According to the New York Post on December 27, 2021, a video that went viral on the Internet showed a driver in the United States encountering a dog "driving" a Tesla car on the highway, but it was subsequently confirmed to be a scam.
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Blake Missick, an influencer from Austin, Texas, recently admitted that the video was curated by himself, but before that, it had fooled a lot of people on social media and in the news. In a newly released video, Michik explains, "I started out wanting to direct a perfect viral video. ”
It is understood that the title of the video is "This dude is driving on the road", showing a furry pet dog appearing to be driving a 2017 Tesla Model X car on the road. The filmmaker can be heard exclaiming in the background of the video: "This is crazy, there is no one inside!" Is this legal? ”
The video quickly went viral on social media and was shared by many American media outlets, with more than 10 million views on some websites, and many wondered if the incredible video that Misik had captured was genuine. Misick even gave an interview to the US media, in which he claimed that he had stumbled upon this surreal scene while driving with friends.
Surprisingly, in a follow-up video, Misik admitted to orchestrating the whole thing. This is very different from what he said in the interview, when he claimed he had nothing to do with the "dog driving" video. In the video, Misik explains his inspiration, saying, "It all started a few months ago when an advertising agency told me I couldn't make a video that would generate millions of views. It made me angry, but what really made me angry was having someone message me saying 'your video sucks'. ”
After that, Misick "spent money consulting with a Hollywood stunt coordinator, rented a Tesla, and asked my roommate and his dog to help." He then headed down a private road to film the stunt until it was "perfect." Misik did not elaborate on how he achieved the effect of having a dog drive a car. However, some netizens said that he was mocking Tesla's autopilot function. According to US media reports, although the "autopilot software" requires the driver to always put his hand on the steering wheel, it is easy to be deceived and will think that behind the steering wheel is a human.
At the end of the explanatory video, Misik celebrates that he has deceived everyone. Despite the fact that this "perfect viral spread video" only allowed him to add a minuscule 6 subscribers to the video-sharing platform Youtube. In addition, the Austin Police Department's Animal Cruelty Group is currently investigating this bizarre gimmick. (Editor: HHJ)