Digital Event Horizon
The latest release from TriStar Pictures employs AI-powered de-aging technology to bring back Tom Hanks and Robin Wright across multiple time periods. Find out more about this groundbreaking use of artificial intelligence in film production.
TriStar Pictures' "Here" employs AI-powered visual effects to de-age actors Tom Hanks and Robin Wright across a 60-year span. The film's production company, Metaphysic, developed the facial modification system using custom machine-learning models trained on frames of Hanks' and Wright's previous films. AI-powered de-aging technology allows for instant face transformations without traditional CGI requirements. The technique analyzes facial landmarks and maps them to trained age variations, enabling a level of realism previously unimaginable in film productions. The use of AI-powered de-aging technology has been seen in other 2024 releases, but with estate approval under California legislation. Industry concerns persist about AI's role in filmmaking, particularly creative control and ownership issues.
Ars Technica has recently covered a fascinating development in the world of film production, as TriStar Pictures' latest release, "Here", employs cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) to de-age actors Tom Hanks and Robin Wright across a 60-year span. This groundbreaking use of AI-powered visual effects marks one of Hollywood's first full-length features built around such technology.
According to the context data provided, the film's production company, Metaphysic, developed the facial modification system by training custom machine-learning models on frames of Hanks' and Wright's previous films. This included a large dataset of facial movements, skin textures, and appearances under varied lighting conditions and camera angles. The resulting models can generate instant face transformations without the months of manual post-production work traditional CGI requires.
Unlike previous aging effects that relied on frame-by-frame manipulation, Metaphysic's approach generates transformations instantly by analyzing facial landmarks and mapping them to trained age variations. This innovative technique allows for a level of realism that was previously unimaginable in film productions.
The use of AI-powered de-aging technology has already found its way into other 2024 releases, such as "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" and "Alien: Romulus", which employed similar techniques to re-create deceased actors' characters. However, these implementations required estate approval under new California legislation governing AI recreations of performers, often called deepfakes.
The film industry is currently navigating the complexities of integrating AI technology into their productions, with major studios exploring various applications beyond visual effects. Companies like Runway are developing text-to-video generation tools, while others create AI systems like Callaia for script analysis and pre-production planning.
Despite these efforts, concerns about AI's role in filmmaking persist, particularly when it comes to issues of creative control and ownership. The Screen Actors Guild and Writers Guild secured some AI limitations in recent contracts, but many industry veterans see the technology as inevitable. As one industry executive noted, "Everyone's nervous... And yet no one's quite sure what to be nervous about."
In conclusion, the use of AI-powered de-aging technology in film production represents a significant step forward in visual effects and creative storytelling. While challenges remain, the potential for innovation and artistic expression is vast.
Related Information:
https://arstechnica.com/ai/2024/11/new-zemeckis-film-used-ai-to-de-age-tom-hanks-and-robin-wright/
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11-05/here-tom-hanks-robin-wright-robert-zemeckis-interview/104531082
Published: Mon Nov 4 16:47:20 2024 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
