David Cronenberg on the ‘Promise and Threat’ of AI in Filmmaking: ‘Do We Welcome That? Do We Fear That? Both’
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David Cronenberg weighed the pros and cons of artificial intelligence in filmmaking at the Cannes Film Festival press conference for his latest film, “The Shrouds,” on Tuesday.
Though Cronenberg said that technological advancements like CGI have “made filmmaking much easier” in terms of tasks like removing coffee cups from footage, he admitted that it’s “quite shocking … to see what can be done even now with the beginnings of artificial intelligence.”
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Speaking of Sora, the new AI software that can generate motion pictures, Cronenberg said it has the potential to “completely transform the act of writing and directing.”
“You can imagine a screenwriter sitting there, writing the movie, and if that person can write it in enough detail, the movie will appear. The whole idea of actors and production will be gone. That’s the promise and the threat of artificial intelligence,” he said. “Do we welcome that? Do we fear that? Both. It’s like nuclear fission, it’s ferocious and terrifying and it’s also incredibly useful. So, what do we do? I don’t know. I have no idea.”
Cronenberg explores technology in “The Shrouds,” which stars Vincent Cassel, Diane Kruger, Guy Pearce and Sandrine Holt. It follows a prominent businessman who has become inconsolable after the death of his wife. He creates a new technology, called GraveTech, which “enables the living to monitor their dear departed in their shrouds,” according to the film’s synopsis. One night, multiple graves are desecrated, and the businessman sets out to find the perpetrators.
At its premiere on Monday night, “The Shrouds” received a 3.5-minute standing ovation. The crowd showed their respect for Cannes legend Cronenberg with applause after the credits rolled, but it was somewhat lackluster. Instead of Cronenberg’s usual out-of-the-box body horror, “The Shrouds” is more so an exploration of grief and technology, and though there are several gross-out moments, the film relies on emotion more than anything.
In an interview with Variety, Cronenberg said “The Shrouds” is a very personal film for him, having been partly inspired by the death of his wife, Carolyn Cronenberg, in 2017.
“Grief is forever, as far as I’m concerned. It doesn’t go away,” he said. “You can have some distance from it, but I didn’t experience any catharsis making the movie.”
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