WAMG Talks To AUTOMATA Director Gabe Ibáñez

AUTOMATA begins with foreshadowing text:

Millions of robots witness the decay of the human civilization.

Millions of robots ruled by two security protocols:

First protocol: prevents the robot from harming any form of
life.

Second protocol: prevents the robot from altering itself or other robots.

This thought provoking science-fiction film tells the story of an insurance agent of ROC robotics corporation who routinely investigates the case of manipulating a robot. What he discovers will have profound consequences for the future of humanity.

The film stars Antonio Banderas, Birgitte Hjort Sørensen, Melanie Griffith, Dylan McDermott and Robert Forster.

Read Travis Keune’s review HERE.

For fans of the genre, I can’t emphasize enough how much you need to see this stunning film.

In September I spoke with AUTOMATA’s writer/director Gabe Ibáñez. Like Stanley Kubrick, he has a profound understanding of the genre.

For Ibáñez, his own fascination about the theory of technological singularity, and inspired by reading Asimov’s robot novels, compelled him to bring a fresh perspective to life for audiences – one that questioned the very meaning of human existence and our place in evolution.

Ibáñez ‘s work on AUTOMATA reflects an accomplished filmmaker with an authentic style and the ability to capture visually striking and atmospheric imagery. His signature is a mix of technical craftsmanship, imagery and dramatic precision.

In our spoiler-filled conversation, the director spoke on how he wanted to provide the viewer a glimpse of what it might be like if humans found life in machines one day.

WAMG: Your movie is so vivid and emotional on so many levels. It’s great science-fiction.

Gabe Ibáñez: Oh thank you. It’s nice to hear that.

WAMG: In AUTOMATA, you explore sympathy the robots carry within them and the moral fiber people have lost along the way. The humans are more robotic and the robots more humane.

GI: That’s interesting. The movie gives the robots a moral sense like in classic science fiction books. I love these kind of robots. In our film, the robots have taken on human traits. On the other hand, you have this man, the protagonist, living in a futuristic world where violence is from the humans against other humans, against the robots, and against the environment, so for me it was a very important conflict. I love the science fiction movies from the 1960’s where there were big philosophical themes and conflicts within the story. We tried to do the same with AUTOMATA.

WAMG: The way artificial intelligence is illustrated in your movie feels very realistic and one possible future.

GI:  We tried to make it realistic with the elements of the film. We read news articles about robots and machines who were able to repair themselves. For me it was a very real idea. For it to be realistic was very important, so much so that in the end we decided to create real robots. They are not CGI in the movie.

They were all around the set and the actors were able to interact with them. It was practical to have them there at all times and very important in the end. It was easier for them to work with the actors in all the scenes. In real life, these robots were handled by specialists on set who worked together to tend to the make and design of each model.

In the film, the robots of course are very interesting, spectacular things. But in the end, this movie is about that moment when man left the tree, began working with fire and inventing the wheel, but this time, man is the ape who stayed in the tree, who has fear about fire, and who does not understand how a wheel works.

WAMG: Your film crew did such an amazing job – the score is beautiful and integral to the movie. How did you choose composer Zacarías M. de la Riva.?

GI:  I worked with him on my first movie, HIERRO. I’m so glad you liked the music. He’s a great composer. With AUTOMATA’s score, we followed the same track as the classic science fiction films of the 60’s, where the music has a very important role. Like in THE PLANET OF THE APES, the music isn’t in the background – it is right in front of you. It’s there to tell the story. Zacarías did that with his score and we’re very happy with the work his did for this movie.

WAMG: The script is very smart and profound. The intimate conversation between the “First one” and  Jacq toward the end of the movie is a touching moment. How long did you work on those emotional elements?

GI: It’s my first script. I wrote the first version in about six months with my writing partners Igor Legarreta and Javier Sánchez Donate. Then we contacted Antonio (Banderas). He then came on the movie as producer. We worked on the final version for about three or four years.

It was a very unique idea in a world you don’t often see. You see a lot of post-apocalyptic films, but rarely do you see sort of this pre-apocalyptic environment where everything is degenerating into chaos.

Another thing striking about AUTOMATA is the continuity to the theory of evolution in the only female robot, Cleo, who begins to develop a consciousness and curiosity that goes against the android’s second protocol. To underscore Cleo’s human quality, makeup artist Elena Zhekova explained it was important the lead robot have expression and a real sense of life despite being a machine. Even her eyes were meticulously matched to help build up to the emotional connection as the story unfolds.

Q I loved seeing Melanie Griffith in the film. Who decided that she provide the voice of Cleo?

GI: I decided after Antonio proposed the idea. After he read the script, he asked what I thought about having Melanie do the voice of Cleo.  I thought it was a great and unique opportunity, not only to have her in the movie, but as the voice of the robot. She agreed once we asked her. Her human role is a small part, but the robot character is very important. It was very kind of Melanie to do it.

WAMG: Where on earth was the movie shot – it’s very desolate.

GI: We found several locations in Bulgaria, specifically near Sofia, to shoot the film. Everything is very green. But there are so many desert scenes throughout the movie, so we used CGI for those parts and those parts only. There were many locations Bulgaria offered up including a number of places with mines. When we were not shooting outside, we also used Boyana Film Studio to balance every shot in spite of the unpredictable weather that came with shooting in the spring.

WAMG: In Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 A SPACE ODYSSEY, as the HAL-9000 computer is being deactivated, the final thing it says, or sings, is the “Daisy Bell (Bicycle Built for Two)” song.

Did you intentionally add that song at the end of the credits as a homage to 2001 A SPACE ODYSSEY?

GI:  Yes. It’s not only for that movie, but the reason Kubrick used this song in his movie was because it was the first song the computer sang. IBM’s first computer (IBM 7094) played the Daisy song when it was first created. (Video)

WAMG: It’s a brilliant touch!

GI: (laughs) You’re the first person who noticed that. I’m very happy to hear that. It’s something we put there for a reason to make the connection.

WAMG: Thanks to Gabe Ibáñez for taking the time to talk to us!

The film is rated R for violence, language and some sexual content.

The Behind-the-Scenes artists include ALEJANDRO MARTINEZ (Director of Photography), PATRICK SALVADER (Production Designer), ARMAVENI STOYANOVA (Costume and Jewelry Designer), and SERGIO ROZAS (Audio Visual).

AUTOMATA Opens In LOS ANGELES, NEW YORK and Select Cities as well as VOD
Friday, October 10

Photos: Millennium Entertainment