How a low-budget thriller used deepfake technology to secure a PG-13 rating
In short: When the 2022 survival film Fall faced an R-rating for excessive profanity, the filmmakers avoided costly reshoots by using AI. They employed a company called Flawless to digitally alter the actors' lip movements and redub the dialogue, successfully securing a PG-13 rating and boosting the film's commercial potential.
Directed by Scott Mann, Fall follows two friends stranded atop a 2,000-foot television tower. While the film was a box office success, grossing $21.8 million against a $3 million budget, its path to theaters involved significant technical innovation. To ensure a wider audience, Lionsgate requested the removal of over 30 instances of the word 'fuck' to meet PG-13 standards.
Rather than reshooting scenes, which would have been expensive and time-consuming, the production utilized Flawless, a company co-founded by Mann in 2021. Using 'neural reshoots,' the team deepfaked the actors' faces to match new, cleaner dialogue. This process was completed in just two weeks during post-production and was later applied to foreign language dubbing for international markets.
The film's production was equally ambitious. Inspired by the real 2,049-foot KXTV/KOVR tower in California, the crew built the top section of the structure on a mountain. This allowed actors Grace Caroline Currey and Virginia Gardner to perform their own stunts while appearing thousands of feet in the air, despite never being more than a hundred feet off the ground. The result was a minimalist, high-stakes thriller that resonated with critics, earning an 80% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The success of the original film has led to an expanding franchise. Following its popularity on streaming platforms, two sequels were announced in 2023. Principal photography for the second installment began in June 2024, with a release following in September 2026. The franchise continues to leverage the core concept of height-induced fear that inspired the original project.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Fall (2022 film)
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