In the words of Jon Erwin, even the most sophisticated visual effects tools are no match for the physics of water.
The director of the historical drama film Young Washington, which opens in theaters Friday (July 3), needed to film a pre-Revolutionary War scene in which George Washington (William Franklin Miller) and his companions almost drown in an icy river.
But icy rivers are naturally cold, so it seemed too dangerous to expose even actors and stuntmen to such conditions. Irwin therefore relied on a combination of a 50-foot water pool that his crew built in Ireland, filming close-ups of the actors, ice props, and a series of generative AI tools to help create the scene, and used technology to help generate wider shots within the sequence.
“The actors were there, the raft was there, the water was there, but the water wasn’t cold,” Irwin said in an interview with Variety. “What we were able to shoot in was a very small area, and we just mapped it out onto a much larger area. I think this is a great example of how we can use these tools to create something safer and more affordable within that scope on a project like this, so we didn’t have to leave Ireland.”
Irwin is one of the few Hollywood directors who has been vocal about the use of generative AI in his work. He used it in Amazon MGM Studios shows such as “House of David” and “The Old Stories: Moses.” Erwin also leads AI production company Innovative Dreams, a venture co-founded by his company Wonder Project, and Luma AI, which combines AI with traditional filmmaking.
“My view on using these tools is to really do everything you can, everything possible, and then use these tools to expand your vision and give you a bigger canvas,” Irwin said. “What I’ve learned is that these tools are best used when they amplify and enhance fundamental aspects of filmmaking, rather than replacing them.”
For films like “Young Washington,” which Irwin called “a story about the American frontier,” he wanted to blend his desire to make period films with the tools he had come to employ, hiring five AI artists and an AI producer and crew. According to Irwin, approximately 100 shots in the film were enhanced with AI using a combination of platforms that aggregate AI tools, including Luma, Amazon’s Project Nala, and Magnific. Applications included AI-generated establishing shots and depictions of physical cannon fires rented by the crew.
In one scene, the team used AI to transform two Wonder Project employees into British soldiers. This was a scene that Erwin had trouble capturing during principal photography, but after photographing the executives in street clothes, the AI helped them dress them in period-accurate costumes and ride the horses.
In some cases, such as replicating crowds in wide shots, Irwin said he used classic VFX tools. “Fortunately, we had enough extras on set, so when we needed to replicate a wide shot, we relied on traditional methods,” he said.
Irwin’s use of “Young Washington” shows that some in Hollywood are trying to position AI tools as an extension of, rather than a replacement for, the traditional filmmaking arsenal. Still, such developments have drawn scrutiny, with some on social media criticizing the film’s use of AI and mocking the film’s quality. (Young Washington received a 63% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with Variety critic Owen Gleiberman calling it “a calming watch, like the “theatre masterpiece” movies made by Ted Turner Films 20 years ago.”)
Irwin didn’t seem fazed by the criticism, but said some people may misidentify what’s generated by AI as what’s created using traditional visual effects. “You’re looking at traditional VFX,” he said. “You may not like it, you may not think these shots are good, but these are the ways we’ve been doing visual-type work for the past 30 years,” he said.
Some of the buy-in seems to come from the film’s cast, including Ben Kingsley, Andy Serkis and Mary-Louise Parker. Gaining trust in the use of AI involves “communicating in a transparent and honest way and helping people understand how the tools are being used,” he said.
“Once they see it, once you demonstrate the technology for them, I mean, you have to ask them, because I don’t want to speak for them, but by and large they love these tools, because a lot of times actors don’t have agency in digital performance,” Irwin said.
Irwin, 44, sees the use of AI as the next frontier in filmmaking, similar to the transition from film to digital cameras. The Birmingham, Alabama native sought to embrace the power of digital when he realized he couldn’t get work on projects that relied on film cameras. He claimed that AI is just the next wave in the industry’s technological growth, and that he believes the number of Hollywood projects will increase.
“I bled on the front lines of every digital alternative zone,” he said. “A lot of people stopped to face the camera, but for me it was a way to compete. It was a democratizing event, and I think we’re going to see it democratize filmmakers everywhere in scope and scale. It may be disruptive, but I think it’s going to bring new creativity and unique voices into our industry.”
Watch a behind-the-scenes clip of the water sequence here.
