Netflix vs Deepfake: The Irishman
How is De-aging Technology Works?

According to the film’s VFX supervisor, Pablo Helman, who stated that 1,750 shots were required for two and a half hours of shooting, the carefully placed on-set lighting captured the actor's facial performances from different angles, while at the same time shining infrared light on the actors’ faces without being seen on the production camera. Thus, the system was able to analyze the lighting and texture information and created a machinable geometry network for each frame.

Working with multiple cameras is indispensable in the process. While shooting, they work with a three-camera rig with a central camera, which also has a director’s camera. The other two cameras are there to record data. Why? “Because we don’t have markers on their faces, the more data we have the better the chance to recreate performance. So the software will keep an eye on these three cameras and the information from them” Helman explains. So more data means a more realistic and accurate image.

De-aging technology is not a technique Hollywood is unfamiliar with. We know that it was used in many films before The Irishman (2019), such as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), Captain America: Civil War (2016), and Blade Runner 2049 (2017). Although this technology has managed to create an astonishing illusion today, it is not yet perfect. But when it does, it is not difficult to foresee that cinema and acting will take on a new dimension.

You can check this video if you wanna learn more about how these scenes made.
['Mustafa Yarımbaş']
['Machine Learning', 'Technology', 'Artificial Intelligence', 'Film', 'Netflix']