Director Romain Gavras Criticizes AI‑Generated Replicas of “Storm”

The MTV VMAs performance of Yung Lean’s short film “Storm,” created with director Romain Gavras for the Gener8ion audiovisual project, showcased intricate choreography. Yet, numerous imitators have used AI to recreate the piece, substituting Yung Lean and the original dancers with dogs, infants, elderly women, Elon Musk, Jeffrey Epstein, and even Adolf Hitler.

Gavras expressed disappointment, telling Vulture that the AI recreations “made me sad for everyone who invested so much effort into our video.” He noted the film’s budget was extremely low and that he worked pro bono. Casting dancers took two months, and they rehearsed with choreographer Damien Jalet for three days. The unbroken shot, filmed on 16‑mm film, required roughly fifteen attempts to perfect.

He observed that “a trend like this can make even great work appear cheap,” adding, “Part of me considered leaving filmmaking, returning to Greece, and becoming an olive farmer.”

Although he never intended “Storm” as an AI commentary, Gavras believes AI companies took the film’s complex practical effects as a challenge. He quoted them: “Oh yeah? AI could never?” — and then they began replicating it.

He is considering legal measures to curb the flood of copies, though pursuing anonymous creators is challenging. He told Vulture that several AI firms sought licensing rights, which he declined, stating, “There’s an economic model emerging that we don’t want to be part of.”

The surge of AI copies motivated him to showcase the work at the MTV VMAs, where “Storm” received four nominations. He seized the chance to demonstrate that AI cannot yet match the appeal of “Storm.”

He noted, “They miss Yung Lean’s swagger. He appears like a reckless infant; there’s a certain humanity in the imperfections of dancing or even smoking a cigarette that AI hasn’t captured yet. But who knows what will happen in a year?”

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