In recent years, as some film and television actors have been "banned" due to moral anomie, many crews have chosen to use immature AI face-swapping technology to "save the scene" in order to maintain their huge investment and reputation.
It's like a pot of porridge that was originally delicious suddenly fell into a filthy mouse droppings, and the long-awaited dish became difficult to swallow. The shoddy face-swapping effect not only failed to achieve the purpose of "painting snakes to add enough", but also brought unspeakable pain to the crew and the audience.
This paper intends to analyze five representative dramas that use AI to change faces due to the overturning of the starring role, point out the drawbacks and shortcomings of this technology at the current stage, and reflect on the social responsibility of actors as public figures, so as to avoid the alienation of peers into "poisonous rat feces", which will make many programs go to waste.
We hope that the relevant technology can mature and improve as soon as possible, and truly facilitate the production of film and television works, instead of becoming a stumbling block that restricts creation and corrupts the perception. Actors should also bear in mind their social responsibilities, and any words and deeds may cause irreparable damage to the work and colleagues.
Only by the joint efforts of all parties can a good drama be "stewed and fragrant", and the "rat droppings" from individuals can be isolated from the pot forever.
The TV series "The Rise of the Great Qin Empire" is destined to go through a lot of twists and turns. The second male number in the play is Bai Qi, and it has been determined that the powerful actor Wang Moubing will play the role. However, before the drama started, Wang Moubing was taken away by law enforcement for serious violations.
At this time, the crew was in a dilemma, the reshoot was undoubtedly time-consuming and laborious, it was difficult to accept direct deletion, and it was difficult to convince the audience to change the actors. After careful consideration, the producer decided to use Xing Jiadong to fully reinterpret all 239 minutes of footage from Bai Qi.
It is conceivable that this poses a huge challenge to Xing Jiadong's acting skills and willpower. Re-enacting many scenes like a single person talking to himself on a cold green screen is extremely challenging and the process is boring.
But Xing Jiadong did not flinch, and took on this disgraceful task alone. For 10 months, he insisted on filming like strength training, and finally perfectly presented the character's personality.
The audience was also moved by his professionalism and recognized his acting skills. The producer's choice of a full reshoot can be said to be the right decision after weighing the pros and cons, so as to avoid letting a grain of rat feces ruin the delicious porridge in the big pot.
Yu Zhongjun, the second male lead in the TV series "Wind and Rain Sending Spring Back", was originally confirmed to be played by Zhao Mouxin. But not long after the finale, Zhao Mouxin was banned for making inappropriate remarks on social media.
This undoubtedly dealt a heavy blow to the crew. The remake is obviously difficult to implement, and it is reluctant to delete it directly, and it is in a dilemma for a while.
Among the various options, the crew decided to enable AI technology, and completed post-production for Zhao Mouxin due to the earthquake. This seems to be a feasible solution, but due to the huge difference in height and body shape between the two, the picture is seriously distorted.
Yu Zhen has a tall stature of 186 cm, while Zhao Mouxin is only 174 cm. A tall man's large face is abruptly grafted onto the shorter man's body, and even if the front is not seen, the silhouette shows traces of forced "transplantation".
The whole picture is extremely incongruous, and the characters' language and demeanor are completely incoherent with their external images.
The lesson of this mistake shows that AI technology still needs to be improved, and it still cannot remove the barriers caused by the difference between old and new actors. It's like a grain of rat droppings that can't be repaired, and it can lead to even greater destruction.
It is impossible to perfectly execute such a difficult "delicious rescue plan" on its own.
The initial production of the TV series "The Wind" went smoothly, until the male No. 2 Feiyuan was originally scheduled to be "harmonious" by Zhao Mouxin. The crew is in a dilemma, reshooting is tantamount to increasing costs in vain, and they are reluctant to delete it directly, and they are in a situation where they are in a hurry.
In desperation, they found Zhou Yiwei, hoping that he would use AI face-swapping technology to save the "harmonious" character.
