| Ma\u0142gorzata K\u0142oskowicz, PhD |<\/span><\/p>\n We still go to the cinema. The films we have the pleasure of watching on the big screen are the result of the work of many specialists, as evidenced by, among others, closing credits. Everything is important: music, acting, script, directing, cinematography. Film crews have more and more interesting tools at their disposal. Of particular interest are those that are increasingly based on artificial intelligence. Who will lose their job and for whom new doors will open? And are we, the viewers, ready for the next technological revolution? These questions are answered by \u0141ukasz Baka, PhD, cinematographer, stereographer and colourist, lecturer of the Krzysztof Kie\u015blowski Film School at the University of Silesia.<\/p>\n Ma\u0142gorzata K\u0142oskowicz, PhD: I remember this scene from Ridley Scott\u2019s Blade Runner: Rick Deckard sits across from Rachel, asking her questions, watching her reactions closely. His lips are visible in the light, but his eyes remain in the semi-darkness. Rachel\u2019s silhouette is faintly visible in the dark. When we see her on the screen, there is little light, just enough for the smoke of her cigarette to fill the entire screen, increasing the sense of mystery and introducing movement. Although she always wears deep red lipstick, the red loses its intensity in this scene. How is it that some film scenes stay in our memory forever?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u0141ukasz Baka, PhD: Apparently they have something that makes them stand out, something unique. One of the elements of this uniqueness is colour. We can compare the various techniques used in the film to the painting style associated with the colour palette. The process of creating the desired effect begins at the stage of film production. The camera image viewed by the film crew headed by the director is not neutral, but rather processed by the artist\u2019s vision. Further changes can also be introduced during the post-production stage. This is the style of the cinematographer, of the visual layer in the film. It may indeed be the case that a cinematographer has their own visual style, but they work primarily on the material they receives, i.e. the script. Then we talk about the so-called \u2018look\u2019 of the film.<\/p>\n Ma\u0142gorzata K\u0142oskowicz, PhD: In what sense is colour in film meaningful?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u0141ukasz Baka, PhD: Sometimes it has only aesthetic significance, but there are also times when colour is actually crucial to the film. Let me give you a textbook example. The green and yellow colours of Krzysztof Kie\u015blowski\u2019s The Double Life of Veronique<\/em> perfectly illustrate the artistic colour correction, reflecting the subjective point of view of the heroine. This is indicated by the scene in which Veronique watches the film reality through a green ball. We can see a similar approach in Amelia<\/em> by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, a fantasy world based on three colours: juicy green, sunny yellow and deep red. Through the look of the film, we can influence how the film will be perceived and interpreted by viewers. Certain colour palettes are often recognisable features of film genres. If you think about the war film genre, what colours do you think such films sparkle with?<\/p>\n Ma\u0142gorzata K\u0142oskowicz, PhD: I must admit that my first associations are not with any film, but with the board of the game <\/strong>This War of Mine<\/strong><\/em>, designed by Micha\u0142 Oracz based on the video game of the same title. The dominant colours are various shades of grey, but in dark tones, there are also dark and brick red accents.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u0141ukasz Baka, PhD: Red? That\u2019s interesting. After all, it is the colour of danger. What if you thought about Steven Spielberg\u2019s Saving Private Ryan<\/em>?<\/p>\n Ma\u0142gorzata K\u0142oskowicz, PhD: I see a characteristic shade of green, faded, unsaturated.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u0141ukasz Baka, PhD: The colours used there are cyan, blue-green or blue-blue shades, in cool tones. In our jargon we say that it is \u2018desaturated\u2019, drained of colour. In more recent productions, we can see it in Edward Berger\u2019s All Quiet on the Western Front or Sam Mendes\u2019 1917. This is a characteristic feature of how the war film genre looks. There are, of course, cases in which a different colour will appear, even the above-mentioned red, others will be more earthy, still others may contain more green, but they will be combined using desaturation. Naturally, this is not a rule that should be strictly followed. We are talking about a certain genre tendency that can also be played with to achieve a different effect.<\/p>\n Ma\u0142gorzata K\u0142oskowicz, PhD: For me, an example of such play on this rule would be Taika Waititi\u2019s <\/strong>JoJo Rabbit<\/strong><\/em>, which is dominated by yellow and green, with red also appearing, as in the aforementioned <\/strong>Amelia<\/strong><\/em>. Kind of like a war film but in reverse.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u0141ukasz Baka, PhD: In the film Black Hawk<\/em> Down<\/em> by Ridley Scott, yellow and green colours also dominate, in this case, for a change, they are highly saturated. However, the film takes place in Africa, not Europe. When watching films, it is worth paying attention to the colour palette used, because it sometimes carries meaning. Nothing is striking at first glance, but the colour correction used affects our subconscious and thus also affects the perception of the film. Again, nuances.