AI Startup Eyes Orson Welles' Lost Film: A Good Idea?
So, there's this startup, calling itself the "Netflix of AI," named Fable, that's got a pretty wild idea: recreating the missing 43 minutes of Orson Welles' classic film, "The Magnificent Ambersons." I mean, what's the deal? They got some cash from Amazon's Alexa Fund, and now they're diving into restoring a movie from 1942 using AI. It's definitely a head-scratcher.
Apparently, they've built a platform where you can create cartoons using AI prompts. They are beginning with their own content, but they aspire to offer similar tools for Hollywood properties. Believe it or not, their tech has even been used to make unofficial "South Park" episodes. The crazy thing is, they're launching a new AI model that's supposed to be capable of generating long and complex narratives. This filmmaker, Brian Rose, will use the model to remake the missing footage from "The Magnificent Ambersons" over the next couple of years; Brian Rose has been working to digitally reconstruct Welles' original vision for five years.
The thing that gets me is that Fable hasn't even secured the rights to the film. So, this whole project is basically a tech demo, and it's unlikely that it'll ever be released to the public.
Why "Ambersons"?
If you're not a huge Welles fan, I imagine that "The Magnificent Ambersons" sounds like an unusual pick for a digital resurrection. Even for those of us who love classic movies, Welles' second film often gets overlooked because of its more famous predecessor. "Citizen Kane" is often hailed as the greatest movie ever, while "Ambersons" is more of a "what if?" situation, especially since the studio hacked it to pieces and gave it a less-than-stellar ending.
I guess Fable and Rose are intrigued by the movie's reputation - that sense of loss. However, let's not forget that the only reason we still care about "The Magnificent Ambersons" is because of Welles, because it messed with his career in Hollywood, and because even in its altered state, it still showed his filmmaking genius.
This is why it's mind-boggling that Fable didn't even bother to contact Welles' estate. David Reeder, who handles the estate for Welles' daughter, Beatrice, described the project as an "attempt to generate publicity on the back of Welles' creative genius," which basically means that it's going to be a soulless exercise that doesn't capture Welles' unique creative vision.
While Reeder isn't necessarily opposed to the idea of recreating "Ambersons," he's more bothered by the fact that the estate wasn't even given a heads-up. After all, they've already used AI tech to create a voice model for VO work. However, I am less open-minded. Even if Welles' heirs were consulted and compensated, I wouldn't be interested in this new "Ambersons".
Look, other filmmakers have tried to fix or finish Welles' movies after he passed away. However, at least they used footage that Welles had already shot. Fable's plan involves a combination of AI and traditional filmmaking - some scenes will be reshot with actors whose faces will then be swapped with digital versions of the original cast.
Although it's pretty wild that they're announcing this project without having the film rights or Welles' daughter's approval, it seems like Rose is genuinely trying to honor Welles' vision. He mentioned that he wants to recreate the film because he's saddened by the destruction of a four-minute-long moving camera shot. In the recut film, only 50 seconds of that shot remain.
I feel his pain, but I don't think AI can fix this. Regardless of how well Fable and Rose recreate that tracking shot, it'll still be their shot, not Welles'. It'll be filled with digital replicas of the original actors, not the real people themselves. Their version won't be the "Magnificent Ambersons" that RKO destroyed over 80 years ago. Unless we find some lost footage, that version is gone for good.
Source: TechCrunch