Tom Hanks and Robin Wright’s latest film showcases real-time anti-aging artificial intelligence technology

Briefly: The use of artificial intelligence in movies remains a controversial topic, but there are some situations where the use of the technology seems more acceptable than others. Digitally de-aging actors, for example, has been a common sight on the big screen for years, and never has the process been more advanced than in Robert Zemeckis’s new film Here, starring Tom Hanks and Robin Wright.

Adapted from the 2014 comic book, Here is filmed from a single camera position from the time dinosaurs roamed the earth to the modern age. The story follows Hanks and Wright’s characters from their teenage years to old age, which means there’s heavy use of AI-powered effects.

It was the job of visual effects company Metaphysic to transform Hanks, 68, and Wright, 58, into younger versions of themselves. The firm’s facial modification system works by training machine learning models on stills from Hanks and Wright’s previous films, displaying them at various ages, angles and in different lighting. The Princess Bride and The Man with the Red Shoes can be considered part of this library.

Unlike traditional de-aging effects that require extensive and lengthy post-production work, Metaphysic Live VFX technology instantly applies the de-aging effect to actors during shooting by analyzing facial markings and applying aged faces, hence the “Live” part. your name

The use of Metaphysic Live meant that the film crew could view two monitors during the filming of Here: one showing unaltered footage of the actors, and the other showing them at different ages of their lives.

What did Hanks really look like at 29?

“This technology doesn’t need dots on faces. It doesn’t need multiple witness cameras or any intrusive technology,” said VFX supervisor Kevin Baillie. Diversity.

Here’s nearly 40-minute runtime features older actors, including Kelly Reilly and Paul Bettany, who play Hank’s character’s parents, but it still managed to stay within its relatively low $45 million budget.

Using modern CGI to digitally de-age movie stars has had huge consequences advances In recent years – just look at the wildly unnatural “young” Jeff Bridges in 2010’s Tron: Legacy, compared to today’s efforts like Robert De Niro in The Irishman and Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and Dial of Destiny.

While delaying the aging of stars may seem like one of the less controversial ways to use AI in the film industry, the ability to bring actors back from the dead is a topic that deserves more attention. A company in September suing Disney It’s about reprising actor Peter Cushing, who died in Rogue One. Meanwhile, Robert Downey Jr. recently warned that his estate would sue any executives who resemble him after his death.