ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
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GUESS WHO’S BACK? We have covered the nuances of the uncanny valley, but what’s most uncanny is how well the tech actually seems to work, especially in truly live scenarios. Seeing a de-aged actor in a film is one thing – it’s something that could’ve been done in post – but seeing an early-2000s Eminem (real name Marshall Mathers III) or resuscitated Elvis on live TV is another. “We’re seeing a lot of other companies out there developing their tech,” says Ulbrich, “but only testing it in a controlled environment. It may look cool as a demo, but hasn’t yet been battle-tested in real production scenarios.” Because Metaphysic works on both pre-recorded and live productions, the company can use one to battle-test the other – which is exactly what they did for Eminem. The rapper’s Houdini music video sees him confront his younger self (aka his alter ego Slim Shady) to the lyrics, “I sometimes wonder what the old me’d say/If he could see the way shit is today.” For this, Metaphysic created the Shady face and placed it on a body double during filming. Then, at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, they took it one step further, bringing Shady back once more for the live concert. While in-person attendees saw a body double on stage, they were able to watch Slim Shady on the big screens, as did audiences at home. “Once we create a likeness – whether it’s Tom Hanks, Marshall Mathers or whoever – once that exists you can use it for anything. You can use it for music videos, TV commercials, during your tour; even in a major motion picture,” states Ulbrich, noting that applications of this technology go beyond what he himself
could imagine. Now Eminem actually owns his likeness, which he is free to use again on future projects – including live entertainment like tour shows. INTO THE UNKNOWN Historically, VFX has been wildly expensive and downright unfeasible for low-budget productions. GenAI is changing all that, offering ‘nimble and accessible’ tools to all sorts of projects, big or small. “Projects with more humble budgets can easily afford this, whereas before they couldn’t. It unlocks lots of creative ideas that were previously far too expensive to realise,” argues Ulbrich. There’s a general fear that AI will replace human labour and cost creatives their jobs. For instance, Zemeckis could have cast several actors to play the main characters of Here through the years, but this could have made the film feel slightly disjointed. Alternatively, he could have swung in the opposite direction, taking a Richard Linklater approach and making Here a decades-long project. By using GenAI instead, Zemeckis saves time and money while maintaining creative continuity. “We can make more of these projects now because the costs are coming down,” Ulbrich adds. “A lot of the people who are doing our AI work come from traditional digital effects or other areas because they pick up this stuff so quickly,” shares Ulbrich. “And in many ways, it’s more intuitive than the old tools. It’s easier to understand this once you see it, but it just makes sense. “I always think that fear isn’t an option. I imagine that the people who invented lanterns would have been very angry with Thomas Edison. The horse-and- buggy people probably didn’t care for
I always think that fear isn’t an option... there are people harnessing this technology in a way that’s inspired, to benefit their creative vision”
Henry Ford either. Here we are,” Ulbrich says matter-of-factly. “We see enormous opportunity for people and their careers – and there are people harnessing this technology in a way that’s inspired, to benefit their creative vision.”
metaphysic.ai
The likeness of Eminem’s younger self created by Metaphysic is now owned by him, and can be used in all kinds of media settings, including live shows
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