Romain Gavras Addresses Slop Copies Of GENER8ION & Yung Lean “Storm” Video

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Romain Gavras has criticized AI-generated imitations of “Storm,” his video for GENER8ION and Yung Lean, telling Vulture that the copies diminished the work of the people who made the original. He says he declined approaches from AI companies seeking to license the video and sees little practical prospect of suing individual users who made imitations.

Director Romain Gavras has criticized AI-generated imitations of “Storm,” the video he made for GENER8ION and Yung Lean, saying the trend upset him because it followed extensive work by the original production team. In an interview with Vulture, Gavras also said he had declined approaches from AI companies seeking to license the video.

Gavras told Vulture that his daughter first showed him an imitation featuring dogs. He initially found that version cute, but said later copies took a more provocative turn, depicting figures including Elon Musk, Kim Jong-un, Adolf Hitler and Jeffrey Epstein. The source report describes these as AI-generated versions circulating after the original video went viral.

“It made me sad for all the people who put in so much work on our video,” Gavras told Vulture. He said the trend could make even strong creative work “look lame,” and joked that part of him wanted to leave filmmaking and become an olive farmer in Greece. His comments express his reaction to the copies; they do not establish how many were made or how widely they circulated.

Vulture reported that many of the imitations were made using Genjutsu, a tool released in late August by AI video company Higgsfield. Gavras said AI companies had approached him about licensing “Storm,” but he declined. The supplied report does not identify the companies or detail the terms they proposed.

AI Copies Test Creative Control

The dispute highlights a practical concern for directors and other creators as generative video tools make it easier to imitate recognizable visual styles: an original work can become a template for derivatives that circulate without the creator’s involvement. Gavras’s account also points to a gap between being approached for a license and having a workable way to address copies already made by individual users.

For viewers, the story is about more than likeness or licensing. Gavras argues that the imitations miss the qualities he values in the original, including Yung Lean’s presence and the dancers’ human performance. That is his assessment, not a technical finding about what AI video can or cannot do. The copies’ reach, their effect on the original video’s audience and any commercial use are not established in the supplied reporting.

How ‘Storm’ Became a Template

The original “Storm” video, made by Gavras for GENER8ION and Yung Lean, centers on the Swedish rapper and singer standing and smoking a cigarette among 66 dancing boys. Its choreography and stark central image helped make it viral, according to the Stereogum report.

Last month, Yung Lean performed a recreation of the video at the VMAs, marking his U.S. television debut, the report said. The live performance renewed attention to the visual concept before AI imitations drew Gavras’s criticism. The supplied source does not give a calendar date for the VMA performance or for the Vulture interview.

““It made me sad for all the people who put in so much work on our video.””

— Romain Gavras, speaking to Vulture

The Copies’ Scale and Legal Reach

The supplied reporting does not quantify how many imitations exist, how many people have viewed them, or whether the examples Gavras described were created for commercial purposes. It also does not identify the AI companies that contacted him or explain what licensing they sought.

Gavras said legal action would likely require suing users individually, making it an unattractive option in his view. That is his assessment of the practical problem, not a legal ruling. The report does not set out a court decision or a definitive finding about the legal status of these particular imitations. It remains unclear whether any creator, platform or company will take further action.

No Licensing Deal Announced

Gavras said he declined the licensing approaches described in the Vulture interview. The source material reports no agreement, lawsuit or formal complaint arising from the copies, and it does not identify a planned next step from him, GENER8ION, Yung Lean or Higgsfield.

For now, the known development is Gavras’s public response and his decision not to license “Storm” to the companies that contacted him. Whether the imitations continue to spread, or whether the parties pursue a different response, remains unknown.

Key Questions

What is Romain Gavras criticizing?

He criticized AI-generated imitations of “Storm,” the video he directed for GENER8ION and Yung Lean. He told Vulture that the copies saddened him because the original involved substantial work by its production team.

What is the “Storm” video?

It is a video directed by Gavras for GENER8ION and Yung Lean. It features Yung Lean standing and smoking a cigarette among 66 dancing boys, according to the source report.

Did Gavras license the video to AI companies?

No. Gavras told Vulture that AI companies had approached him about licensing “Storm” and that he declined those approaches. The report does not name the companies or describe their offers.

Which tool was used for many of the imitations?

Vulture reported that many were made with Genjutsu, a tool released in late August by AI video company Higgsfield. The source does not provide a count of the copies or confirm that every imitation used that tool.

Is Gavras taking legal action?

The supplied report describes no lawsuit or formal complaint. Gavras said pursuing individual users would be difficult in practice; that is his view, not a court determination about the copies’ legality.

Source: rss