The part where she tenses up and where the shot rests as she's returning to Miramount, is intentionally framing her in the same composition as the poster she saw the first time during the negotiation. What's changed here, is that now she's going in to be "eternally captured" like how that poster captured her looks from long ago, and with the added context of her son's condition in mind, it develops this tension of her going about accepting such an offer. It's a clever way of setting up a framing with the 180 angle, where the poster is positioned on the right of her in the first instance, we meet this shot with her the second time, as if we are looking at her from where she looked at the poster. It's a subtle, but fantastic confrontation with the viewer of the movie, that grounds sentimentality.
Part of me wants to believe nobody would be stupid enough to fund a movie written, animated, or otherwise created by AI that can’t come anywhere close to understanding humanity… but then I remember there’s always somebody stupid enough.
Fun fact, it's been proven that AI cannot generate art properly without humans constantly enriching the datasets with original artworks, Sabine Hossenfelder spoke about this. It relates to the gigo problem: garbage in, garbage out. Some people attempted at training neural networks using sets of images generated by other neural networks and the result was utter garbage. And even if every artist and actor was scanned and used to train AIs these datasets would eventually turn stale and useless. These companies trying to replace artists with machines should either desist or learn the hard way, let's just hope that they don't annahilate the very concept of civilization like in the movie.
Sabine Hossenfelder isn't an expert on generative AI, so her opinions on it shouldn't be taken as fact. While it could be true, quoting a non-expert means you're sharing third-hand information from a source that isn't an authority in the field, so it's automatically non-trustworthy information. She knows theoretical physics relating to quantum gravity. Everything else she talks about is opinion-based, and a lot of it is not accurate.
There are also some based folks who came up with a way to mess with their artworks and cause AI to go bonkers when it trains on their art. Regardless, this technology will eventually improve and work flawlessly IMO and we will find some use for it, but regardless greedy corps need to be put back in their place.
I'm glad the algorithm paired this video-essay to my feed, it was the most interesting thing ive watched this year. I am definitly not a film buff so I am positive I would have never found this film on my own, it sounds like something I am really interested in. I do think about many of the topics its about quite often and i struggle to find content that approaches them in such an objective way. I subscribed to your channel immedietly, I can't wait to watch more of your work.
Oh I'm really glad someone is finally talking about this film because I remember when I saw it, although it wasn't the greatest movie I ever saw I found it fascinating and much more interesting than a lot of what has come out in recent years before or since. But barely anyone talked about it, I only ended up watching it because Kyle Kallgren mentioned it as one of his films of the year at the time.
hehe that's my cat cooper :) i had to cut the clip for the sake of pacing and you can still see a little bit of it, but i kid you not as soon as i left the frame he followed me down the hallway
I've been referencing The Congress for the last year to all my VFX colleagues since its just for all the reasons you point out! You should also look into Corporate from Comedy central, they have an episode of an AI studio doing Animated content for kids and the impact of it in society! . Although we haven't seen the dramatic change with AI in VFX and anim as with IT jobs, i do believe this will affect but I don't think as bad for all the other issues that AI brings to the table both technological, legal and financial for the ones using it; But if for sure will impact Junior roles and the ability for people to grow and scale up. But for sure I can see studios and execs trying to make AI movies the future even if it sucks as long as it makes money.
I saw The Congress in theatres when it came out, it was one of the most philosophically deep viewings of my life, it’s like sinister Cuphead meets the anime Kaiba. It gets more relevant by the day.
This is a great take. It's a philosophical conversation we need to have but shouldn't be worried about. The success of Dune 2 and Saltburn is evidence that people crave cinema and art even if it's just O.K. art.
Love the video. One thing the AI is photorealistic now with some glitches but we're a few months to year away from them solving the glitches. Hell is around the corner
Oh I remember this movie quite vividly. And i immediately thought of it when the WGA strike happened and why it was happening. I had said when I saw the movie it would only take about another 15 years before this actually would become an issue... and now here we are.
I think I vaguely remember this movie being on a list of recommended movies on a segment on CBS Sunday Morning back when I was a teenager. I totally forgot about it until now.
Those scanning pods are portable now. And much more cramped. But like as an actor, you'll often have a day or two where they're set up on set and scanning anyone involved in big fight sequences or anything to use for digital doubles, and action figures, and models for sequencing and all of that. It's kind of insane. Also, just love the video and all of your memorabilia.
