Mumbai1 day agoAuthor: Virendra Mishra/ Abhinav Tripathi
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Can a dead actor reappear on screen? Usually the answer is – No, but this is possible in the age of AI i.e. Artificial Intelligence. A virtual model can be created with the help of AI by collecting old films, videos, photos and pbl visuals of the actor. Then it can be used in films.
Body doubles shoot their parts in the absence of the actor, this will not be necessary with the help of AI. With its help, a digital double will be prepared instead of a body double, which will easily shoot dangerous action sequences.
In today’s episode of Reel to Real we talk about the growing impact, importance and misuse of AI in filmmaking. For this, Divya Bhaskar discussed with director Sam Bhattacharjee who runs the VFX company.
Will digital double replace body double?
You must be familiar with the work of body doubles in film. A body double is one that shoots the actors’ limbs in their absence. According to Sam, the day is not far when one will hear talk of digital double instead of body double. Digital double is a technology developed by AI, which is used in films. It has already started in Hollywood. This technology will also be used in Indian cinema in the coming time.
Now understand… What is a digital double?
The actor’s face and body are first scanned with the help of AI. AI understands the actor’s face and his gestures. A machine called photogeometry scans the actor’s body 360 degrees, then creates a virtual look of the actor. It will look exactly like a human, although it cannot be touched or felt.
Sam Bhattachari said that AI technology is used a lot in Hollywood films. This concept is mostly used in shooting action sequences. This technique has been used extensively in films such as X-Machine, The Matrix and Robot and Frank.
This is a scene from the movie Ex Machina.
Actors don’t need makeup to look young or old
This is a technology that can make a person look like a 100-year-old man or even a 10-year-old child. Sam said earlier it was done manually, meaning make-up was used to make the actor look younger. Now with the advent of AI there is no need to do makeup etc.
The director will sit in his chair, the AI will do all the work
Sam said – Companies operating AI claim that there will come a time when the director will sit in an empty chair. All work from camera work to scripting will be done by AI. There will also be no need for actors, as they will already be created virtually.
Take the example of Chat GPT. You can write whatever you want through Chat GPT. However, it does not require humans. People will also have to manage the AI. Manpower will also be needed to check the quality of the technology that AI is developing and giving us. Sam says that the arrival of AI will reduce the work of VFX.
Old actors will be seen again on screen
According to Sam, even old actors who cannot walk or who are no longer in this world can be portrayed in films with the help of AI and machine learning. Sam said- Suppose there is an actor named X, he is 90 years old and he is no longer working in films. Once upon a time X was a big superstar.
Some film-makers want to show X in their film for some time. In such a case, his old photographs and videos will be examined. Through that video, the AI will capture his facial expressions and conversational tone and create the same character. It will look realistic and will be used in the film.
Pictures of Gandhiji and Swami Vivekananda are used here for illustrative purposes only. With the help of AI, these two-year-old photos have been made to move
Sam said that this has been happening in Hollywood for years, but some actors are now starting to object to it. He says his voice or face cannot be used without permission.
Preparing to cast late actors in the film
Sam said that he is going to work on a project in the near future. In that project, he will cast an actor who is no longer in this world. Sam did not reveal the actor’s name, but said he would first take permission from the late actor’s family. We will use that actor’s voice and face after obtaining the legal license.
Sam said that his role in the film will be 5 to 6 minutes. This is possible only and only because of AI technology. The advantage of this is that the family members of that actor will also get some money from this. Sam said that one’s face and voice should not be used without permission. This is a crime.
Sam said that in Hollywood old actors and singers get royalties, but not so in the Indian film industry. For example, if the movie Titanic released in 1997 does business today i.e. in 2024, all the actors working in it will get a portion of the earnings as royalties.
The story of the movie ‘Bade Mian Chhote Mian’ is also based on AI
The story of Akshay Kumar-Tiger Shroff starrer Bade Mian Chote Mian, released today, is also based on AI. Actor Prithviraj Sukumaran, who plays the villain in the film, creates a robot with the help of AI. These robots are clones of army officers i.e. look like them. With its help, Prithviraj Sukumaran’s character wants to attack India through his own people. The storyline of the film shows how dangerous the misuse of AI can be.
The film has been released in theaters today.
Hollywood actors took to the streets against AI
Sam said that AI technology is widely used in film making. However, it also has some disadvantages, which we see every day. He gave the example of the Hollywood writers’ strike in Los Angeles last year. In fact last year (2023) 1.71 lakh writers and artists protested outside Netflix offices in Los Angeles.
He said that with the help of artificial intelligence, new ideas, story lines, dialogues and script writing are being done in Hollywood, due to which writers are not getting work and they are also being fired.
Many Hollywood celebrities supported the protest. It included big actors like George Clooney, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Lawrence, Charlize Theron, Olivia Wilde.
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) demanded that faces and voices generated by artificial intelligence should not be used as replacements for actors.
Deepfake videos are also a concern
Another disadvantage of AI is that we are seeing in the form of deepfake videos. Celebrities’ faces are being lifted and pasted on other people’s bodies. Recently, one such deepfake video of Rashmika went viral.
The body in the video belonged to British-born model Zara Patel, but due to AI abuse, Rashmika’s face was superimposed on her body. This was quite offensive to watch. Many big actors including Amitabh Bachchan also opposed it.
India’s first film based on AI technology
Sam Bhattachari has produced a film titled IRAH. This is India’s first film, which has been made solely with the help of AI technology. The subject of the film is also related to AI. Sam also gave us a tour of his office, Pickle VFX, where VFX work was being done for several films.