Foster questions formulaic storytelling, and the impacts of AI
Jodie Foster has never been one to keep her opinions to herself, so it’s probably no surprise that she had some thoughts about one of last year’s biggest movies..
Speaking at the Aspen Festival of Ideas, the Oscar winner used F1 as an example of what she sees as a growing problem in modern filmmaking: movies becoming so formulaic they almost feel machine-made.
“I don’t say this disparagingly—how could I?” Foster said with a laugh. “This movie went on to make millions of dollars. But I look at a movie like F1 and I’m like, ‘F1 was made by AI.’ Wasn’t it?”
Foster made it clear she wasn’t accusing the filmmakers of using AI to create the film.
Instead, she argued that the film’s storytelling felt so perfectly structured that it resembled something a computer might create.
“The structure was exactly the structure that you would learn in school,” she said. “The actors say the lines exactly the way it would be written if a computer was writing exactly what would be the right thing for that time.”
The discussion quickly turned to AI’s growing role in Hollywood more broadly. Foster was asked whether she believes the technology could eventually replace actors and writers.
She struck a balanced tone.
“We do replace people,” she admitted, pointing to the increasing use of digital technology to duplicate background performers instead of hiring additional extras.
She hopes unions will continue to protect workers as the technology develops.
Foster said AI can be genuinely useful for behind-the-scenes tasks like pre-visualisation. She even revealed she used AI-assisted imagery for a dream sequence in her latest film, My Private Life.
For Foster, the issue isn’t the technology itself, it’s who controls it.
“What we all would love is that filmmakers would be able to dominate AI, and never lose sight of that.” She explained.
Whether you agree with her assessment of F1 or not, she’s once again sparked a conversation, something she’s done for decades.