Every time I saw Ludendorf (Danny Huston), I couldn't help but also think of him as Marlow, the vicious, bloodsucking vampire clan leader from "30 Days of Night".
OMG, I saw this movie years ago. I probably saw the trailer, was intrigued, checked it out and was likely completely lost. WTF is this movie and my god, why is it so long! And then... I forgot about it. Then this TH-cam video popped up and pointed out The Congress' prediction of AI. Son of a gun! Who knew? It makes me want to have another look at this movie. But... perhaps I'll do so in 1 hour intervals. Thanks, Olivia.
I remember seeing The Congress years ago. I still don’t know if I like it or dislike it. But consider this: even though it came out years after The Congress, there’s nothing to stop you from pretending that the unseen poster Wright looks at is the poster for Blade Runner 2049, in which she starred. The poster does not show Robin Wright, but it does show Ana De Armas as Joi, the virtual girlfriend of Agent K, an artificial human being.
its whats record labels do with musicians. they own the rights to the artists songs and can play and use them for any purpose they wish to. even musicians that have passes away examples george michael, his music is played every chritmas holiday back to back.
I still am open to new media in the current day... I am still open minded to see what new things may come from who makes them. Overall, I just hope that media is still media... and that I dont lose my hope for it.
I think it might be one of my favorite movies, but I keep forgetting the name. I kind of long for the days when it was more of a sci-fi movie than a documentary.
That's not how I remember the movie ending. Robin finds her son, but he's now lost within the animated world of imagination, and she enters it to be with him in the end, her experiences in the Congress having prepared her to find him despite his form having changed. I know you're all about your narrative, but I think you're doing the film, character, and actress a disservice by ignoring the emotional arc of the film.
@@livmendel With some due respect, that's a terrible idea. You've already spoiled the movie, either go all the way, or have a section before and after. All you did was bury the lead. Also, if they aren't enticed by the visuals and the concepts explored, you leaving out the emotional core of the ending isn't going to do it.
@@livmendel Overall, it was a good video. But I think you needed to decide at the start whether you wanted to make a review meant to encourage people to watch the movie, or whether you wanted to use the film to discuss the film industry as a whole, because I feel the two are at cross purposes to each other, and to indulge one means to sacrifice the effectiveness of the other.
@@livmendel Sorry to go on, but here's the thing. I have seen the movie, so I knew there was more to the ending. But if I had not seen it, I would not have assumed from your recap that there was anything more. I would have assumed the film just had a weird and very unsatisfying ending, and probably decided not to watch it because of that. That's why I left my comment.
21:44 remember when we thought robots free people up to write music and stories instead of mining coal or sorting mail? And now more people sort mail while robots write bad art?
I seen a friend of my ex-girlfriend when Walt Disney came to Portland to make a movie he got to be in it I wanted to ask him after hearing about this whether or not he was digitally scanned because I think he said something along those lines they made some extra footage of him he was just an extra he wasn't paid very much so I just wanted to ask him if he went through some sort of procedure where he was digitized because they were talking about some sort of whatever I'm not sure I would imagine it would be pretty wise to make a digital copy of like virtually everyone who is an extra on your movies I mean you're going to sign this thing you're going to be a Disney movie
Hi! I love this video, I just have a suggestion, could you make the audio of you speaking louder? I can barely hear it, even at full volume😭 You don't have to, I don't think that many people think it's that quiet
I think about this movie a lot more than any other movie I have seen and haven’t seen it in a decade. Do agree it is like 2 movies mashed together but both halves are very poignant
The horror of The Congress and AI and striking actors isn't what wil happen to extras or supporting actors, but the rent seeking eternal IP ization of top stars and ironically ending turnover of aging movie stars. The top actors they actually WANT this, but not as a one off. Robert Downy Jr, by the end of Avengers, basically could shoot a few days of live action, a few hours in a recording booth, and get paid $35million dollars, for a performance done almost entirely with stunt doubles motion capture actors and CGI animation. Robin Wright was in the animated movie Beauwolf, with doppelgangers of her and Angelina Jolie. Studios want their stars to be immortal unchanging intellectual property like mickey mouse or bugs bunny. Deaging tech, or facial performance capture, will allow MCU stars to do Thor 9-10-11 and avengers 14, at 60-70 years or more, but be perpetually 30. In theory, fairly soon, top stars will be a copyrighted IP database, simulated voice, maybe performed with cheap face performance capture stand ins. And would be worth hundreds of millions in royalties for essentialy doing nothing. Trust me, top stars don't care about small actors getting digitized and not collecting residuals, it's potentially completely opposite with AAA movie stars.