<\/p>\n Ma\u0142gorzata K\u0142oskowicz, PhD: What is colour correction of images in a film?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u0141ukasz Baka, PhD: This is what I do every day. I am a digital image technician, i.e. someone who tries to translate the artistic vision of the cinematographer into the technical language of the image so that we can see the final visual effect in the cinema. I work with the cinematographer, whose role is very important. Thanks to them, what the film crew sees on the monitor screen is already \u2018something\u2019. Suddenly they notice the semantic space they are in. Colour in film is a unique tool.<\/p>\n Ma\u0142gorzata K\u0142oskowicz, PhD: To properly read, we need a common cultural understanding.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u0141ukasz Baka, PhD: Our associations, of course, come from cultural codes, it\u2019s true. Subsequent images build up in our memory and make it easier to grasp the atmosphere of the film. A good example is the colour purple. It suggests higher social status, luxury, power. We have it in painting, we have it in film.<\/p>\n Of course, red is the strongest. It becomes a carrier of energy, but also of warning, it screams:\u00a0Pay attention!<\/em>\u00a0That\u2019s why context in a film is so important. It\u2019s impossible to create a film colour dictionary, but we see recurring solutions that we\u2019ve already talked about.<\/p>\n Ma\u0142gorzata K\u0142oskowicz, PhD: What tools do you use in your work?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u0141ukasz Baka, PhD: I am often asked about new technologies. When 3D technology was emerging in the world, I was part of the team that was the first to use these solutions on the domestic market. I have been dealing with real-time colour correction, or live grading, for ten years. Before this topic appeared in Poland, I was already doing it in Israel. I try to think outside the box and think long-term.<\/p>\n Ma\u0142gorzata K\u0142oskowicz, PhD: In this context, I can\u2019t help but ask about artificial intelligence and its use in film.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u0141ukasz Baka, PhD: AI is already doing quite well with photos, but not so much with longer films. However, I must admit that the pace of change is dizzying. Social awareness is a big challenge. People do not realise what new possibilities of manipulation open up to those who want to achieve their goals. If we are dealing with fiction, there is no problem, but if these tools are used, for example, to manipulate politics, and such actions have already been taken in the United States, then we have a problem, and quite a big one at that. A good example is the deepfake, or fake image. Suffice to recall the recording allegedly showing Barack Obama warning against the unethical use of digital technologies and disinformation.<\/p>\n Ma\u0142gorzata K\u0142oskowicz, PhD: The BBC reported: \u201cFake Obama created using AI video tool\u201d.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u0141ukasz Baka, PhD: Created convincingly, let us add.<\/p>\n Ma\u0142gorzata K\u0142oskowicz, PhD: AI is a new tool that allows us to influence what we see. In the context of film or photography, but also painting, such tools are nothing new. We could mention photo retouching or image colour correction, which you do. These actions influence the final image we see in the cinema. We talked about this a moment ago. Colour can enhance the horror of a horror film or add a fairy-tale dimension to a war-themed film. You can manipulate the viewer\u2019s emotions and attention. Make us remember forever the red coat, so important in Steven Spielberg\u2019s <\/strong>Schindler\u2019s List<\/strong><\/em>. Artistic processing of the visible world is nothing new, we only have increasingly better tools. We can discover new worlds, we can change history.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u0141ukasz Baka, PhD: The difference is significant. When using AI, attention should be paid to the degree of manipulation. Video can be more persuasive than photography. It is not difficult to imagine content stylised as reportage or documentaries, showing events that did not take place. In the context of recent events, these may be reports from Gaza or Israel that did not happen. Such materials published online can reach thousands of recipients before anyone can verify their authenticity.<\/p>\n Ma\u0142gorzata K\u0142oskowicz, PhD: An interesting example is Robert Doisneau’s famous photograph showing two young people kissing in front of the town hall in Paris. Many years later, the author admitted that the scene was staged, although the actors were actually a couple at that time. Then we start to wonder whether other famous photographs, such as the Napalm Girl of a girl burned by napalm during the Vietnam War, are actually a captured moment or a scene from someone\u2019s show.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u0141ukasz Baka, PhD: When I learned the story behind Robert Doisneau’s photo, I must admit that I was very disappointed. The unrivalled model of reportage turned out to be a creation. Nevertheless, what Doisneau did had no political consequences. Manipulation through AI takes on a new face. These are not only faces, but also words that can be put into the mouth of any person, even one who has been dead for a long time. You can change the past and influence the future.