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On October 14, 2024
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'Piece by Piece' Director Morgan Neville Will Never Use AI Again
Morgan Neville knows not everything we talk about will make it into this story. After making dozens of documentaries, he knows that in order to be told properly, the best stories have to leave some parts out. That's definitely true of Piece by Piece, his new "creative nonfiction" documentary about Pharrell Williams. Built using audio interviews with collaborators like Kendrick Lamar and Missy Elliott -- many of which Neville conducted remotely during Covid-19 lockdowns -- it's a biopic of Williams' life animated entirely with Lego. Because Williams' career as a hitmaker spans 30-plus years, and given the fact that animation is expensive, Neville knew he had to leave some stuff out. "People say, 'Oh, the interviews are so great.' And I'm like, 'Yeah, I used the good ones,'" he says, sitting in a restaurant off of Central Park, a few days before Piece by Piece's New York premiere. "They don't know all the interviews that I didn't use or parts of interviews. So there's that part of it too." So what pieces are missing? A story Williams told about getting a call from Michael Jackson, what happened when Justin Timberlake visited the Neptunes' studio in Virginia Beach. It actually ends right as Williams is starting to get deep. But that's the thing with movies: They can only tell you so much. Same is true of this interview. Still, when WIRED sat down with Neville, we covered a lot, from his next movie about Paul McCartney's post-Beatles era to why his experience using artificial intelligence on his Anthony Bourdain documentary made him swear off the tech for good.
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Director Morgan Neville is steering clear of generative AI after 'Roadrunner' backlash | TechCrunch
One of the most attention-grabbing aspects of "Roadrunner," the Morgan Neville-directed documentary about Anthony Bourdain, was Neville's use of generative AI to replicate Bourdain's voice. Looking back now, Neville told Wired that he saw this as a "fun" way to "keep [Bourdain's] voice going in the film." But his approach drew intense criticism -- while the synthetic Bourdain only read words that the real Bourdain had actually written, Neville said many viewers assumed, "Oh, they just made [expletive] up." "Many people told me that there were other documentary projects that were doing the same thing, that all reacted; they either changed what they were doing or put giant disclaimers over everything," he said. Since then, the director has "assiduously avoided" using AI. Even in his new documentary "Piece by Piece," in which he dramatizes musician Pharrell's life with Legos (yes, really), Neville was careful to steer clear. "Carl Sagan in [Piece by Piece] says, 'Pharrell' and I was very clear to everybody that we were, with permission of his widow, going to make him say 'Pharrell' without using AI," Neville said. "We actually experimented to construct the word from syllables [he actually said]."
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Morgan Neville, known for his documentaries, has decided to avoid using AI in his films following backlash from his Anthony Bourdain documentary 'Roadrunner'. His latest work, 'Piece by Piece', showcases this commitment.
Documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville, known for his innovative storytelling techniques, has made a decisive shift in his approach to filmmaking following controversy surrounding his use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the Anthony Bourdain documentary 'Roadrunner'. The director's experience has led him to completely avoid AI in his subsequent projects, including his latest work 'Piece by Piece' [1].
In 'Roadrunner', Neville employed generative AI to recreate Anthony Bourdain's voice, a decision that sparked significant debate and criticism. While Neville initially saw this as a "fun" way to maintain Bourdain's presence throughout the film, many viewers misinterpreted the extent of AI's use, assuming that the content was fabricated rather than based on Bourdain's actual writings [2].
The backlash from 'Roadrunner' had far-reaching effects beyond Neville's work. He noted that several other documentary projects utilizing similar AI techniques were forced to either alter their approach or include prominent disclaimers in their films. This reaction underscores the ethical concerns and viewer expectations surrounding the use of AI in documentary filmmaking [2].
Neville's latest documentary, 'Piece by Piece', which creatively tells the story of musician Pharrell Williams using Lego animation, demonstrates his commitment to avoiding AI. In one instance, where Carl Sagan's voice needed to say "Pharrell," Neville was explicit about constructing the word from existing syllables rather than using AI, even with permission from Sagan's widow [2].
Despite the controversy, Neville remains focused on the craft of documentary filmmaking. In discussing 'Piece by Piece', he emphasized the importance of selective storytelling and editing. The film, which covers Williams' 30-plus year career as a hitmaker, required careful curation of interviews and content to fit within the constraints of the medium and budget [1].
As Neville moves forward with new projects, including a documentary about Paul McCartney's post-Beatles era, his stance on AI use remains firm. The 'Roadrunner' experience has clearly shaped his approach to filmmaking, reinforcing the importance of authenticity and ethical considerations in documentary production [1].
The documentary film industry faces new challenges as AI technology becomes more prevalent. Filmmakers and organizations are working to establish guidelines for the ethical use of AI in documentaries.
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