I feel like there’s a decent chance that we will be selling our entire life experience and not just our likeness. Especially if ai helps us decode neural activity, which is already happening. Can’t pay your bills?? Then sell your life! And they will probably give you more money the less editing you offer. Will people experience our life in its entirety in the future? Probably
I was gonna make a joke about you are a phoney transformers fan if you don't know the number, but I don't either. I was surprised Mark Whalburg wasn't there.
Nice essay/review, but (ironically?) SOOOOO MANY ADS... Took nearly an hour to get through this one, even skipping at the first opportunity every time.
The part where she tenses up and where the shot rests as she's returning to Miramount, is intentionally framing her in the same composition as the poster she saw the first time during the negotiation.
What's changed here, is that now she's going in to be "eternally captured" like how that poster captured her looks from long ago, and with the added context of her son's condition in mind, it develops this tension of her going about accepting such an offer.
It's a clever way of setting up a framing with the 180 angle, where the poster is positioned on the right of her in the first instance, we meet this shot with her the second time, as if we are looking at her from where she looked at the poster.
It's a subtle, but fantastic confrontation with the viewer of the movie, that grounds sentimentality.
oooh i never thought of it that way. i dig it. ok never mind then!
@@livmendel But why didn't they rate that movie, R for restricted audience?
Part of me wants to believe nobody would be stupid enough to fund a movie written, animated, or otherwise created by AI that can’t come anywhere close to understanding humanity… but then I remember there’s always somebody stupid enough.
The money is too far away from the art in Hollywood.
My Animation professor worked on this movie!
WHAAAT NO WAY THAT’S SO COOL
Fun fact, it's been proven that AI cannot generate art properly without humans constantly enriching the datasets with original artworks, Sabine Hossenfelder spoke about this.
It relates to the gigo problem: garbage in, garbage out. Some people attempted at training neural networks using sets of images generated by other neural networks and the result was utter garbage. And even if every artist and actor was scanned and used to train AIs these datasets would eventually turn stale and useless.
These companies trying to replace artists with machines should either desist or learn the hard way, let's just hope that they don't annahilate the very concept of civilization like in the movie.
Sabine Hossenfelder isn't an expert on generative AI, so her opinions on it shouldn't be taken as fact. While it could be true, quoting a non-expert means you're sharing third-hand information from a source that isn't an authority in the field, so it's automatically non-trustworthy information. She knows theoretical physics relating to quantum gravity. Everything else she talks about is opinion-based, and a lot of it is not accurate.
There are also some based folks who came up with a way to mess with their artworks and cause AI to go bonkers when it trains on their art.
Regardless, this technology will eventually improve and work flawlessly IMO and we will find some use for it, but regardless greedy corps need to be put back in their place.
I'm glad the algorithm paired this video-essay to my feed, it was the most interesting thing ive watched this year. I am definitly not a film buff so I am positive I would have never found this film on my own, it sounds like something I am really interested in. I do think about many of the topics its about quite often and i struggle to find content that approaches them in such an objective way. I subscribed to your channel immedietly, I can't wait to watch more of your work.
awww i appreciate your kind words, thank you so much!! 💕💗💖💘
Oh I'm really glad someone is finally talking about this film because I remember when I saw it, although it wasn't the greatest movie I ever saw I found it fascinating and much more interesting than a lot of what has come out in recent years before or since. But barely anyone talked about it, I only ended up watching it because Kyle Kallgren mentioned it as one of his films of the year at the time.
Just added it to my Letterboxd watchlist! Really curious watch this now, great video!
thank you so much, and have fun!
Watch "Pantheon" & "Scavanger's Reign". Now those are fine anime for adults
2:03 I love this moment here with the cat looking like they were silently reacting haha
hehe that's my cat cooper :) i had to cut the clip for the sake of pacing and you can still see a little bit of it, but i kid you not as soon as i left the frame he followed me down the hallway
So glad that this movie is getting renewed attention. I saw it nearly a decade ago and it has stayed with me ever since.
Looks like I know what I’ll be watching next
yayyyy sweet
Also holy shit this is alarming
I've been referencing The Congress for the last year to all my VFX colleagues since its just for all the reasons you point out! You should also look into Corporate from Comedy central, they have an episode of an AI studio doing Animated content for kids and the impact of it in society!
