We imagine a world, where 24 frames our moved in a second to create an audio-visual medium of communication for the masses. Capturing every moment, of laughter and despair, of glory and defeat, caught within the lens of the tool, called the camera. But our imaginings tend to lack creativity in the times of artificial intelligence, computer graphics and the advent of technology over practical effects and the authentic, practicality of real-world shooting.
Recently, the ongoing writer’s strike and the inclusion of SAG-AFTRA in it, have proven that faults in the film industry do exist. There exists a hegemony of the people at the top of the invisible hierarchy in the film industry sector, particularly in Hollywood or American cinema lately, and some common examples of the same are also present in the Indian film industry. All of this begins with the following topics of discussion:
Quality vs Quantity:
In the context of Indian cinema, we produce the greatest number of films around the world by any country, according to Statista, 1623 films in 2022 to be precise. But how many of them did we watch? And how many do we even know? Are they all good? All these questions, and more, are going to have a negative answer from most people because quantity reigns over quality here. In 1966, Satyajit Ray made Nayak (English translation: The Hero), in which a character named Haren Bose says, “Our motto seems to be – Produce more and produce rubbish”, regarding cinema, particularly Bengali cinema at that time. And it is still relevant today. Why, you may ask, then have you seen Kadaisi Vivasayi (English translation: The last farmer), a 2022 Tamil film on an eighty-five-year-old farmer? Well, the answer would most probably be a no, but there are other reasons also such as marketing, promotion, etc., that affected the film’s reach, but again, very less information is available about the film on the internet yet the film is a grappling and hard-hitting story about the life of a simple farmer. The number of films would most likely never fall drastically, but the quality of the content has become much more questionable and untrustworthy.
Originality of Content:
The topic of originality has been in debate and discussions in recent years, especially in India. As we are continuing the recreate or remake existing songs and music for our films, we have also begun to remake the complete films, though with some changes, minor or major. For instance, Laal Singh Chaddha, a 2022 Hindi film, starring Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan, based on Forrest Gump, a 1998 American film which itself was based on a 1986 novel by Winston Groom. The film was a commercial and critical failure due to numerous reasons such as a boycott against Khan, the film being unoriginal, and the whole “Bollywood is bad” agenda amongst the public. Whether the movie was good or not, depends solely on our perception, but the lack of original content is a topic of deep discussion. Also, the team marketed the film as an adaptation of the 1998 film but should have just adapted the novel which would have been a better option for their respect. Where directors such as S.S. Rajamouli, Christopher Nolan, Wes Anderson, The Daniels, and more, are making original and great content with their respective teams, some people just can’t pick up a pen and write something good and original.
Advent of CGI (Computer Generated Imagery):
With greater technology, comes greater risks. Using VFX (Visual Effects) and CGI is not the wrong thing to do. It is easy, convenient, and can create almost anything which we can imagine to create, it will exist as per our wish. But there is a catch. The people working on the VFX and CGI of a particular film, are not humans anymore, rather they’ve become machines. Recently, the VFX artists working on Marvel Studios’ films have come up with reasons to not work other than their poor working conditions, as due to the abundance of content that they are producing each year needs an ample amount of visual effects work. Due to this, many of them have resigned, and many have asked for better pay cuts and working conditions. Not just Marvel, but the same is with DC. Their recent film, The Flash, bombed at the box office and was negatively received by the critics and audience, due to its terrible CGI, VFX and use of deepfake, AI technology. Indian film Adipurush was also subject to controversy for the same. Reportedly, Adipurush included 4000+ VFX shots, far more than Avengers: Endgame which included 2500+ VFX shots. The film failed miserably, which was obvious, but looking at the insane amount of money (500 – 700 crores of production budget) and VFX, and CGI used in the film, the better option to prove their so-called religious beliefs, they should have just distributed the amount amongst the Indian population, a stupid idea, but still better than hurting their sentiments. Last year, Telegu film RRR made almost ₹1300+ crores at the box office, with a budget of ₹550 crores, almost the same as Adipurush, and had around 2800 VFX shots. If we can’t even match the same level of other Indian films in terms of effects, writing and direction, then the unattainable dream of competing with American cinema, will remain just a dream. Good work in VFX and CGI requires time per shot, and the better you treat the artists, the better the outcome will be.
AI (Artificial Intelligence) and its Horrendous Outcomes:
The increasing use of VFX and CGI in films is already disheartening as even after having the power to shoot at real locations, and create real props and sets, we are using green or blue screens to develop them. But amongst all this, another rival of evil emerged in the form of AI. One of the key aspects of the writers’ strike in the US is due to the job security of the writers. As the use of AI is increasing rapidly, and after the emergence of ChatGPT, a sense of fear has developed amongst writers, due to the adaptive technology AI possesses. It can give you workout plans, suggest movies with a brief review, it can create any kind of text body according to your prompt, and most frighteningly, can write whole scripts for films. Apple’s recent production, Ghosted, starring Chris Evans and Ana de Armas, seems like it was written by ChatGPT more than any other film, as it hits the beats it needs to without doing anything original. Acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan mentioned AI after the premiere of his recent film Oppenheimer, calling it a “terrible possibility” for films.
Cinema is not something which we should take granted for, thousands of lives work to create a piece of art for the sake of people to go and watch it on the biggest screen possible, for the best experience. OTT (Over the top) platforms and AI can never replicate the wonders of man created in the form of films, as long as hardworking people exist in the industry to continue the cinema business.
Will AI ever take over humans? No. Will the skills of an artist become worthless? No. Change is the way of life, but we must never forget how much we have developed films, from a photo to the biggest and greatest art form ever.