Presenter: Tanine Allison
Registration Number: 026
Institution: Emory University, Georgia, USA
Abstract: Gemini Man, a 2019 action film directed by Ang Lee and starring Will Smith, arguably created the most sophisticated fully computer-generated digital human to date. Notably—and for the first time—this CG main character is Black. The film tells the story of an assassin (played by Smith) confronting his own younger self, a clone who has been raised as an ultimate killing machine. To create the clone, the production pioneered new digital visual effects processes, including new techniques for the subsurface shading of skin, the procedural generation of pores, and the naturalistic simulation of eyes (specifically the conjunctiva) and lips (to produce a slight stickiness as they open). Although Gemini Man’s production and promotional materials do not explicitly address Will Smith’s racial identity—and the producers had originally imagined a white actor in the main role—it is clear that race was something that they had to address in the creation of Will Smith’s digital double. As the most famous and well-paid actors in Hollywood are white, so too are the digital doubles created for them, whether for CG stunt work or for de-aged flashback scenes. A few examples of digitally created/altered African Americans precede Will Smith in Gemini Man—such as the de-aging work done for Samuel L. Jackson in Captain Marvel (2019)—but this marks the most extensive visual effects work to create a Black digital human to date (discounting CG aliens played by Black actors, such as some Na’vi characters in Avatar). As such, the production confronted new technical issues, like needing to calculate the impact of melanin on the reflection of light in various layers of the skin and the way that digital facial hair, such as the clone’s peach fuzz, would look on an African American digital face. This paper contextualizes Gemini Man in our present moment amidst a national uprising about racial injustice. The production of a young, digital Will Smith begun several years ago, reflects post-racial ideology, following a longstanding practice of choosing to ignore or downplay Will Smith’s racial identity. Accordingly, the production literature, reviews, and audience responses typically do not address race directly. Yet, the themes of the film mirror the behind-the-scenes technologies in interesting ways, opening up the possibility of a timely reflection on the value of Black life and its digital simulation.