. Although we haven't seen the dramatic change with AI in VFX and anim as with IT jobs, i do believe this will affect but I don't think as bad for all the other issues that AI brings to the table both technological, legal and financial for the ones using it; But if for sure will impact Junior roles and the ability for people to grow and scale up. But for sure I can see studios and execs trying to make AI movies the future even if it sucks as long as it makes money.
I saw The Congress in theatres when it came out, it was one of the most philosophically deep viewings of my life, it’s like sinister Cuphead meets the anime Kaiba. It gets more relevant by the day.
This is a great take. It's a philosophical conversation we need to have but shouldn't be worried about. The success of Dune 2 and Saltburn is evidence that people crave cinema and art even if it's just O.K. art.
_Babe wake up. New Olivia Mendel video just dropped._
it's been 84 years
Love the video. One thing the AI is photorealistic now with some glitches but we're a few months to year away from them solving the glitches. Hell is around the corner
This looks stunning! This is my favorite subgenre cartoon/live action hybrids. Its a real message paired with the same trippy vibes as Cool World.
Oh I remember this movie quite vividly. And i immediately thought of it when the WGA strike happened and why it was happening.
I had said when I saw the movie it would only take about another 15 years before this actually would become an issue... and now here we are.
Loved your video! You might enjoy “Looker”1981 has a similar premise but is a sci-fi murder mystery.
AI=Bad, Real Life=Good
I think you should check out Simone (2002), which I think also ties into the theme of A.I. in filmmaking.
*breathes in deeply* Subscribed and liked at the same time😤. Awesome video!
Capitalism will destroy everything unless we stop it.
"For we are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams"
I think I vaguely remember this movie being on a list of recommended movies on a segment on CBS Sunday Morning back when I was a teenager. I totally forgot about it until now.
Those scanning pods are portable now. And much more cramped. But like as an actor, you'll often have a day or two where they're set up on set and scanning anyone involved in big fight sequences or anything to use for digital doubles, and action figures, and models for sequencing and all of that. It's kind of insane. Also, just love the video and all of your memorabilia.
Every time I saw Ludendorf (Danny Huston), I couldn't help but also think of him as Marlow, the vicious, bloodsucking vampire clan leader from "30 Days of Night".
OMG, I saw this movie years ago. I probably saw the trailer, was intrigued, checked it out and was likely completely lost. WTF is this movie and my god, why is it so long! And then... I forgot about it. Then this TH-cam video popped up and pointed out The Congress' prediction of AI. Son of a gun! Who knew? It makes me want to have another look at this movie. But... perhaps I'll do so in 1 hour intervals. Thanks, Olivia.
I remember seeing The Congress years ago. I still don’t know if I like it or dislike it. But consider this: even though it came out years after The Congress, there’s nothing to stop you from pretending that the unseen poster Wright looks at is the poster for Blade Runner 2049, in which she starred. The poster does not show Robin Wright, but it does show Ana De Armas as Joi, the virtual girlfriend of Agent K, an artificial human being.
Great video and channel! Just subbed so I'm excited to see what else you have to make!
why thank you!! 🥰🥰
I must be really tired to have thought that thumbnail was coneheads.
lol I even saw this movie before
oh my gosh that’s hysterical
It´s one of the movies that always stayed with me after I watched it first back in 2014.
Splendid, thank you
its whats record labels do with musicians. they own the rights to the artists songs and can play and use them for any purpose they wish to. even musicians that have passes away examples george michael, his music is played every chritmas holiday back to back.
I still am open to new media in the current day... I am still open minded to see what new things may come from who makes them. Overall, I just hope that media is still media... and that I dont lose my hope for it.
I think it might be one of my favorite movies, but I keep forgetting the name. I kind of long for the days when it was more of a sci-fi movie than a documentary.
Suuuuuch a good movie! Thanks for bringing it back to light.
That's not how I remember the movie ending. Robin finds her son, but he's now lost within the animated world of imagination, and she enters it to be with him in the end, her experiences in the Congress having prepared her to find him despite his form having changed. I know you're all about your narrative, but I think you're doing the film, character, and actress a disservice by ignoring the emotional arc of the film.
i intentionally left the ending about aaron out as an incentive for people to watch the movie and find it out themselves
@@livmendel With some due respect, that's a terrible idea. You've already spoiled the movie, either go all the way, or have a section before and after. All you did was bury the lead. Also, if they aren't enticed by the visuals and the concepts explored, you leaving out the emotional core of the ending isn't going to do it.
