Andy Serkis Reveals Why AI Is Being Used In ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum’
Andy Serkis has spent years working at the center of movie technology, from creating Gollum in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ films to helping push performance capture into the mainstream. Now, as he returns to Middle-earth to direct and star in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum,’ the actor is also addressing one of the biggest topics in entertainment today: artificial intelligence.
In a recent interview with Variety, Serkis discussed how AI will fit into the making of ‘The Hunt for Gollum’ and explained that the technology will only have a small role in the upcoming film. While AI tools are becoming more common in Hollywood, Serkis said the movie will still rely heavily on traditional filmmaking techniques.
Serkis confirmed that AI will not be used to create entire scenes or replace the work of artists and filmmakers. Instead, the technology will mainly assist with specific processes, such as de-aging certain characters.
“Not at present, other than some of the de-aging. There’s a little bit of de-aging for some of the characters and machine learning is part of the process,” Serkis told Variety.
The director also pointed back to the original ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy as an example of how technology can be used creatively. He mentioned MASSIVE, the computer program created by Peter Jackson’s team that allowed thousands of digital Orcs to move and act individually during large battle sequences.
“When you think about it, in the original ‘Lord of the Rings’ films, Peter created MASSIVE, which was a program which allowed 1000s of orcs to all have their own individual mindset. So that is a brilliant example of an incredible use of AI,” Serkis explained.
For ‘The Hunt for Gollum,’ Serkis said the goal is to combine modern technology with classic filmmaking methods. He wants the film to bring together practical effects, miniatures, and digital tools rather than depending entirely on computer-generated work.
“We’re not creating AI shots in our movie, every shot is created in a traditional way,” he said. “One of the things that I really wanted to do with this film was to bring back all of the great filmmaking skills, from miniatures to prosthetics and marry them up.”
Serkis also shared his thoughts on whether AI could eventually replace performance capture, a technique that has defined much of his career. While he believes AI can create impressive images, he does not think it can replace the human choices that make a performance special.
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“It’s not authored by a performance,” Serkis said, explaining that AI-generated characters are different from the work actors create through emotion, movement, and storytelling.
He added that performance capture remains a unique form of acting because the actor is still creating the character behind the digital image.
“I’ve never seen performance capture as anything other than an actor’s performance, because you’re doing everything that you would do to create a normal character on screen,” Serkis said.
Serkis also believes it is time for the Academy Awards to recognize motion capture performances in traditional acting categories. He argued that actors using the technology are still delivering real performances and deserve the same recognition as any other performers.
“Yeah, absolutely. I really do. I think it’s been a long time coming,” he said when asked about motion capture actors receiving Oscar nominations.
As AI continues changing the entertainment industry, Serkis believes the key is using the technology responsibly. For him, AI should be viewed as a tool that helps creators rather than something that replaces them.
“We are the parents of AI, and we have to be good parents and teach AI well,” Serkis said. “If we teach AI well, then it can help us across many industries.”
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