The reasons for this decision seem to be well-founded, and Zhou Yiwei's acting skills are outstanding and should be up to the task. However, he and Zhao Mouxin are very different in body shape and appearance, and there is a serious incongruity in the direct replacement of faces.
The audience can often see the shadow of the old face through the huge new face, and the whole picture is extremely eerie. It's like an oversized stone smashed into the lake, and the waves stirred up make it impossible to see the lake as it is.
This shows that the current AI face swapping technology is not enough to eliminate the differences between people, it is like a moldy and spoiled mouse droppings, not only failed to repair the damage, but also may cause visual fatigue to more audiences.
The crew should not rely too much on immature technical means, but should handle emergencies more prudently to avoid ruining the accumulated reputation and trust due to momentary mistakes.
The spy war drama "Odds" can be described as full of twists and turns. The heroine of the play was originally scheduled to be Korean actor Han Chaeyoung, but the implementation of the "Korean Restriction Order" forced the crew to find another candidate.
After comparison, Su Qing is considered to have the ability to take over. But let an actor only pass the green screen Terminology explained: Green screen refers to the green backdrop used in film and television shoots for post-compositing purposes.
Performing against a green screen requires a strong imagination and acting ability.
Dialogue, creating another actor's role that has been stereotyped, can be imagined as difficult.
As a result, Su Qing's role in post-production failed to fully restore the personality and charm established by Han Chaeyoung, she was like a "passerby" who didn't know enough about this "body", and her performance was distorted and stiff.
This proves that the current AI technology cannot effectively make up for the problems caused by the differences in actors, it is like a moldy and spoiled mouse droppings, which not only cannot repair the damage, but can also make the quality of the drama more worrisome.
The crew should not rely too much on such immature technical means. Actors should also always be mindful of their social responsibilities and avoid personal misconduct that may affect their works and teams.
Only when all parties work together can we make good dramas go farther and farther, and not be ruined by temporary negligence in "rat".
The fashion drama "Buy and Leave, I Love You" had already been finalized for Zhai Tianlin to play the leading role, but Zhai Tianlin was banned due to moral anomie. The producer urgently needed a new actor to replace him, but the casting was difficult, and Yang Shize was finally locked.
However, the difference in size and appearance between the two is too obvious. Yang Shize is tall and thin, while Zhai Tianlin is medium and round, and there is no similarity in facial features.
This leads to the fact that the male protagonist after the AI face change sometimes reveals the shadow of Yang Shize, and sometimes looks like Zhai Tianlin. The whole character lacks consistent internal and external characteristics, as if a rootless and sourceless wandering spirit, which seriously affects the audience's plot experience.
This is like a moldy and spoiled mouse droppings, which not only cannot make up for the losses caused by Zhai Tianlin, but also further deteriorates the perception.
This shows that the current AI face-swapping technology is not mature enough to effectively deal with the problems caused by the differences between actors. The crew should not rely too much on such technical means.
Actors should also keep in mind their social responsibilities and avoid affecting the crew and works due to personal misconduct, and should not turn their peers into difficult rat droppings. Only by working together can entertainment creation be free from difficulties and bad perceptions, and achieve higher-quality development.
Through the above analysis of several representative TV dramas that use AI face swapping technology due to starring in overturning, it is not difficult to find that there are still many deficiencies in the application of this technology at the current stage.
Whether it is the replacement of facial features or the reshoot of the green screen, it is difficult to effectively make up for the differences between new and old actors, which often causes major defects in character settings, picture atmosphere, and viewing experience.
Like a moldy rat droppings, this immature technique is not only unable to undo the damage caused by the actor's lack of morality, but sometimes further deteriorates the overall quality and reputation of the play.
It increases the unnecessary trouble for the crew, and also makes the audience suffer from visual and emotional torture.
We look forward to a breakthrough in AI face swap technology and truly become a powerful tool for production groups. At the same time, actors, as public figures, should also bear in mind their social responsibilities and avoid their own misconduct that will affect others and even their works, turning their peers into rat feces that are difficult to swallow.
Only by working together can we make the road of entertainment creation better and better, avoiding all unnecessary pitfalls.