Want to look good in videos captured during your Christmas celebrations? You can with Google Photos! It will let you turn your favourite memories into amazing videos by adding effects. The platform has become extremely popular in recent years, serving as a replacement for the Gallery app on many Android smartphones. While it initially offered a backup facility for all your photos and videos, Google has turned the Photos app into an AI powerhouse, with several nifty features such as Magic Eraser, Photo Unblur, and more. Meanwhile, you can simply add effects to your videos to make them more appealing.
How should face models be compensated in video games?
08.12.2023 - 19:43 / gamedeveloper.com / Quan Chi
What, precisely, is the value of an actor's face in the world of video games?
Say you're a performer who lands a gig on a video game. They only need a single day's work from you, and they're up front about what it is: they need to scan your exceptionally distinctive face to make a highly detailed 3D model of a video game character. You sign the paperwork, go in, get scanned, and then 2-3 years later you see your own face staring back at you in a trailer announcing a new playable character.
That's the exact situation actor and model Shahjehan Khan ran into with the recent release of NetherRealm Studios' Mortal Kombat 1. In a delightfully charming TikTok feature with WBZ News Radio's Matt Shearer, the Boston native recounted his experience becoming the face of Quan Chi, a longtime character reinvented for the series' soft reboot as a DLC character.
In a catchup call with Game Developer Khan described the experience as somewhat overwhelming—in a good way! "It was kind of like feeling [everything] at the same time," he laughed. He said in the last 2 years it's felt like his career has begun to really surge, with more regular gigs with his punk band The Kominas and an appearance on season 4 of the HBO TV show Succession.
Seeing his face—right down to a recognizable birthmark—recreated in a series he loved as a child was a "super cool" experience but it's also "a super scary thing" for his profession, he told Shearer. For a one-time fee Khan (knowingly and willingly, he stressed in our call) signed away his face to NetherRealm and its parent company Warner Bros. Games for the purposes of portraying Quan Chi. The studio and publisher can now use it to make millions in profits for Mortal Kombat 1's lifecycle.
Khan admitted in Shearer's TikTok that he hasn't even been sent a copy of the game.
His fear is only amplified by the potential of generative AI to endlessly recycle performances—one of the many factors that drove actor's union SAG-AFTRA to strike over this summer after negotiations collapsed with the AMPTP. The union's interactive branch is currently negotiating with video game studios on the same topic, and its members have already authorized a strike of their own.
Khan's experience raises a valid question: how precisely, should face models be paid for their work in video games? He only did one day of work, but a performer's face is a deeply personal thing to sign away. Any solutions would be understandably complex.
But, intriguingly, Khan himself may be the face (pun intended) of a solution that could work for performers everywhere. What works for professional models might just be what's needed in the world in video games.
Motion capture performer and technician Katherine Grant-Suttie pointed out in a call
The website gametalkz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
Top Authors
Popular Topics
gamingbolt.com
21.12.2023 / 21:17
Metaphor: ReFantazio – New Screenshots Showcase Characters, Enemies, Locations, and More
Atlus has been releasing plenty of new details on Metaphor: ReFantazio, revealing new tidbits on everything from its combat to its world and more. Now, the developer has released a beefy batch of new screenshots showcasing many of the things it has recently revealed.
gamingbolt.com
20.12.2023 / 01:47
World of Warcraft: The War Within’s New Hero Talent Trees Showcased, Four Hero Specializations Detailed
Blizzard has detailed one of the major new features coming to World of Warcraft with next year’s The War Within expansion—Hero Talents. The new system will have players level up with a new progression track that changes depending on the character theme that the player wants to go with.
gameranx.com
16.12.2023 / 14:57
Legend of Zelda Fans Shouldn’t Expect A “Zelda Maker” Game Anytime Soon
As we’ve noted on the site, long-running franchises sometimes do things like spinoffs to try to “spice things up” and give their fans something they didn’t expect. Mario is legendary for doing this in his franchise, as he’s done sports games, minigame-focused titles, RPGs, and even had his companions lead games like Peach and Luigi. But for The Legend of Zelda, they’ve done considerably fewer spinoffs in the past. The ones they did do were incredibly focused or were meant to coincide with a certain console property, such as with a certain crossbow game. Fans may wonder if something bigger in the spinoff realm could happen soon.
gameranx.com
15.12.2023 / 13:05
Leaked Image From The Last Of Us Online Shows Battle Pass
A new leaked image has released of The Last Of Us Online, that will still be of interest to fans even now that it’s been cancelled.
comingsoon.net
08.12.2023 / 06:33
Hazbin Hotel First Look Images Preview Animed Comedy From Prime Video
Prime Video has released a handful of new images, previewing more of the upcoming animated musical comedy series. The new series from Vivienne Medrano, A24, and Bento Box Entertainment will premiere on January 19, 2024. The new batch of images shows off more of the characters.
comingsoon.net
07.12.2023 / 20:59
Gwyneth Paltrow on How Iron Man Was Filmed Differently Than Rest of MCU Movies
Gwyneth Paltrow has gone into detail about how was made in a different way than the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
eurogamer.net
05.12.2023 / 16:29
No, the Fallout TV show won't have bugs, at least not in season one
Amazon Prime's Fallout TV adaptation will not arrive with any references to bugs and glitches in its first season.
videogameschronicle.com
04.12.2023 / 17:17
The first Fallout TV show trailer has been released
Amazon has released the first trailer for its upcoming Fallout TV series.
gameinformer.com
04.12.2023 / 15:25
Here's The First Trailer For Amazon's Fallout TV Show
After years of waiting, Amazon Studios has released the first trailer for its upcoming TV adaptation of Fallout. The series is set to premiere on April 12 on Amazon Prime, and this teaser proves that visually speaking, the series appears to faithfully capture the essence of Bethesda’s beloved RPG.
eurogamer.net
03.12.2023 / 17:39
The Fallout TV show trailer is here, and it looks good – really, really good
Amazon has dropped a new meaty teaser to get us in the mood for the upcoming Fallout TV show.
comingsoon.net
03.12.2023 / 11:17
Shetland Season 8: How Many Episodes & When Do New Episodes Come Out?
Those waiting to watch are wondering how many episodes are in the series and when each new episode comes out. This Scottish crime drama television series follows DI Jimmy Perez and his team as they investigate crimes within Shetland, a close-knit island community.