Instagram Account Used Unauthorized AI Remake of "El Empleo" to Funnel Users to Paid Filmmaking Service

An Instagram account called Nightframe went viral over the weekend with an AI-generated remake of "El Empleo," the acclaimed 2008 Argentine animated short directed by Patricio Plaza and Santiago Bou Grasso. The 30-second knockoff reportedly drew more than five million views in under 24 hours despite the account having roughly 16,000 followers — and neither director was consulted before its creation or release. Plaza objected to the unauthorized use and the video was subsequently removed.

The commercial dimension emerged on closer inspection: the post's caption prompted viewers to message the account, which triggered an automated reply directing them to AI Film School, a subscription service charging $49 per month. Plaza described the arrangement as using his copyrighted work to make an AI business go viral and generate revenue. The account operator denied any financial relationship with AI Film School, characterizing the video as a hobby experiment, but offered no explanation for why a caption on a supposedly non-commercial video routed viewers to a paid service. The incident carries a pointed irony: "El Empleo" itself depicts humans reduced to exploitable tools — a metaphor that critics of the remake were quick to note.