The American cinema network AMC will broadcast the science fiction film Watch the Skies starting May 9, filmed in Swedish and dubbed into English… with the help of generative AI. Unlike in Europe, foreign films—with the exception of animated films—are rarely dubbed when they are shown in theaters across the Atlantic. They are usually presented in their original version with subtitles, which can be a hindrance to the commercial exploitation of the works.
AI gives an English accent to Swedish cinema
There are of course counter-examples, like Parasite (a film shot in Korean) which was a huge critical and commercial success in VOST, but exceptions remain quite rare. Which brings us to Watch the Skies, aka UFO Sweden by its original name. The actors of the film re-recorded their dialogues in English (that's the little Swedish touch) and Flawless AI took care of digitally altering the image and sound of the film so that the lip movements and the characters' dialogues are perfectly synchronized for English-speaking viewers.
The lip synchronization is therefore very close to what it would have been if the actors had shot the film in English. Traditional dubbing in any language is a particularly complex exercise: voice actors must combine precision with respect for the text and the emotions conveyed by the original actor.
This is particularly true in the United States where English dubbing standards are less advanced than in France, Germany or Italy, countries with a long tradition of dubbing.
AI lip synchronization must be flawless, because the slightest mistake The film falls into the limbo of the "uncanny valley," that uneasy feeling we instinctively feel when something almost realistic but not quite appears on screen.
AMC will broadcast Watch the Skies on about a hundred screens. An opportunity to see if this kind of technique can meet with public approval.
Source: Variety
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