At the Visual Effects Society (VES) Awards on Tuesday, Takashi Yamazaki, the Oscar-winning director and VFX supervisor of Godzilla Minus One, shared his thoughts on the evolving role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the film industry. Yamazaki, who received the VES Visionary Award, also revealed that he is currently working on a new Godzilla film, including the screenplay and storyboards.
Godzilla Minus One, which earned widespread acclaim last year, was made on a budget under $15 million. Yamazaki mentioned that his next project will likely have a bigger budget, although he did not provide an exact figure. He expects more funding from Toho, the production company behind the franchise.
During the awards ceremony, Yamazaki and other honorees discussed the potential of AI in filmmaking. “AI is a very capable assistant or tool, but it’s not yet at the point where it can take the lead in generating what humans can,” he said through a translator. He added that AI is not currently part of his production pipeline, acknowledging the rapid pace at which the technology evolves. “It’s uncertain where it will go from here,” he noted. While Yamazaki recognizes the growing influence of AI, he confessed he would be a “late adopter” of the technology. “I still shoot on film and use miniatures, so I’m more comfortable with older techniques,” he explained. “But at some point, we will have to embrace AI, and I’m sure I’ll catch up eventually.”
AI’s growing presence in the visual effects industry was evident throughout the evening. The VES Emerging Technology Award was presented to Metaphysic, an AI startup, for its neural performance toolset used in Here, directed by Robert Zemeckis. The technology was instrumental in aging and de-aging actors Tom Hanks and Robin Wright for the film.
Backstage, Zemeckis’ longtime VFX supervisor, Kevin Baillie, weighed in on the Motion Picture Academy’s potential new rule requiring the disclosure of AI usage in Oscar submissions. Baillie expressed concern that such a rule could quickly become outdated. “Without a clear definition, AI will be part of every eligible project, whether it’s in upscaling, color grading, or even in tasks like de-aging and face replacement,” he said.
Baillie also stressed that the focus should not be on whether AI was used in a project but on how the artists interacted with the technology. “The real measure should be how the artists engaged with AI, as that’s a judgment call,” he added.
As the Metaphysic team accepted their award on stage, honoree Jo Plaete emphasized the artistic nature of visual effects, despite AI’s involvement. “While our tools are powered by code and machine learning, the soul of visual effects remains fundamentally artistic,” Plaete said. He further explained backstage that AI tools, such as the one used in Here, allowed the film’s story to be told more effectively. “Instead of replacing artists, AI displaces repetitive tasks in the pipeline, giving artists more time to focus on storytelling and creating better films,” he concluded.
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