We’re asked the question more and more often. At conferences, in client briefs, sometimes directly on set.
“Do you use AI?”
The short answer: yes. The full answer is more nuanced.
What we do with AI
AI entered our production workflow in 2023. Not as a revolution. As one more tool, a very powerful one, with its own rules of use.
Shot extension. When we’re shooting in the vineyards of Saint-Émilion and we’re 2 seconds short on a sky shot, AI generates that extension imperceptibly. Nobody notices. The film stays intact.
Voice cloning. For the international versions of a corporate film (English, Spanish, Mandarin), rather than bringing back the executive who shot the French version, we can clone their voice, with their explicit consent. The voice stays theirs. The accent is adapted.
Generative ambience sequences. For purely exploratory creative films, we use locally fine-tuned generative models to produce mockup sequences. It’s a creative decision aid, not a finished product.
What we refuse to do with AI
This list matters as much as the previous one.
Replace real people with avatars. We’ve received briefs asking us to “generate happy employees” for an employer brand film. We refused. A film where the people don’t exist is a lie. And it shows.
Produce volumes of content with no art direction. AI can generate 50 videos in one night. That’s not what our clients buy. They buy a perspective. An intent. A consistency. Those three things don’t automate.
Use AI without informing the client. Every AI usage in our productions is documented and shared with the client. It’s not a legal obligation (yet). It’s a transparency obligation.
Deepfakes without explicit consent. Cloning someone’s voice or image without their agreement is an absolute red line. No matter the budget, no matter the urgency.
Why the line is there
Here’s how we define it: AI is a tool in service of human vision. It saves time and it helps, but it doesn’t replace art direction, casting, lighting or emotion.
A film produced 90% by AI and supervised by a human is not equivalent to a film produced by humans with 10% AI assistance. The difference isn’t technical. It’s in how much living matter remains on screen.
We believe the viewer feels it. Even unconsciously.
The future we see
In 5 years, every production studio will use AI intensively. The question won’t be “do you use AI?” anymore but “how do you use it?”
The studios that last, in my view, will be the ones that kept a clear artistic identity, and used AI to push it further, never to replace it.
At SIGNS, we’ve been preparing for that future since 2023. We develop our own local workflows, we train our teams, we refuse the shortcuts. Because a luxury house entrusting us with their film expects a director’s perspective. Not a model’s output.
Frequently asked questions
Can AI replace a video agency?
No, AI does not replace a video agency: it speeds up and complements the work, but it provides no art direction, no casting, no lighting and no emotion. AI can generate 50 videos in one night; what clients buy is a perspective, an intent and a consistency, three things that cannot be automated. SIGNS Films has integrated AI into its workflow since 2023 (shot extension, voice cloning, mockups) while keeping the shoot at the center of every film.
Can you mix live-action footage and AI-generated video in the same project?
Yes, mixing live-action footage and AI-generated video in the same project is possible, and it is actually the most common practice: AI steps in where it stays invisible, while the shoot carries the human presence. SIGNS Films uses shot extension to lengthen a sky filmed in Saint-Émilion by two seconds, or integrates up to around 30% generated imagery in a luxury film without it showing. A 100% AI campaign remains a separate choice, as for FULLCUT.
Do you have to disclose that a video was AI-generated before publishing it?
Yes, disclosing that a video was AI-generated before publishing it is recommended, and European regulation (the AI Act) requires labeling of synthetic content, especially realistic images or voices of people. Beyond the obligation, transparency protects the trust of both the public and the client. SIGNS Films documents every use of AI in its productions and shares it with the client, including invisible fixes such as a shot extension, and requires explicit consent before any voice cloning.
Can you use an AI avatar for a customer testimonial?
No, an AI avatar should not replace a real customer testimonial: a testimonial is worth something because a real person embodies it, and a film where the people do not exist is a lie the viewer ends up sensing. SIGNS Films has already turned down a brief asking it to "generate happy employees" for an employer brand film. AI can, however, serve the international version of a real testimonial through voice cloning with consent, never to create a fictional speaker.