Man has reached the point where death can be cheated. At least for entertainment purposes.
Actor, Philip Seymour Hoffman, has recently passed away, but at a most unfortunate time. Hoffman played Plutarch Heavenbee, an important character in the Hunger Games film series. However, he has left the role dangling as the final installment of the Hunger Games has yet to be filmed. Rather than replace him with another actor, the filmmakers of the Hunger Games are trying a new route- recreating him digitally.
Computer animation has reached the point where it can create a computer avatar that will look, move, and talk like a real person. It will look as if there is a real actor, not a digitally created character. This technology is planned to be used to recreate Hoffman and insert his computer double into the film. This technology is truly remarkable. Question is: is it ethical?
To take a person and use their face for your movie without their consent would breach a person's rights- even if they are dead. However, a legal argument could be made stating that Hoffman signed a contract to star in the upcoming pictures of the Hunger Games franchise. Hoffman technically has to continue on with the movies as death is no longer a barrier to the filmmakers. He technically agreed to his continued appearance in the series, even if he was unaware of the measures to do it. And if this new technology of recreating actors continues, it will not have the same questionable ethic in it. The usage of computer doubles will probably be in contracts of now on, so actors will now know what they are going through.
The technology is very extraordinary and has questionable ethics, that are ultimately valid, due to contracts. This development may chronicle an exciting new direction in film-making, or fall out of favor due to attacks from critics. Only time will tell. But for fans of the Hunger Games, rejoice that Hoffman will return from the dead to save the series you love.
