For editing the Hungarian pronunciation of actor Adrien Brody in the movie “The Brutalist,” a tool from the Ukrainian AI startup Respeecher was used.
Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly noticeable in film production, yet its use still sparks considerable debate — particularly in that the technology suppresses the use of human creativity and threatens job cuts.
“The Brutalist,” which is currently one of the main contenders for the “Oscar,” was no exception, as revealed in an interview with the film’s editor David Yancho. It is noted that a neural network Midjourney was initially used to create architectural drawings of buildings shown at the end of the film (later the images were repainted by an artist), while a tool from Ukrainian AI startup Respeecher helped edit Adrien Brody’s Hungarian pronunciation.
“I am a native Hungarian speaker, and I know it’s one of the most difficult languages to pronounce. Even with Adrien’s Hungarian descent (Brody’s mother is a Hungarian refugee who emigrated to the US in 1956) — it’s not that simple. It is an exceptionally unique language. We trained Brody and Felicity Jones, but wanted to perfect their pronunciation so that even locals wouldn’t notice the difference”.
The publication World of Reel notes that the use of technology could significantly impact the chances of “The Brutalist” winning an “Oscar,” considering that some previous AI-involved films faced backlash. For example, the film “Emilia Perez” was criticized for “lack of authenticity in Spanish pronunciation” of Selena Gomez (her voice was also edited using Respeecher technology), and “Megalopolis” by Francis Coppola got into scandal even before its release due to the use of fake critic quotes generated by AI.
“There are controversies about AI in the industry, but there shouldn’t be,” says Yancho. “We need to have an open discussion about what tools we can use. There is nothing in the film that has not been done before using artificial intelligence. It just speeds up the process. We use this technology to recreate small details that we lacked the money or time for”.
It is noted that the use of AI did not prevent “The Brutalist” from winning the “Golden Globe” as the best drama. There is a little more than a month left until the 97th Academy Awards ceremony, and “The Brutalist” and Brody are currently leaders in their respective categories.
“The Brutalist” is a historical film by Brady Corbet, whose production lasted about seven years. The events of the film unfold at the end of the 1940s and tell the story of architect Laszlo Tot, a Hungarian Jew who survived Auschwitz and emigrated to the USA with his wife. Struggling to overcome impoverishment, Laszlo agrees to reconstruct the house of the mysterious businessman Harrison Lee Van Buren. After completing the work, Van Buren and his son make Tot an offer to participate in the realization of a monumental architectural project, leading to irreversible consequences.
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