As soon as Marvel Studios’ new anticipated series, Secret Invasion, premiered on Disney+ this past Wednesday, it has been hot on the lips of many, but for unexpected reasons. Secret Invasion‘s plot involves shape-shifting aliens called the Skrulls who are hiding here on Earth and can be disguised as anybody, which brings paranoia in the vein of the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The opening credits of the show were supposed to convey the transformative and synthetic nature of the series, but instead, it caused outrage by using AI to generate the images used.
Nearly everyone speaking about the AI-created intro was opposed to it, as it signifies that the studio snubbed any artists who were capable of creating something similar that could get the intent across. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Method Studios, the company that made the opening credits, wants to emphasize that the introduction was created by their design division. Method Studios released a statement to THR that explained, “AI is just one tool among the array of tool sets our artists used. No artists’ jobs were replaced by incorporating these new tools; instead, they complemented and assisted our creative teams.”
The complete statement from Method reads,
Working on Secret Invasion, a captivating show exploring the infiltration of aliens into human society, provided an exceptional opportunity to delve into the intriguing realm of AI, specifically for creating unique character attributes and movements. Utilizing a custom AI tool for this particular element perfectly aligned with the project’s overall theme and the desired aesthetic.
The production process was highly collaborative and iterative, with a dedicated focus on this specific application of an AI toolset. It involved a tremendous effort by talented art directors, animators (proficient in both 2D and 3D), artists, and developers, who employed conventional techniques to craft all the other aspects of the project. However, it is crucial to emphasize that while the AI component provided optimal results, AI is just one tool among the array of toolsets our artists used. No artists’ jobs were replaced by incorporating these new tools; instead, they complemented and assisted our creative teams.
Method Studios’ team of designers skillfully leveraged the power of both existing and custom AI technologies to apply the otherworldly and alien look. The entire process, guided by expert art direction, encompassed the initial storyboard phase, illustration, AI generation, 2D/3D animation and culminated in the final compositing stage.
Method expounded that the entire production of the opening involved traditional work of the art department, animators, compositors and other artists, but they would use custom AI tools specifically to create the surreal images and movements in the animation. Secret Invasion director and executive producer Ali Selim published a statement on Polygon that while he didn’t quite understand how it worked, “We would talk to them about ideas and themes and words, and then the computer would go off and do something. And then we could change it a little bit by using words, and it would change.”