Synopsis

"AI Jetée" is a shot-by-shot remake of Chris Marker's renowned 1962 photo-roman, "La Jetée," utilizing generative AI technology to reproduce the original film's visuals, music, and voiceover. This experimental endeavor explores the nature of authenticity and creativity in the age of artificial intelligence. "La Jetée" itself is an iconic work, characterized by its post-apocalyptic narrative set in a war-torn Paris. The film employs a unique technique of using black and white still photographs to unfold the story, offering a haunting visual experience. It delves into themes of time travel, memory, and the hubris of human existence. The film's story was the inspiration for Terry Gilliam's, "12 Monkeys." "AI Jetée," inspired by Marker's original masterpiece, reinterprets the familiar narrative with the assistance of generative AI. While replicating the film's components, this AI-driven process introduces an element of unpredictability, creating a strange take on the source material. The reproductions are by no means exact and in fact, often go hilariously wrong. Also, since the AI doesn't produce the same person twice, the main characters' appearance morphs into different versions of themselves throughout, which adds to the dreamlike nature of the film. It's like watching the original film as it spirals through the multiverse. The film asks the viewer to consider the interplay between the source and the recreation. It invites audiences to think about what the rise of this technology will do to our understanding of photography, musical composition, vocal performance, and cultural memory.