During the Tuesday press conference for his most recent film, “The Shrouds,” at the Cannes Film Festival, David Cronenberg discussed the advantages and disadvantages of using artificial intelligence in filmmaking.
Despite acknowledging that computer-generated imagery (CGI) has “made filmmaking much easier” by eliminating coffee cups from footage, Cronenberg also conceded that it’s “quite shocking… to see what can be done even now with the beginnings of artificial intelligence.”
In reference to Sora, the recently developed artificial intelligence programme capable of creating movies, Cronenberg stated that it may “totally transform the act of writing and directing.”
You can picture a screenwriter sitting down to write the movie; if they are able to write it well enough, the movie will eventually come to pass. Actors and production as a concept will vanish. Artificial intelligence holds both potential and danger in that regard, he stated. Do we accept that? Do we worry about that? both. It’s fierce, terrible, and immensely helpful—sort of like nuclear fission. What then should we do? I’m not sure. I’m not sure.
In “The Shrouds,” starring Vincent Cassel, Diane Kruger, Guy Pearce, and Sandrine Holt, Cronenberg investigates technology. It centres on a well-known businessman who lost his wife and is now grieving. As per the film’s summary, he develops a novel device named GraveTech that allows “the living to monitor their dear departed in their shrouds.” After several graves are vandalised one evening, the businessman goes in search of the culprits.
“The Shrouds” garnered a 3.5-minute standing ovation at its Monday night debut. After the titles rolled, the audience applauded, paying tribute to Cannes great Cronenberg, but it was a little flat. “The Shrouds” is more of an examination of bereavement and technology than Cronenberg’s typical out-of-the-box body horror; despite a few graphic scenes, the film focuses more on emotion than anything else.
“The Shrouds” is a deeply personal picture for Cronenberg, who stated as much in an interview with Variety. The film was partially inspired by the death of his wife, Carolyn Cronenberg, in 2017.
“In my opinion, grief never goes away. It remains,” he remarked. “You can be a little detached from it, but while I was making the film, I didn’t feel any catharsis.”
