For Yonathan Dor, one half of The Dor Brothers, AI filmmaking isn’t about speed or savings, but it’s about spirit. “I think fear is the mind killer,” he says, referencing Dune.
The pop cultural references keep coming as I try to unearth what makes one half of AI filmmaking's most popular teams work. Echoing a mantra that shapes his creative life and one of his heroes, Rick Rubin, he says, “If an idea has been generated in your mind, it means that it’s a signal looking for a vessel. If you’re not doing it, somebody else will. It’s already there, in the ether.”
That mix of confidence and conviction defines The Dor Brothers’ work, a blend of satire, cinematic craft, and experimental storytelling that’s helping shape how AI is used in film and advertising. The duo’s viral political satires – such as Mean, Riot, and Ready for 2025?, showing the likes of Trump and Putin as gangsters, Sam Altman lecturing Miyazaki – are why many will know the name. But it's the pair's high-end commercial work that pays off and really showcases what AI can do, alongside music videos with the likes of The Game.
Making AI serve the story
Yonathan's approach to AI tools is pragmatic rather than evangelical. He bristles at the perception that AI automatically makes production 'cheaper and faster'. “That’s not what we do,” he says. “If you want cheaper, go to the next guy. The reason you come to us is because you know we’ll make it happen.”
For The Dor Brothers, the aim is to elevate, and not accelerate, creativity. “The biggest challenge in commercials is to make people on the other side understand that they’re paying you to do your job,” says Yonathan. “If I go to a pizza shop, I don’t go into the kitchen and tell the chef how to make the pizza.”
That respect for the craft extends to how they handle AI’s unpredictability. “We don’t do strict storyboards or timeline every second,” Yonathan explains. “Sometimes you generate something that’s 100 times better than what you wanted. It’s like having a great director of photography […] they spot something beautiful and you build around it. AI is the same; it’s like another creative collaborator.”
A visual identity born from AI
Yonathan doesn’t see AI as a threat to authorship; instead, he sees it as the foundation of his company. “It didn’t just help; it created our company,” he says. “Of course, it’s the people behind the screen who make it happen, but it’s like asking if the camera helped me make a movie.”
He compares AI filmmaking to modern art, telling me it's open, evolving, and impossible to define. “You’re basically asking me, ‘What is modern art?’” he says. “It’s everything. But if there’s one thing AI filmmaking is, it’s freedom of creative expression.”
The Dor Brothers’ output is both playful and precise, often reflecting a wider cultural pulse. Their satirical 'meme videos,' for example, can be turned around within a day of an event, he reveals, when I mention one scene where Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy burns suits in Mean. “One time we did it the day after it happened, people’s minds were blown,” Yonathan says. “That’s one of the good parts of the medium.”
Progressive roots and creative restraint
Behind the cinematic chaos lies a deep sense of artistic discipline, shaped by Yonathan's love of progressive metal, and particularly Tool. “One of my biggest revelations as a teenager was discovering this band that refused to show their faces or do interviews,” he recalls. “They said, ‘You came for the art.’ I love that approach. I don’t want to be famous. The best situation in life is to be successful and not famous.”
That ethos informs how The Dor Brothers handle satire. “We try to keep it classic,” he says. “You don’t want to just throw everything in people’s faces. Satire should be digestible, like eating a truffle chocolate in a restaurant. It might taste less sweet than Nutella, but it’s better delivered.”
For Yonathan, AI’s true power lies in accessibility. “For people who can buy a €100,000 Alexa camera, sure, AI feels threatening,” he says. “But what about the kid in Congo or Pennsylvania who wants to make a movie but has $20 to his name? Are you going to tell him he’s a thief? Let him make a movie.”
He sees AI as the next step in a global creative evolution. A way for new creators from Korea, Africa, and beyond to tell untold stories. “We’re doing a project where we give the same script to our Korean filmmaker and our LA filmmaker,” he says. “It’s amazing how culture changes everything, the way they speak, the cars they drive, the spaces they live in.”
Tools, technique, and what’s next
Yonathan's toolset changes constantly. “Every week it’s different,” he says. “Right now, Veo3 is really good for dialogue and more realistic [content]. Halo AI is the best for movement. If you want a drive-by shot, that’s the one. The rest is interchangeable.”
He embraces the pace of progress that, for many, would be a barrier to using AI, as the models are constantly changing. “For me, every update is like Christmas,” he laughs. “But we’re honest with clients. If someone comes to me with $3 million to make a 90-minute AI movie, I’ll say no. I won’t waste their money or my time. Come back when the tech is ready.”
The Dor Brothers are already preparing for that future. “We have eight scripts ready,” Yonathan reveals. “Our main goal is to get a movie with an A+ or [recognisable] cast. That’s the first big mission.” One dream project is Idiocracy 2, a sequel to the 2007 movie that satires anti-intellectualism. Given today's political climate, where experts are shunned in favour of TikTok conspiracies, it feels ripe for a Dor Bros. treatment. “It hits all over […] it’s so relevant right now,” he says.
The next frontier
But can a feature-length movie really be made using AI, or a blend of AI and traditional filmmaking, which is Yonathan's preference? Can AI have its 'Tron moment' when a new technology and film work to create a new aesthetic?
Not until the technology is there, says Yonathan, who envisions a future where real-time AI filmmaking feels as intuitive as working in Unreal Engine. “Imagine a system where you can say, ‘Generate me Mount Olympus,’ and it just appears,” he says. “Then you tweak the lighting, add a character, and it all stays consistent. That’s where it’s going.”
Until then, Yonathan remains unfazed by the pressure of leading an emerging medium. “For me, pressure is being drafted to war or losing a family member,” he says. “This isn’t pressure, this is fun.”
And if his creative journey has a guiding philosophy, it’s simple: follow the signal. “If an idea comes to you, it’s looking for a vessel,” Yonathan says. “So I just do it. Because if I don’t, someone else will.”
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