Welcome to Rendering, a new Deadline column exploring the crossroads of AI and entertainment. Rendering investigates how artificial intelligence is shaking up showbiz, diving into critical conflicts and highlighting innovators using AI both positively and negatively. Have an AI story?Know about the next big breakthrough or believe AI cost you a job?Rendering wants your input: jkanter@deadline. com. This week spotlights an interview with Yonatan Dor, co-founder of The Dor Brothers, whose AI-generated videos have gone viral and are making waves in Hollywood. Though Yonatan Dor’s name may be unfamiliar, you’ve likely seen his work online—whether a deepfake of Donald Trump smoking a cigar in a limo or Kanye West riding a pink bike dressed as a Nazi. His generative AI videos amassed half a billion views last year alone. Such figures unsettle AI critics but earn Dor acclaim. Joe Rogan praised his “f*****g incredible” work, while Dor collaborated with Snoop Dogg for a music video and led a Hugo Boss ad campaign. Hollywood studios now follow his output closely, bringing him closer to his dream: creating a movie entirely with AI. We met in London’s Caravan Fitzrovia over peppermint tea, where Dor’s candid nature and contrasts intrigued. The Lisbon-based artist, sharply dressed with a fiery red beard reflecting a love of progressive metal, calls himself an open book but was tight-lipped about being canceled from a UK AI conference, possibly from his Israeli background. He envisions AI filmmaking as an art form that may produce the next Quentin Tarantino but harshly criticizes companies profiting billions from AI—once likening OpenAI to Skynet. At 27, Dor was among the first 100 users of generative platforms like Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, and Runway. Captivated by the “magic” of turning prompts into images, he dedicated 12-hour days perfecting his craft. Now, he frequently uses Google’s Veo 3. 1 and China’s Hailuo AI but acknowledges that a new, unknown tool could disrupt his workflow anytime. He refines prompts with ChatGPT but stresses the importance of editing to find the “diamond in the rough, ” footage worthy of cinema. His video Riot, inspired by LA unrest, quickly cuts between eerie shots of a gun-wielding Trump and a manic Gavin Newsom wearing a rainbow headband, blurring the line of reality. “AI is like your director of photography.

You don’t interfere with the DoP’s camera; you sift through what you get, ” Dor explains. When asked if his work risks spreading disinformation by altering reality perceptions, Dor replies unapologetically, “I hope it does, ” comparing himself to a court jester skewering cultural, political, and tech elites. Last year, Dor told a Texas AI committee that artificial content should have invisible watermarks to distinguish it from genuine footage, but he believes even non-tech-savvy viewers spot AI fakes due to “one extraordinary scene” that looks utterly unrealistic. Dor and his sibling partner founded The Dor Brothers, an AI production company. He thinks AI hatred is at its peak and reveals that ongoing projects with major brands remain secret due to fear of backlash. These companies are “warming the engines” for wider AI acceptance in filmmaking. He critiques Coca-Cola’s AI Christmas ad for lacking originality, arguing it fuels fears about job loss. Hollywood is courting The Dor Brothers to produce animated shorts. This aligns with Disney’s recent experiments allowing viewers to “create” and watch short AI videos. Yet, Dor’s focus stays fixed on feature films. Their goal is movies earning eight-plus on IMDb. With several scripts underway—including a planned sequel to 20th Century Fox’s Idiocracy—he’s collaborating with an Oscar-winning writer and has connected with industry figures like Roger Avary, co-writer of Pulp Fiction, and Logan Paul, both judges of The Dor Awards. Dor acknowledges AI filmmaking is still emerging; the technology and storytelling do not yet emotionally resonate. He expects improvements in two years but believes successful AI films will rely on human performers. He shares Hollywood’s skepticism about AI actors like Tilly Norwood, calling them “a pile of garbage. ” Currently seeking investment, The Dor Brothers have declined five offers that lacked creative freedom guarantees. Their largest expense is copyright lawyers ensuring their videos are legally clean. Undeterred by powerful figures potentially offended by their satire, Dor embraces a Banksy-like attitude: “Comfort kills the necessity of getting better. ” If Dor rises in Hollywood, it won’t be quietly.