Lionsgate used deepfake tech to remove f-bombs for PG-13 rating on Fall film
Around 30 F-bombs were dubbed for the film to go from an R-rating to PG-13, says director Scott Mann
The use of deepfake technology in film has skyrocketed in recent years, with it being used to give us an off-putting de-aged Luke Skywalker, as well as bring back actors from the dead like with Paul Walker’s posthumous appearance in Fast Seven. Now, Lionsgate’s upcoming thriller film Fall has has found a new use for the up-and-coming tech—turning those F-bombs into ‘freaking’ bombs.
According to Variety, the high-climbing feature had to alter more than 30 f-bombs with AI dubbing tech to achieve the studio’s sought after PG-13 rating, due to originally receiving an R-rating from the MPA. Made on an indie budget of $3 million, director and co-writer Scott Mann says that the film didn’t “have the resources” available to tackle reshoots, until London-based company Flawless came to the rescue.
“For a movie like this, we can’t reshoot it. We’re not a big tentpole…we don’t have the resources, we don’t have the time, more than anything else,” said Mann in a behind-the-scenes feature. “What really saved this movie and brought it into a wider audience was technology.”
With the help of Flawless (which Mann is co-CEO of), Fall’s post-production team utilized their TrueSync AI system to perform deepfakes on the actors in the film, making it appear that they were saying PG-13 approved expletives. Which for a film about being stuck on a 2000-foot radio tower without any way to get help, there wasn’t a lack of f-bombs to deal with.
“When we were filming the movie, we didn’t know if we were R or if we were PG-13, so I said the F-word so many times I think Scott wanted to kill me in post when we were trying to get a PG-13 rating,” said Fall star Virginia Gardner. Apparently, the deepfake tech is so good that Gardner couldn’t even tell which scenes of her’s were dubbed over, adding: “As far as I know, every movement my mouth made in that movie, my mouth made.”
Fall follows climbers Becky (Grace Caroline Currey) and Hunter (Gardner), as the latter attempts to get her friend back into the world post-losing her husband in an accident. While adventuring 2000 feet up a remote radio tower, the two are dealt the challenge of surviving their climb after the stairs up the tower crumble away.
Starring Currey and Gardner, the small cast includes Jeffrey Dean Morgan (The Walking Dead) and Mason Gooding (Scream). Mann co-write the script alongside Jonathan Frank (The Tournament).
Catch the less f-bomb filled Fall when it releases in theaters August 12.