How to “clone” a series with AI?
The idea of the historic producer of the series, Calt, was revealed by the newspaper Les Echos. The concept is as simple on paper as it is dizzying. The Camera Coffee series has been sold and adapted in a sixty countrieswith thousands of episodes that many have never been seen in France.
The project is therefore to take these foreign episodes and use a technology of “deepfake“To replace the faces and voices of local actors with digital” clones “of Bruno Solo and Yvan Le Bolloc’h, rejuvenated for the occasion. The AI will even be used to modernize the dialogues by replacing dated references (such as the” Walkman “).
A 4K “facelift” for old episodes
In addition to the creation of these “new” episodes, the project also provides for a full restoration of the 700 original French episodes. Artificial intelligence will be used to convert them to 16/9 format and “upscaler” in 4K. A full facelift for the 25th anniversary of the series, scheduled for the fall of 2026.
The actors gave their agreement
Obviously, such an operation cannot be done without the agreement of the main interested parties. Bruno Solo and Yvan Le Bolloc’h, who are also co-producers of the series, have given their consent So that their image is “cloned” and reused. The other actors in the original series will also be contacted and remunerated.
What do we say?
From an industrial point of view, it is a stroke of genius. We can create endlessly “new “content For a brand adored by the public, without the costs and constraints of a shoot. It is the “zombification” of popular culture, the dream of any producer.
But from a creative point of view, it is quite terrifying. Can we really recreate the alchemy of a duo of actors with algorithms? The risk is to end up with empty shells who recite a text. This question was at the heart of the actors’ strike in Hollywood: can AI replace an artist? The coffee camera producer thinks yes. We have big doubts. And you, watching “new” episodes of your cult series generated by AI, is you tempted or that puts you off?
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