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I'm a bit late to the conversation with this one and I'm sure I'll just say the same things everyone else has said about it and AI. If you don't know, Angel Engine is an analog horror series who's visuals are done entirely with AI. As of now, the story is about a scientist who captures an angel and uses it to perform artificial miracles and soon create his own artificial angels. I personally haven't seen the videos (out of moral obligation), but I sometimes keep up through someone talking about it. That story summary I gave would be a cool metaphor about the use of AI and corporations replacing their workers (like artists) in favor of AI. But it totally falls flat because it uses AI!
The visuals: Visually, it looks interesting and grotesque, but it's inconsistent. The designs of the characters change and it's hard to tell if they're a reoccurring character or someone new. For example, during one video, there's a kid who signs up as a volunteer worker to help with the Angel Engine. In another episode, when the scientists guy is demonstrating the miracles the angel engine can perform, we see a body of a kid (from what we can assume, it the same one who volunteered) be resurrected. This would've been easier IF AN ACTUAL ARTIST WAS BROUGHT TO WORK ON THE SERIES! With story telling in film form, sometimes you can't tell everything. Some things just have to be shown, but AI doesn't have that ability to do that because it's incapable of consistency.
The sound design and voice acting: It absolutely sucks here, in my opinion. The background music consist of the same rotation of creepy songs (including Lavender Town). The voices for the characters are AI voices and it crushes me. Because of that choice, line delivery isn't good because the voices are flat. Example: during the demonstration of the angel engine, the captured angel Uriel is crying out in pain. But the distress and pain that was supposed to be there isn't and the scene falls flat. Another example: when a talk show host is talking with the scientist guy about what being dead feels like (forgot to mention but he dies and comes back via angel miracle) and he just responds with a flat "fuck you." I think it somewhat works but doesn't either. His voice should've had more bite to it, to show he's offended by that question. Line delivery is a huge part in the story telling. It tells you what the character is feeling without outright saying it and it helps sets the mood of scenes.
Overall writing and dialogue: I love the story concept, but it seems all over the place sometimes. Random things will be mentioned like it's something you're supposed to know. For example: in the video explaining how to get to the angel engine, they casually mention The Forgotten Ones and they were never mentioned before or mentioned after that. This would've been cool as fuck to mention as a plot point or mentioned before. Here's my suggestion: it could've been mentioned during the news segments through the scrolling text at the bottom. Another thing I kinda don't like is how the creature that talks to the viewer in the first episode (and in a couple others). In the videos where it's giving us steps, it talks like a how to tutorial. You'd think an ethereal being would speak more eloquently.
I genuinely do think this has potential, if it had more thought and effort put in. I would watch it if more thought was put into the story and actually artists and voice actors were brought in (and I sure there would be people willing to help). The possible themes and metaphors are great, but the use of AI in it makes it hypocritical and kinda loses them. I also would've like more biblical references, but that would mean actually getting a person to write it. I loved the mention of the Tower of Babel because it's story of people wanting to reach a level of God's divinity on their own. It's kinda like how they're planning to use the angel engine to create miracles whenever they want without having to rely on God. I doubt that level of thought was put in when Unearthly Guy wrote it themselves or got an AI to write it (I say this because, if they were willing to use AI to make the visuals, they probably got AI to write as well.) I don't know maybe, for my own personal enjoyment, I'll make my version of Angel Engine and it'll have actual human thought and creativity in it. That way, I'll stop bitching about how a good concept was wasted on shit execution.
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I feel like my stance on AI is like a lot looser than most other ppl but my hot take is that AI isn’t INHERENTLY bad as long as you’re not trying to use it as the main thing you’re trying to show yk? Like if you just use AI to create images (yes Ik about copyright infringement and stealing art styles and all that, I do think it really has to be looked into more) and then having human effort be put into everything else and like the images are really just filler then it isn’t too bad? Like yes it would be better if everything could be made by humans but sometimes people can’t afford that or they just want to experiment. If they’re making money from it though like with this Angel engine project then yes I did expect them to have a human actually making the art and voicing the characters bc cmon they’ve been making videos for MONTHS now and gotten probably millions of views. You’re telling me you can’t afford to actually find someone to make art for you?
That sort of makes sense but i want to add that the problem with ai art isnt just the copyright infringement its the lack of creativity and passion. The choice to use ai to do something for you is an inherently uncreative choice in my opinion. Art isnt just about making something beautiful, its making something beautiful based on your own life experience, and that includes your limits. Lets say you have a really good story idea but you want to add a visual aspect like Angel Engine. You could choose to learn to draw, or do your best with the skills you have; there are plenty of amazing stories, animations, etc. where one aspect is really “bad” or amateur but another aspect is good enough to make up for it. You are allowed to make art even if youre bad at drawing, you are allowed to write a story even if you dont know anything about writing. In my opinion art and stories are so much more compelling when theyre not perfect, because art is a conversation between the artist and the audience and when its a little imperfect the audience has more to discuss if that makes sense. For example Ive heard a lot of fanfic writers say they prefer writing fanfics about flawed pieces of media as compared to really good ones because if a story/piece of art is perfect then there is nothing more to say about it, nothing to add.
Art is supposed to make you feel something not be just beautiful. The idea that art has to be beautiful and perfect misses the point of what art is about. Art is not a means to an end, its not just about a beautiful final product, its about experiencing the joy of creation. Even the earliest examples of human art are not beautiful masterpieces, they simply say I was alive, I was here, I made this! That is what making art is all about.
Or if you didnt want to draw/animate your story yourself, you could write a screenplay and pitch it to a studio, or commission an artist to help you. The great thing about working with other creatives is the addition of new ideas and perspectives which could improve whatever youre trying to make. On the other hand Ai can get a close idea of what you might want but it cant brainstorm.
If you chose to use ai its just taking the lazy way out. If youre not passionate enough about what youre making that you would choose to take shortcuts to get it done, why should the audience even care about what youre making?
Anyways sorry for rambling i am writing this on my lunch break its probably a total mess. I hope this didnt come across as too confrontational/mean i didnt intend it that way, I just have a lot of opinions and i saw an excuse to talk about them lol
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