<\/p>\n Ma\u0142gorzata K\u0142oskowicz, PhD: One of the films that you recommended to me in the context of our conversation was a reel with Tom Cruise and Paris Hilton preparing for a gala together. The short video, one of several published on TikTok in 2022, suggests that these celebrities are a couple. In the last one, Tom, asked by Paris whether people will believe that they are together, replies: \u201cI think people will believe anything\u201d. I watched the footage several times to spot anything that could technically indicate that it was a deepfake, the actors’ faces \u2018pasted\u2019 into the film using artificial intelligence. No luck. Visually it is completely convincing It is only in the comment that we will find the explanation that these are just characters that look, talk and gesticulate like Tom Cruise and Paris Hilton. It’s a powerful tool.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u0141ukasz Baka, PhD: Right? There are, of course, tools that help decode these hoaxes, but they only determine the degree of likelihood of using AI in the content creation process. And at the same time, technological solutions are being developed that help cover those traces.<\/p>\n Ma\u0142gorzata K\u0142oskowicz, PhD: It\u2019s funny that a creation with the word \u2018artificial\u2019 in its name creates truly convincing images.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u0141ukasz Baka, PhD: Photography or film are no different from the point of view of the question about the nature of truth. If the recipient interpreted what they saw as true and no doubts arose in them, then in the artistic sense the image is true. It evokes intellectual reflections and emotions in us. It is only necessary to note that the genesis of the image could have been conceptualised, developed, and generated. The epithet \u2018artificial\u2019 used to describe artificial intelligence is, in my opinion, an inaccurate and pejorative term. What do we mean exactly by \u2018artificial\u2019?<\/p>\n Ma\u0142gorzata K\u0142oskowicz, PhD: The artificial human is a replicant.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u0141ukasz Baka, PhD: Whenever I think about it, I get the impression that the replicants in Philip Dick\u2019s world are more human than their ancestors. In 2013, the film Congress was made by Ari Folman, based on the novel by Stanis\u0142aw Lem. Robin Wright (playing herself in the film) faces the dilemma of whether to allow the film studio to \u2018scan\u2019 her body and emotions, which will ultimately mean completely selling her image. Back then, the film\u2019s plot was not taken literally, the animation was rather a grim thought experiment, a case study typical of Folman, giving an excuse to reflect on one\u2019s own existence. Today, such a scenario is completely probable. However, I believe that actors and actresses can sleep peacefully. There is something unique in them: empathy, sensitivity, interpretation of the text, a twitch of an eyelid, a slip of the tongue, fatigue, improvisation. This is something that makes us know that we are interacting with a living person. This brings us back to the Voight-Kampff test from Blade Runner<\/em>, which examines the level of empathy. But I\u2019m not thinking about Rachel, I\u2019m thinking about Leon. It is worth recalling a fragment of the conversation. The Blade Runner tells Leon to imagine he is in the desert.<\/p>\n Leon: What desert?<\/em> Interesting. For a human, a turtle or a tortoise in the context of the story being told is one and the same, for a replicant, for an artificial intelligence, it is not.<\/p>\n Ma\u0142gorzata K\u0142oskowicz, PhD: Will the machines\u2019 weakness then be their meticulousness, their perfection understood in this way? Can we sleep peacefully?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u0141ukasz Baka, PhD: Not all of us, I’m afraid. In the film industry, on the one hand, we have films shot in a traditional way, i.e. with costumes, a film set, set design, and a camera. On the other hand, we can see an encouraging trailer for the new animation Michael<\/em> in the Pixar style \u2013 only generated entirely by AI. If such an image is as good or even better than the one created by set or costume designers, you can probably guess the answer. The job market in our industry will definitely change. I have no doubt that the largest producers and streaming platforms will begin to benefit from artificial intelligence. There will be a demand in the industry for specialists with key competences in cooperation with artificial intelligence. Where will this take us? I\u2019m not able to say, there are too many unknowns.<\/p>\n Ma\u0142gorzata K\u0142oskowicz, PhD: Thank you very much for the interview.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n<\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>[vc_separator]\r\n
\nBlade Runner: Doesn\u2019t make any difference what desert.<\/em>
\nLeon: How come I\u2019d be there?<\/em>
\nBlade Runner: Maybe you are fed up, maybe you want to be by yourself.<\/em>
\nYou look down and you see a tortoise, Leon, it\u2019s crawling toward you.<\/em>
\nLeon: Tortoise? What\u2019s that?<\/em>
\nBlade Runner: You know what a turtle is?<\/em>
\nLeon: Of course.<\/em>
\nBlade Runner: Same thing.<\/em><\/p>\n
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