After more than half a year of silence, Marvel Studios’ TV series has officially returned to the project Secret Invasion. This is also the first series in the 5th phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), marking the return of “old man” Nick Fury after a surprising post-credits scene in the blockbuster. Spider-Man: Far From Home.
The first episode of Secret Invasion aired on June 21 and immediately received a lot of mixed opinions, especially in the world of artists and special effects artists. The reason is because the entire opening segment of the series is done entirely by artificial intelligence (AI). This can be considered as the first major project in the field of movies that applies AI to produce part of the visual content in the official product, and is also an important milestone in the overall development of the film. this technology.
The opening sequence of Secret Invasion brings a variety of images, with a dominant green tone, especially suitable for the Skrull alien race, and all are created by AI – Photo: Internet.
According to Ali Selim, director and production director of Secret Invasion project, the opening of this film is the product of Method Studios – the unit that has collaborated with Marvel Studios many times through projects like Loki, Moon Knight or Ms. Marvel. Selim said, like so many others, he doesn’t really understand how AI works. However, this director is especially impressed and excited by how AI can create products according to his wishes and vision.
“We just shared with them the ideas, the topics, the keywords,” says Selim, “And the computer just went to work. Then we can change a little bit with just a few keywords, and the computer will change too.”
Director Ali Selim is especially interested in the power that AI brings – Photo: Internet.
Contrary to Selim’s joy and excitement, many artists and effects artists expressed disapproval and even anger about this project. Many people believe that AI-generated products are theft and image piracy on a large scale. And there are also individuals who fear the prospect that AI will completely replace human work in the near future – one of the causes leading to the Hollywood screenwriter’s strike in recent times.
Jeff Simpson, a senior artist who worked on Marvel Studios’ Secret Invasion project (but was not in charge of the opening sequence), said: “The introduction of Secret Invasion is AI-generated. I really broke down. I think AI is a dangerous, unethical tool designed to eliminate the profession of painter. I spent half a year contributing to this series and had the ultimate experience with the most amazing people I have ever known.”
Director Stephen Ford also couldn’t hide his displeasure with Marvel Studios’ new strategy: “Marvel/Disney wasn’t short on money, but they used AI to create the opening sequence of Secret Invasion. This is truly a slap in the face to any artist who has worked with Disney, and also eclipses the work of everyone involved in this project.”
Artists were very angry when Marvel/Disney decided to apply AI to their projects – Photo: Internet.
Meanwhile, sharing with The Hollywood Reporter, a representative of Method Studios said that they had created their own AI tool to perform Secret Invasion, and emphasized that “no artists were replaced during the process. integrate this new technology”.
Specifically, Method Studios shared: “The production process (Secret Invasion) is collaborative and continuously iterative, focusing specifically on the applications of this AI tool. It involved a tremendous effort from a talented team of art directors, animators (fluent in both 2D and 3D), animators and programmers who used use all of my skills to create all the other aspects of the project.”
“However, it must be emphasized that while AI provides very optimal results, it is just one of many tools our artists have used. The whole process is directed in a professional art style, including initial storyboard drawing, illustration, AI modeling, 2D/3D animation production, and elaborate product creation in stages. final synthesis”.
According to TechCrunch, Polygon
