Gael Garcia Bernal recently mentioned that the Bitcoin-themed film she starred in, " Bitcoin : Killing Satoshi ", used AI tools during production. However, she requested that the use of AI be strictly limited to set design and lighting, and not involve the actors' performances themselves.
The contract negotiations lasted for six months.
Jiaduo stated in a podcast that the contract for this film was the one that took the longest to negotiate in her career, lasting for six months in total. She said that her legal team carefully considered all possible scenarios related to AI, with the main goal of protecting her performance from being interfered with or replaced by AI.
She stated that she remains vigilant regarding AI, but she will not avoid this technology as a result. Her judgment is that AI has already entered the film and television production process, and practitioners can only strive for protection while using it.
AI is used for scenery and lighting.
According to her, the AI in this film is mainly used for post-production generation of scenes and lighting. She emphasized that her performance "was completely done by herself" and she did not wish for AI to be involved in the character portrayal.
The film is directed by Doug Liman, the same director of "Mission: Impossible", with a production budget of about 70 million US dollars. The plot revolves around the search for the founder of Bitcoin's pseudonym. The cast also includes Casey Affleck, Pete Davidson, and Isla Fisher.
Shot completed inside the warehouse.
Reports show that although this film involves cross-continental storytelling and approximately 200 scenes, the actors did not go to the actual locations for filming. Instead, they performed in an old exhibition hall equipped with a gray screen, and later, AI was used to generate the environment and lighting effects.
According to the producers, if traditional filming methods were used, the cost could exceed $300 million. Therefore, the AI production approach resulted in cost savings of over $200 million. Jia Duo described this filming experience as being more akin to a stage performance, as there were almost only the actors themselves on set.
She also revealed that she has not yet seen the final version of the film or the visual effects of the shots.
The actors' union once sought advice from their lawyers.
Jiado stated that the SAG-AFTRA SAG had contacted her lawyer, hoping to understand the provisions related to AI protection in this contract, in order to update the union agreement and provide a reference for other actors.
In mainstream film and television works, encryption themes are still not common. Reports mention that stories surrounding crypto assets have in the past appeared more often in independently produced works or those with criminal themes. However, this film, along with another crypto-themed project currently being developed by Netflix, indicates that such content is beginning to enter a larger scale of film and television projects.
