalist editor Dávid Jancsó was the primary to speak concerning the use of AI in film. As a native Hungarian speaker, Jancsó desired to enable dialogue within the Hungarian language sound perfect“in order that even locals don’t notice the difference.”
Director Brady Corbet was quick to make clear exactly how AI was used, emphasizing that Brody and co-star Felicity Jones' performances were their very own.
In a press releaseCorbet explained that an AI tool from Ukrainian software company Respeecher was used only to edit Hungarian voice dialogue, “specifically to refine certain vowels and letters for accuracy.”
Corbet insists Brody and Jones' performances in The Brutalist haven’t been replaced. Instead, they agreed to a process during which their voices were merged with dialogues recorded by Jancsó to make sure correct Hungarian pronunciation. Your English dialogue will remain untouched.
For Emilia Pérez, the film's re-recording mixer, Cyril Holtz, said that the method was vital to expand the Gascón range Collaboration of several artists.
AI within the film and tv industry was a key concern of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike – and so is the fight for protections within the industry still removed from over.
While using AI here could also be limited to refining speech delivery or expanding a singer's vocal range, it raises broader questions: What level of authenticity and accuracy are we comfortable with? If AI makes “perfect” possible, are we setting “perfect” as the brand new standard?
The role of the accent trainer
Brody and Jones worked with accent trainer Tanera Marshall to refine their Hungarian accents for The Brutalist. This accent is utilized in her English dialogue, which makes up nearly all of the film.
As a voice and accent coach, my work is to coach and support an actor's voice to satisfy the necessities of performance space, character and script. This includes constructing stamina for healthy, sustained vocal use and equipping actors with skills to learn different accents.
By working with an accent coach, actors develop a skill that permits them to master recent accents and maintain them throughout a performance.
Voice and accent work are central to reworking into a personality. Accents aren't nearly changing vowels and consonants. They include rhythm, intonation, melody and resonance. These elements shape and are influenced by the character's life.
For Brody and Jones, learning a Hungarian accent would have been an important a part of their process. The accent is inextricably linked to the portrayal of their characters.
It is common practice for actors to re-record dialogue automated dialog substitute (ADR) during post-production. This can fix background noise, minor script changes or accent errors. The accent trainer typically accompanies the actor within the recording studio to make sure consistency.
However, in response to Jancsó, even ADR was not enough to perfect the Hungarian dialogue in The Brutalist. That’s when AI was introduced.
Accents are an expression of cultural identity and reveal as much a few character as their appearance. There is all the time a level of variance because the actor makes the accent and delivery his own. This is an element of a reputable performance.
Unfortunately, filmmakers sometimes overlook the importance of accurate accent portrayal, opting as an alternative for accents that they consider are more widely accessible or commercially viable, or prioritizing other production elements similar to pacing or visual effects over linguistic precision.
The Brutalist's commitment to linguistic precision is commendable. But are we satisfied that AI is the answer?
And the prize goes to… AI?
The editing process revealed by The Brutalist and Emilia Pérez could also be more common than we realize.
Rami Malek's singing as Freddie Mercury within the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) was a mix from Queen master tapes, recordings by Canadian Christian rock singer Marc Martel (known for sounding like Mercury) and Malek's voice.
Malek still won the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance, even when the singing was a mix. They were only one element of Bohemian Rhapsody, just because the Hungarian dialogue is only one aspect of The Brutalist.
In September 2024, Screen Australia has published key principles to guide its approach to AI, prioritizing human talent, transparency, ethical design, diversity, equity and inclusion, fairness and responsibility.
Similar to those guidelines, the actors in The Brutalist and Emilia Pérez gave their consent, their talent was prioritized, and the filmmakers were transparent concerning the process. There's even an argument that The Brutalist's commitment to accurate Hungarian representation promotes the inclusion of a language that’s underrepresented in Hollywood.
But it's a slippery road. When does refinement turn out to be the creation of a complete voice through AI? And if accents and vocal ranges turn out to be easily changeable, how long before the actors themselves are prone to being fired?
“The Brutalist” is an exploration of complex issues surrounding artistic integrity. Ironically, it might depend on technology that risks undermining the authenticity it strives for. This paradox is price enthusiastic about. In perfecting the representation of the human experience, are we losing something of its essence?
