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From: Paul S Person <psperson@old.netcom.invalid>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.movies
Subject: Re: R.I.P. James Earl Jones (Star Wars, Lion King, etc.)
Date: Sun, 29 Sep 2024 08:45:59 -0700
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On Sat, 28 Sep 2024 20:38:41 +0000,
mummycullen@gmail-dot-com.no-spam.invalid (MummyChunk) wrote:

>
> > > > > In article <vboekc>,
> > > > >  Your Name <YourName> wrote:
> > > > >=20
> > > > > James Earl Jones' Darth Vader Has Already Been Immortalized
>With AI
> > > > >
>-------------------------------------------------------------------
> > > > > James Earl Jones died Monday at the age of 93. But long
>before he
> > > > > did, he gave Lucasfilm permission to recreate his iconic
>Darth
> > > > > Vader voice for shows like Obi-Wan Kenobi.
> > > > >=20
> > > > > If anyone could make the Dark Side sound good, it was James
>Earl
> > > > > Jones. The actor, who died Monday at the age of 93, provided
>the
> > > > > voice for Darth Vader in more than a dozen Star Wars
>properties,
> > > > > from A New Hope to Star Tours. He made the Force sound
>ominous in a
> > > > > way that made it appealing. With his passing, it feels as
>though all
> > > > > the power and gravitas and respect he brought to the
>character is
> > > > > gone.
> > > > >=20
> > > > > It's not. It's in the hands of AI.
> > > > >=20
> > > > > A few years ago, when Jones provided a few lines of dialog as
>Vader
> > > > > for The Rise of Skywalker, he'd expressed interest in
>wrapping up
> > > > > his time as the Sith Lord, according to Vanity Fair.
>Lucasfilm, in
> > > > > need of a way to continue the character - and particular to
> > > > > continue having a version of the character's voice as it
>sounded in
> > > > > those early Star Wars movies - turned to a Ukrainian company
>called
> > > > > Respeecher that used artificial intelligence to make a
>recreation of
> > > > > the Vader voice based on Jones' past performances. (The actor
>signed
> > > > > off on the use of his archive to train the speech model.)
> > > > >=20
> > > > > Jones' passing marks a pivotal moment in the future of
>AI-generated
> > > > > performances. During last year's prolonged Hollywood actors'
>strike,
> > > > > one of the biggest sticking points between the Screen Actors
> > > > > Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists,
>or
> > > > > SAG-AFTRA, and the studios was whether or not studios needed
>to
> > > > > secure permission to use a past performance to train AI
>models.
> > > > > Ultimately, SAG won guardrails around the use of AI in
>recreating
> > > > > performances. Now the question is: How will those play out
>with
> > > > > Darth Vader?
> > > > >=20
> > > > > It's a particularly interesting question when it comes to
>voice
> > > > > acting specifically. The full recreation of vocals may feel
>further
> > > > > along than the full recreation of whole performances, but
>they also
> > > > > feel more poignant.
> > > > >=20
> > > > > When Paul McCartney used AI to help fashion a Beatles song
>from
> > > > > tapes made when the Fab Four were still alive, the results
>felt
> > > > > haunted. When OpenAI released a demo of its voice assistant
>Sky and
> > > > > Scarlett Johansson believed it sounded much like the voice
>she used
> > > > > in Her, she was "shocked, angered, and in
>disbelief" that the
> > > > > company "would pursue a voice that sounded so eerily
>similar to
> > > > > mine." OpenAI denied she was the inspiration but paused
>the demo.
> > > > > Video game voice actors are on strike right now to get
>protections
> > > > > for their vocal performances. Voices, it seems, are currently
>at
> > > > > their highest value.
> > > > >=20
> > > > > Ultimately, what will now happen to the Darth Vader voice is
>not
> > > > > really a question of rights-Jones gave permission - but
>rather one
> > > > > of emotion. Will Lucasfilm, or its parent company Disney,
>want to
> > > > > produce future Star Wars shows or movies featuring AI Vader
> > > > > following Jones' death?
> > > > >=20
> > > >=20
> > > >=20
> > > > Wasn't that the whole point of securing the rights from Jones
>and=20
> > > > creating the AI version in the first place? If Jones's death
>makes it=20
> > > > 'too creepy' or something to use the AI in new projects, then
>what was=20
> > > > the point of doing it all in the first place?
> > > >=20
> > > > With a character as iconic as Vader, should there be a point
>at
> > > > which fans let go?
> > > >=20
> > > > From Audrey Hepburn selling Dove chocolates to hologram Tupac,
> > > > posthumous performances have been a part of pop culture for
>years.
> > > > But unlike Audrey and Pac, Jones is in on the plan; he is
> > > > seemingly the first celebrity to have allowed his iconic
>presence
> > > > to be recreated with AI before his passing. What will likely
> > > > decide how well AI Vader goes over is how it's handled. A
>Darth
> > > > Vader feature film may not be as warmly received as, say, a
>Force
> > > > ghost cameo
> > > >=20
> > >=20
> > >=20
> > > A Force ghost cameo would have Hayden Christiansen's voice, not
>Jones's.
> > >=20
> > > or a flashback. It'll be a test to see how welcomed
> > > the character will be now that the man behind it is gone.
> > >=20
> > BTR1701 wrote:
> >=20
> >=20
> > As a fan, I wouldn't have any problem with it at all since I know
>Jones=20
> > gave his blessing and was presumably well paid for it.
>
>
>The primary goal of securing such rights is often to preserve and
>extend the legacy of the individual, allowing their presence to
>continue in new projects even after their passing. However, the
>emotional impact on audiences and the ethical implications can
>complicate this intention. Some people might find it unsettling or
>disrespectful to use an AI version of a deceased person, which can
>lead to hesitation or backlash.
>
>In essence, while the technical and legal groundwork might be in place
>to use the AI, the human element=97how people feel about it=97plays a
>crucial role in determining whether it=92s appropriate to proceed.
>Balancing respect for the individual=92s legacy with audience sentiment
>is a delicate task.
>=20
>
>This is a response to the post seen at:
>http://www.jlaforums.com/viewtopic.php?p=3D673581561#673581561
>

IIRC, the film /Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow/ did something
like that.

Probably without the AI, though.
--=20
"Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"