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Those who have explored the Annecy Festival 2024 Official Selection already know that generative AI will be present during this edition.
Among the short films selected this year, four were created using generative AI, and other techniques.
This news may sound surprising given the current controversies in the animation industry surrounding this technology, whether it be the question of copyright or the impact on artists and the industry as a whole.
Which is why we got in touch with the team behind the Annecy Festival and asked them to clarify their position on the subject of AI, as well as on the inclusion of these short films.
We received clarification from Artistic Director of the Festival Marcel Jean. He explains how Annecy intends, at least for the moment, to approach projects relying on generative AI.
You can find his thoughts on the matter further down.
One of the short films in the Official Selection that was created using, at least in part, using generative AI (Off-Limits category)
Why the stance of the Annecy Festival on AI does matter
The choices of the Annecy Festival regarding AI are far from insignificant, because Annecy is THE largest global event dedicated to animation in all its forms. Since its creation in 1960, the Festival has followed the major transformations of the industry, such as the emergence of 3D animation and the impact of digital techniques, as well as the artistic and economic evolutions of the industry.
Its influence also strengthened since the creation of the MIFA (Annecy International Animation Film Market), aimed at industry professionals.
In other words, at a time when the animation industry closely monitors the impact of AI, the stance of the Annecy Festival is far from trivial. And its legitimacy in the industry can help shape the future of such techniques.
One of the short films in the Official Selection that was created using, at least in part, using generative AI (Off-Limits category)
Pushback
The presence in the 2024 Official Selection of shorts created using generative AI has obviously raised questions and concerns within the animation community, notably on the Festival’s Instagram account and under a post about the Graduation Films selection (one of them was created using AI and other techniques).
Some of these comment openly and strongly criticize the Festival, using the word “shame” or referring to the “stolen work” of artists. As a reminder, the teams behind well-known generative AI tools such as Midjourney or Dall-E, have used data for which they did not obtain the rights. This includes, as we recently explained, visuals created by animation and visual effects studios.
One of the short films in the Official Selection that was created using, at least in part, using generative AI (Off-Limits category)
Generative AI: Artistic Director Marcel Jean gives his thoughts on the matter
It is in this context that the Annecy Festival responded to our request and clarified its position regarding the use of generative AI, and what led them to include shorts created using thechnique in the Official Selection.
© ANNECY FESTIVAL/F. Murarotto
Below is the reflection on the subject by Marcel Jean, Artistic Director of the Festival since 2012. He explains that the Festival does not prohibit submitting projects created using AI, adds that the Festival’s intention is to “react with discernment,” and justifies the choice to include shorts films created using AI, despite the reservations of many professionals in the industry.
He also emphasizes that the selection committee is faced with a growing volume of projects created using AI, and that a “majority of them” have “no vision, no thought.”
Here is the complete response, translated from French:
Firstly, we have no rule prohibiting the use of artificial intelligence. In this matter, as in many others, it is important to be attentive to the evolution of things and to react with the discernment, sensitivity, and artistic sense that justify our presence within the selection committees. Rules prevent us from having to think further, whereas the arrival of AI in creation precisely raises a series of questions that require reflection.
Last year, we selected the short film Algodreams by Australian filmmaker Vladimir Todorovic in the Off-limits competitive section. In 2021, this filmmaker had also won the Prize for this section for his previous film, Tunable Mimoid. Todorovic precisely used AI in his film to highlight the mechanisms of creation.
This year – and this is no surprise – we are receiving a greater number of works using AI. The majority of them do not deceive: it is quickly noticed that there is no vision, no thought, no singular sensitivity behind the use of the technology. However, a minority of these works seek to embark on a fertile path. These works provoke questioning that we must share with the public, with the industry, with the juries… Hence the selection of what seems to us the most relevant, the most capable of stimulating or provoking debates.
We also notice that music videos, due to the speed of their production and the often modest budgets allocated to their production, are the ideal breeding ground for AI. Artists seem to turn to technology because they are constantly asked to propose new imagery, to do it quickly and at a lower cost. In the end, this often results in imagery that is very dated, exposing its limits, to the point where we will probably be able to say, in a few years, during which specific quarter of 2023 this music video was produced…
Marcel Jean – Artistic Director, Annecy Festival
Annecy Festival 2024: Which Projects Were Created Using AI?
Here are the short films in the Official Selection in competition at Annecy 2024 and using generative AI. The dedicated webpages on the Festival’s website specify that other techniques were used in parallel: 3D animation, 2D, or even photography.
In the Off-Limits selection, we noticed three projects created using AI: Das große Baumstück (Claudia LARCHER), Data Flesh (Felipe ELGUETA), Glass House (Boris LABBÉ).
In the Graduation Films selection, one short film was created using generative AI: Echoes of Grief by Verena REPAR. It should be noted that the Venera Repar publicly reacted to the controversy. She explains that the use of Stable Diffusion is restricted to “50 seconds of the entire film,” which lasts about 19 minutes, emphasizes that the bulk of the project was created using Blender and Unreal Engine, and invites people to check out her Instagram account, which provides some visuals showing how the short film was created.
Generative AI & Animation Festivals: What’s Next?
3DVF will closely follow the evolution of Animation Festivals’ policies regarding generative AI. It is of course conceivable that some festivals may change their stance over time, for example in response to industry reactions or legislative changes. The responses from festival-goers will also, undoubtedly, have a significant impact on these choices.
In the medium term, and as artificial intelligence continues to advance, one might also wonder if generative AI might lead to a surge of the number of projects submitted to festivals, and therefore to an overwhelming volume of work for the selection committees. As a result, they might be forced to implement filtering measures, whether they are in favor of using AI or not.
We will attend the Annecy Festival in June, and we will therefore follow the reactions of festival-goers on these topics. If you don’t want to miss any of our content on the event, you can follow us on LinkedIn, X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube.
Until then, feel free to give us your opinion on the stance of the Annecy Festival, in the comments or on social media.
For more information about Generative AI in the animation & VFX industries, here are a few suggestions:
- Our video interview with VFX supervisor Guillaume Rocheron (in French, English subtitles available). We asked him, among other things, about his thoughts on AI.
- Watch our interview with Véronique Augereau and Philippe Peythieu, two voice actors known (among other roles) as the French voices of Marge and Homer Simpson. Once again, interview in French, English subtitles are available. They told us last year about their profession and also about the impact AI may have on their jobs.
- Finally, you can discover the capabilities of Sora, a generative AI tool allowing the generation of very realistic videos. The tool is still being developped by OpenAI. During a recent interview, the company dodged questions about the sources used to train the AI.
