Deepfake Tech Allows Bruce Willis To Return To the Screen Without Ever Being on Set (telegraph.co.uk) 36
Bruce Willis has become the first Hollywood star to sell his rights to allow a "digital twin" of himself to be created for use on screen. From a report: Using deepfake technology, the actor appeared in a phone advert without ever being on set, after his face was digitally transplanted onto another performer. Willis allowed US firm Deepcake, which makes "digital twins," to use his face. In a statement on its website, Willis said: "I liked the precision with which my character turned out. It's a mini-movie in my usual action-comedy genre. For me, it is a great opportunity to go back in time. With the advent of modern technology, even when I was on another continent, I was able to communicate, work and participate in the filming. It's a very new and interesting experience, and I thank our entire team." UPDATE 10/3/2022: Bruce Willis Denies Selling Rights To His Face
In a statement (Score:5, Funny)
Willis said: "I liked the precision with which my character turned out. It's a mini-movie in my usual action-comedy genre. For me, it is a great opportunity to go back in time. With the advent of modern technology, even when I was on another continent, I was able to communicate, work and participate in the filming. It's a very new and interesting experience, and I thank our entire team."
Are we sure he said that?
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Are you getting all your fruits and veggies? Suffering from stage 1 malnutrition? If you can answer either of these questions, it's time for Juice PLUS+. [karisenterprises.com]
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Are we sure he said that?
I get the joke.
Seriously, though, Bruce Willis is unfortunately having significant problems with aphasia now. So he almost certainly was not the one who said that.
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Aphasia comes in many forms, and he could have issues with auditory language processing that didn't affect his ability to read or write.
But yeah, it's probably someone speaking on his behalf.
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Whatever it was he did or didn't say, it's more than year-old news, this is something he did for a Russia telco in 2021, before Putin's War started.
Next we'll have a duplicate post of this year-old story as well.
Guess we don't need new actors any more (Score:5, Interesting)
I guess we don't need new actors any more, we will just keep old ones alive forever.
The new Bond might as well be a young Sean Connery.
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I sure would like to see that!!
The one true James Bond, they got it right on film the first time.
Go back to more cool gadgets, have James be the womanizer he is supposed to be, slap a girl on the ass every now and then....
And while at it, bring back a young Maude Adams...YOWZA!!!!
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Go back to more cool gadgets, have James be the womanizer he is supposed to be, slap a girl on the ass every now and then....
Clue: If modern 007s aren't doing that, it's not because of the actors...
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The one true James Bond, they got it right on film the first time.
Define: "right". Casino Royale has been the most faithful to the source material bond ever released. Connery may be the most romanticized and loved version of Bond but he certainly wasn't right in the eyes of Ian Fleming who wrote the character.
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Simone II (Score:2)
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He just totally star as the male lead in Simone II!
Or, more concisely, Simtwo ...
[ For those unfamiliar with the film Simone [wikipedia.org] (S1mOne). ]
His digital triplicate complimented the duplicate (Score:2)
Bruce was impressed how its post matched his style, the one where he wasn't drinking, and was trying to be nice.
Die Hard 6 (Score:3)
Multiple versions of John McClane have to team up to take down the bad guys after terrorists take over a time machine. I'll take my cut as 4% of box office + streaming, thanks Hollywood.
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Throw in the five multiverse Hans Grubers and you've got a winner (although Alan Rickman might rise from the dead and write something really biting and nasty about it).
Thus is being used in documentaries too (Score:5, Interesting)
The BBC recently aired a documentary about the persecution of LGBT people in Chechnya [bbc.co.uk]. Instead of pixelating the faces of victims to protect their identities, the film makers used deepfake technology to give each victim a "digital ‘face-double’". The result was impressively seamless.
Deep fake, AI (Score:2)
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I feel like the world is finally ready for All My Circuits
There's a great song about this (Score:3)
"Hologram Man" by Cats In Space
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld56R5DQKTc [youtube.com]
Let’s welcome back the legend
But you can’t shake his hand
And we can see right through him
To his original backing band
Why are we digging up our heroes?
Are there no more superstars?
How I long for the days of Top of the Pops
He’s a m-m-m-m-money machine
Making more now he’s kicked the can
The tills are ringing
Everybody’s singing with the hologram man
He won’t get tired of playing
We’re selling out of merchandise
The golden goose keeps laying
And everybody gets a slice
And now they’re adding up the zeros
From their pseudo-superstar
How I long for the days of Top of the Pops
He’s a m-m-m-m-money machine
Making more now he’s kicked the can
The tills are ringing
Everybody’s singing with the hologram man
We keep the mega-dollar making machine
In a flight case in the van
The tills are singing
Everybody’s winning with the hologram man
[Instrumental]
Now you see him, now you don’t
Now you see him, now you don’t
Now you see him, now you don’t
Now you see him, now you don’t
Now you see him, now you don’t
Now you see him, now you don’t
He’s a m-m-m-m-money machine
Making more now he’s kicked the can
The tills are ringing
Everybody’s singing with the hologram man
We keep the mega-dollar making machine
In a flight case in the van
The tills are singing
Everybody’s winning with the hologram man
Now you see him, now you don’t
Now you see him, now you don’t
Ooh yeah
Now you see him, now you don’t
Now you see him, now you don’t
Can you see me?
Oh can you see me?
I’m gone
Come on, man! (Score:2)
You can't have an article about Bruce Willis and AI generated video without an actual video!
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Ask and ye shall receive [youtube.com]
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I just got Rickrolled in 2022.
You could... a year ago. (Score:2)
Nick Allen at The Telegraph is bad at internet.
Maybe not as bad as the ad itself [youtube.com] but still...
So what is the point of superstars? (Score:2)
I generally like Bruce Willis movies.
I won't deny that I'm more likely to watch certain movies because of the line-up.
But in light of this invention I'm challenging my inclination to watch movies based on the cast..
But just why do I like the Die Hard movies? Is it the story? The dialogue? The actors' physical appearance?
If it's the acting then doesn't this change with this technology? It's another artist performing.
Would the movies have been as popular with a lesser-known lead? Everyone starts somewhere.
Als
This takes jobs away from other actors (Score:5, Insightful)
This takes jobs away from other able actors, and adds to the free money to the Willis estate. The copyright retirement/benefactor plan is already 95-170 years of payments. Now that clock can start after you are dead.
Good so your descendants never need to work.
Think of the children (of the rich) !
Good for the eventual all-owning AI corporations as well.
Think of the children (of Robots) !
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No it doesn't. It takes recognition away from them. The other actors are still required to act and get paid, but the point of the advert was not to have any old actor in it, they were looking for a specific fame and as such other actors don't fit the bill for this job.
Deepfakes won't replace acting.
So, when AI does all the actors and sets (Score:2)
But Wait, It Gets Worse (Score:1)
Straped for cash (Score:2)
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He just can't work any more. He was just not up to doing any non-crap movie. So he did 1-2 days of shooting for a million or two for each movie.
I don't think he's really strapped for cash, but I do think he was trying to earn and save as much money as he can while he can still earn it.
The digital rights option is just the culmination of that, allowing him to finally retire (which he should have done before).
Bruce Willis? (Score:2)
Deepfakes are usually expressionless, barely human wooden simulacra.
How ever will such things manage to convey Mr Willis' subtlety and nuance?
What? (Score:2)
What? I thought he already was a deep fake.