Film director Steven Soderbergh has revealed that he used generative AI in his upcoming documentary John Lennon: The Last Interview.
The documentary is based on John Lennon’s last interview with his wife, Yoko Ono, hours before he was shot on December 8, 1980, and was recorded for RKO Radio at his New York home, The Dakota.
The interview was held to coincide with the release of their album Double Fantasy, and the pair talked about everything from personal stories to art to their hopes for the future. Approximately 90% of the film is made up of archived photos and footage.
AI was used in about 10% of the film where Lennon and Ono speak in abstract, philosophical terms. Soderbergh described these sections as “thematic surrealism”, revealing that the AI was used not as an attempt to recreate John Lennon, but as a visual metaphor similar to VFX and CGI. The use of AI is clearly shown to the viewer.
The AI-generated sequences were completed in collaboration with Meta, which provided video generation tools and financial support in exchange for using the project as a real-world test case.
“John Lennon: The Last Interview” is scheduled to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, which will be held from May 12th to 23rd.
