Normally I would question whether or not anyone thinks that cinematic advancements are going too far, but it’s becoming insanely apparent that such is not the case, as people keep moving ahead to create every possible advantage they can when it comes to the cinematic experience. Now it’s not just adding in different faces, it’s using neural networks to make it possible to dub movies in other languages, AND make their mouths and facial expressions match the words that are being dubbed. This is convenience on a level that’s making Deepfake a little less scary since now it’s apparent that someone could come in and replace an actor almost entirely by using this program as well as something like Deepfake that can make a completely counterfeit actor. It might sound like paranoia at this point in time, but someone has to be looking at this and wondering when deceased actors and their voice patterns are going to start being used to create new movies and TV shows. That alone is creepy enough since with the use of body doubles it’s very likely that it could happen. Would anyone in Hollywood admit to doing such a thing? Imagine if an actor passed and no one knew about it, and thanks to programs like this and Deepfake they could keep making movies using a body double without anyone being the wiser? Again, paranoia is definitely fueling that thought, but at some point, it’s bound to feel less like paranoia and more like a possible reality if things keep heading the way they are. Some folks will most likely enjoy this since they don’t like reading subtitles, which is a big, sarcastic ‘boo hoo’. But some individuals actually enjoy the dubbing since it keeps the originality of the movie and doesn’t mess with things that should be kept the way they are. It’s not about the purity of anything, it’s the respect that’s due to a movie that’s already been shot in one language and has to be dubbed in another.
Even the promo that was cut for this program is laughable since it’s essentially being made to feel as though it’s re-inventing the wheel when what it’s really doing is using technology to gloss over something that some folks don’t like in order to create what some would feel is an equal experience for everyone. That part is hard to get away from, that the program could possibly make people more comfortable with seeing movies, without subtitles, and without watching the actors’ mouths move independently of the words. That’s the one concession that some folks would be able to give for this program, but there are others that would admit that they like the lack of continuity between what’s being said and the actor’s facial expressions. It defies an easy explanation, but it hearkens back to a time when without subtitles one had to go by what was happening and how people were reacting to each other in the movie to really understand what was going on in a foreign film. The fact that some folks apparently can’t teach themselves how to read subtitles and watch the movie at the same time is likely one of the many reasons this program exists, but another reason has to be that people are simply looking for every possible way to make life easier on so many different levels. As nice as that is at times, it’s a part of why people go soft as they grow up with these niceties and don’t have to learn the same type of things that their elders did.
Yes, that sounds a bit crotchety and not realistic, but there are things that appear as boons today that are worth a good shake of the head and eye-roll since they make people way too dependent on technology and less dependent on their own judgment. From the things we learn as children to the lessons that are imparted upon us as adults, the harder lessons are sometimes the best to learn even if they’re sometimes the most painstaking to endure. But not wanting to read subtitles is perhaps one of the worst excuses in the history of cinema to do anything like this. The technological marvel of this program isn’t about to be lost on anyone that has a chance to see it, but the fact is that it’s another level of conformity that might not be as big of a deal as one might think, but could, like many things, become a little troubling if it’s used in a way that’s less than ethical. The hope is that it won’t be used for anything other than what’s shown in the clip, but the concern is that temptation is a little strong sometimes and it’s possible that someone might try to convince folks that it’s time to bring back the classics.
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