March 27, 2024

Deepfakes in Films - Welcomed or Feared?

Deepfake is a useful technology for the film industry, but its artificiality and ethical issues hinder it from being widely accepted. By Ching Wai.

US - Synthetic film dubbing, or deepfake, have been used in films to alter mouth movements of actors to match alternative dialogue. Usually used in post-production, deepfake can save producers, crew and the cast time and money, switching out the need to reshoot scenes or cast specific actors for example. However, deepfake is itself an expensive technology to invest in, and its artificiality and ethical issues have hindered it from being more widely accepted.

Deepfake can be used in movies for different purposes. This is inclusive of, but not limited to, creating hyper-realistic special effects, censorship, being a better dubbing solution for films translated into other languages, and replacing actors with digital doubles. This replacing of actors with digital doubles can be for multiple reasons that limits the actor from actually being on set to film. For example, should the actor have passed, the image of a deceased actor can be edited back on screen. In physically demanding scenes with simply impossible or highly dangerous stunts, the digital doubles can stand in place of the actual actor. In the same vein, deepfake can help disabled or injured actors supplement their talents, transcending physical limitations, should the actors desire it. Deepfake can also make senior actors look younger, giving more opportunities for them to take on roles with a younger profile.

Well-known movies that have used deepfake include Fast & Furious 7 (2015), when production created a digital version of Paul Walker with the help of his brother. Paul Walker’s passing was extremely hard hitting on fellow cast, crew, and audiences alike. There was no dry eye when this scene that paid tribute to the late actor came up and Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again” played. In the movies Blade Runner 2049 and The Irishman (2019), deepfake was used to create younger versions of the actors Sean Young and Robert De Niro respectively. In 2022, the movie Fall used deepfake to replace over 30 uses of the F-word to achieve a PG-13 rating. The production team also further used deepfake to dub the movie into multiple languages. These edits allowed the film to ultimately reach a larger audience across ages and languages.

Despite the beautiful and cost-effective movies that deepfake has helped create, public opinion remains speculative of the technology. From questions of ethics to concerns over the loss of autonomy, deepfake seems to incite fear more than fascination. It has gotten a lot of bad reputation outside of film - like the technology being used to spread disinformation and propaganda. The fact that deepfake is essentially fake also creates a sense of disrespect for artistic integrity in terms of production - just how far will movies be edited in post? There is also a discomfort over the possible loss of autonomy, such as a failure to seek consent from the actor before going ahead with using deepfake on their scenes.

With all these concerns over the possible misuse and abuse of deepfake, there is the need for regulations to protect creative and individual rights. Laws regarding deepfake are emerging in countries like China, India, and the U.S., including a deal reached after the actors strike ended in December 2023 that required companies to obtain consent transparently before making digital replicas of actors. As the technology proliferates into the film industry and beyond, we can learn to deal with the possible dangers while embracing its uses.

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