Tell us about the projects you worked on before making ‘DOWNGRADE’. How did you get started and how did you learn to make films?
I’m part of a professional group called Prompters Hungary, where many AI enthusiasts from different backgrounds are learning image generation. By the end of 2023, some of us started exploring video generation too—I was the first one to get into it. I organized a call for applications to bring together a film team, and that’s how the team behind ‘DOWNGRADE’ came together. We even made a film about the making of ‘DOWNGRADE’ under the newly established Aillusion Studio, which you can watch here: [link].
Before that, I gained experience in various innovative fields. Fritz Barbara loves writing film stories, creating AI videos, and writing articles; and Attila Kő is an IT professional.
Tell us about ‘DOWNGRADE’. How would you describe it?
‘DOWNGRADE’ is an AI short film using basic video generation tools that were available in January 2023. The film explores the dilemma of whether AI is a threat to humanity, or if the real danger is a lazy, dumbed-down human being served by AI. It’s an experimental film that has been well received at several festivals, thanks to the technology and the diverse backgrounds and unique collaboration of the people involved.
Tell us about your favorite filmmakers.
My favorites include Enki Bilal, as well as Darren Aronofsky (PI), Hugh Hudson (Chariots of Fire), George Lucas (Star Wars), Christopher Nolan (Interstellar, Inception), James Cameron (Avatar), and Ang Lee (Life of Pi).
Barbara’s favorites include Christopher Nolan (many of his films), Guillermo del Toro (‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ – my favorite film), and also the Coen brothers, among many others.
If you were given a good budget, what would be your ideal project?
Barbara would love to make a hybrid AI movie with real actors, where AI creates amazing settings, other beings, and visual effects, while the acting remains human. I, on the other hand, am more interested in a fully AI-created feature film where the use of AI is barely noticeable or not noticeable at all. We are currently working on such a film, which is a completely new direction compared to what people are used to, especially compared to most of the films found on YouTube. We hope to be pioneers with this film.
How would you ensure that production stays on schedule? What steps would you take?
We’d be happy to welcome investors and film projects where we can do AI work, and we’re also open to other commissions, even for advertising. Currently, we’re also completing a course where we’re learning the ins and outs of professional AI-based advertising production from the team at Curious Refuge.
What was the hardest part of making ‘DOWNGRADE’?
The hardest part of making ‘DOWNGRADE’ was that we had a pretty tight deadline (1 month), and everyone involved had to work on it in the evenings after their regular day jobs and attend all the online meetings we held during the process. Another challenge was the state of AI image and video generation technology at the time: character consistency didn’t exist, and the maximum duration for any motion was 3 seconds. Almost 90% of the images and animations were unusable at that time.
If you can, tell us about your next project. What are your future plans?
Our team is currently working on a nearly half-hour-long, almost 100% AI-generated historical music drama. This will be an unusual experimental film in terms of both its subject and the way we’re using AI. We’re using the most advanced technology available to create scenes that are both highly realistic and surreal.
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