An Argentine horror-fantasy film called The Witch Game is coming to theaters in the U.S. and UK, but the Spanish-language movie doesn’t rely on subtitles or English speakers to voice the performances. Instead, AI tools will recreate the original actors’ voices and have them speak English. It’s a controversial move as it is an actual instance of the frequent warnings about AI taking people’s jobs.
The Witch Game tells the story of a woman who gets a VR headset for her 18th birthday, which is capable of sending her to an eerie magical school in another world. Directly inspired by Harry Potter, The Witch Game is directed by rising horror star Fabian Forte.
The performers speak in Spanish for the film, which usually means for non-Spanish-speaking audiences, subtitles or voice actors hired to dub the movie. Instead, the English dialogue sounds like the original actors, dubbed into English using AI. The technology translates and synchronizes the characters’ voices to mimic the original tone and emotion of the speech. On the one hand, it’s a way to preserve the original performance. It’s also cheaper, which makes global distribution of independent films more feasible.
And there’s certainly demand for this kind of technology. Companies like Papercup, DeepDub, DubFormer, D-ID ElevenLabs, and other companies have all pioneered their own version of the same translate and re-dub tools. Most are still in early rollout or are aimed more at marketing and individually made videos. But there’s a growing interest in what AI voices can do for films. That’s one reason the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) went on strike recently and required certain guarantees from production companies before agreeing to a new contract.
AI dubbing
Voice actors understandably have been outspoken critics of AI dubbing. It removes opportunities for professionals who know how to evoke the right emotion and match the cadence of dialogue in other languages, even if they don’t sound exactly like the original performers. That can be a good thing since AI can’t do subtext, or play with complexities, let alone be spontaneous with adjusting line readings.
There are also questions of consent and compensation when using AI. Do the original actors get the right to refuse an AI voice clone? Do they get paid for each additional language their voice clone performs?
Some performers with real power in Hollywood have already taken a stand. Robert Downey Jr. promised litigation from beyond the grave should a studio deploy an AI clone of his voice or appearance. California has passed a law prohibiting the unauthorized use of AI clones, but who knows how that will impact cinema globally. On the other hand, James Earl Jones agreed to let Disney use his voice for future Darth Vader projects before his recent passing. His contract details how and when his AI voice clone may be used, but the template is there.
These questions may not apply to The Witch Game, as it is a relatively niche film made with a non-Hollywood budget looking for wider reach. However, should it prove to be a success, it’s easy to imagine other indie filmmakers around the world making a similar decision.