Gareth Edwards Unveils the Making of AI Life in ‘The Creator’ with Exclusive Featurette

By Milcah Tanimu

In a new featurette, director Gareth Edwards provides insights into the creation of artificial intelligence (AI) in his latest sci-fi film, ‘The Creator.’ The movie, delving into the timely theme of AI concerns, garnered attention for achieving blockbuster quality on a budget of $80 million USD. As of November 14, viewers can witness the visually stunning and emotionally charged journey of Joshua (John David Washington) and Alphie (Madeleine Yuna Voyles) from the comfort of their homes. Collider exclusively shares a behind-the-scenes look at how the AI simulants were meticulously designed to convey a mechanical yet lifelike essence.

The featurette kicks off with Edwards and production designer James Clyne collaboratively crafting the appearance of the simulants. While Clyne enjoyed the experimentation, Edwards acknowledges the stress and complexity of settling on a look. ‘The Creator’ emphasizes eliciting empathy for AI beings, especially the pivotal character, young Alphie, prompting the director to create simulants with a visage that conveys both mechanical and human traits. Edwards dedicated extensive effort to perfecting the design, finalizing it at the eleventh hour, achieving a balance of a human face and neck connected to a mechanical base with subtle touches revealing their machine nature.

For the visual effects (VFX) artists working on ‘The Creator,’ translating the actors’ “flesh and bone” elements onto a machine body was a significant challenge, given the budget constraints. VFX supervisors Jay Cooper and Andrew Roberts share their process, involving the development of specific tools to capture the right amount of facial movement for flesh bolted to a base. Edwards and his team’s innovative techniques, such as using more affordable cameras and real-life locations with fewer sets, empowered the VFX team to seamlessly execute the simulants’ effects.

‘The Creator’ boasts a stellar cast, with John David Washington leading alongside Gemma Chan, Ken Watanabe, Allison Janney, Sturgill Simpson, and Ralph Ineson. Returning collaborators from Edwards’s ‘Rogue One’ include screenwriter Chris Weitz and cinematographer Greig Fraser, although rising star Oren Soffer stepped in due to Fraser’s prior commitments, showcasing adept use of IMAX cameras from Best Buy in capturing challenging scenes.