@@livmendel Overall, it was a good video. But I think you needed to decide at the start whether you wanted to make a review meant to encourage people to watch the movie, or whether you wanted to use the film to discuss the film industry as a whole, because I feel the two are at cross purposes to each other, and to indulge one means to sacrifice the effectiveness of the other.
@@livmendel Sorry to go on, but here's the thing. I have seen the movie, so I knew there was more to the ending. But if I had not seen it, I would not have assumed from your recap that there was anything more. I would have assumed the film just had a weird and very unsatisfying ending, and probably decided not to watch it because of that. That's why I left my comment.
@@fusionspace175 guess i should’ve made that more clear then, sorry 🤷♀️
YES! I thought about the relation too, its such a good movie! And how awful it has become prophetic...
21:44 remember when we thought robots free people up to write music and stories instead of mining coal or sorting mail? And now more people sort mail while robots write bad art?
@1:50 Wasn't that also a plot point in "Looker" (1981)?
nice video...not really sure what else to say.
ummm, have you seen that late 90s or early 2000s move Simone?
I was starting to think I was the only one who had seen this 😮
I seen a friend of my ex-girlfriend when Walt Disney came to Portland to make a movie he got to be in it I wanted to ask him after hearing about this whether or not he was digitally scanned because I think he said something along those lines they made some extra footage of him he was just an extra he wasn't paid very much so I just wanted to ask him if he went through some sort of procedure where he was digitized because they were talking about some sort of whatever I'm not sure I would imagine it would be pretty wise to make a digital copy of like virtually everyone who is an extra on your movies I mean you're going to sign this thing you're going to be a Disney movie
Hi! I love this video, I just have a suggestion, could you make the audio of you speaking louder? I can barely hear it, even at full volume😭
You don't have to, I don't think that many people think it's that quiet
what's the movie name again ????
What's the name of this movie?
Have you seen S1mone? (with Al Pacino)
That movie was sooo cool
I think about this movie a lot more than any other movie I have seen and haven’t seen it in a decade. Do agree it is like 2 movies mashed together but both halves are very poignant
Yeah this movie sounds too trippy for me, but yeah this movie is relevant indeed nonetheless.
The horror of The Congress and AI and striking actors isn't what wil happen to extras or supporting actors, but the rent seeking eternal IP ization of top stars and ironically ending turnover of aging movie stars.
The top actors they actually WANT this, but not as a one off. Robert Downy Jr, by the end of Avengers, basically could shoot a few days of live action, a few hours in a recording booth, and get paid $35million dollars, for a performance done almost entirely with stunt doubles motion capture actors and CGI animation.
Robin Wright was in the animated movie Beauwolf, with doppelgangers of her and Angelina Jolie.
Studios want their stars to be immortal unchanging intellectual property like mickey mouse or bugs bunny. Deaging tech, or facial performance capture, will allow MCU stars to do Thor 9-10-11 and avengers 14, at 60-70 years or more, but be perpetually 30.
In theory, fairly soon, top stars will be a copyrighted IP database, simulated voice, maybe performed with cheap face performance capture stand ins. And would be worth hundreds of millions in royalties for essentialy doing nothing.
Trust me, top stars don't care about small actors getting digitized and not collecting residuals, it's potentially completely opposite with AAA movie stars.
I feel like there’s a decent chance that we will be selling our entire life experience and not just our likeness. Especially if ai helps us decode neural activity, which is already happening. Can’t pay your bills?? Then sell your life!
And they will probably give you more money the less editing you offer. Will people experience our life in its entirety in the future? Probably
This was a great watch! I'm going to make my husband watch it with me.
Did she find her son at the end?
🌻
I was gonna make a joke about you are a phoney transformers fan if you don't know the number, but I don't either. I was surprised Mark Whalburg wasn't there.
Nice essay/review, but (ironically?) SOOOOO MANY ADS... Took nearly an hour to get through this one, even skipping at the first opportunity every time.
Yeah, but that's Michelle Yeoh.
really beautiful girl
Yeah - with the shitty title like that no wonder nobody's heard of it...
Please just do the research and writing. Let somebody else be in front of the mike. Your diction is so bad, it’s distracting me from the content.