ALL GROWN DOWN

Three experts weigh in on the past, present and future of de-aging technology and its implications for digital human creation.

Digital de-aging techniques are a hot topic in Hollywood right now. From The Irishman to Gemini Man, de-aging is becoming a widely accepted way of telling stories that require younger versions of characters. It is also just one aspect of the wider conversation surrounding digital humans and their role in the modern world. 3D World has gathered Digital Domain’s Darren Hendler, Chris Nichols from Chaos Group Labs and Olcun Tan of Gradient Effects to deliver a comprehensive guide to the current state of de-aging in VFX.

2019 has undoubtedly seen the burgeoning technique make more headlines than ever before, with everything from superhero blockbusters to prestige dramas utilising de-aging. “I believe we are seeing so much more of this work primarily because it is becoming more affordable,” says Darren Hendler, director of the Digital Human Group at Digital Domain. “While the process is still very expensive, it is entering a range where big-budget movies can afford it.”

COMING OF AGE

De-aging may be setting the film world alight right now, but its origins can be traced back to the earliest days of cinema, as far back as filmmakers have wished to show younger or older versions of their characters on screen. “In the past, many filmmakers would simply cast a younger version of an actor and we all just understood that this character was playing the main actor at a different age,” reflects Hendler.

“Before 3D and 2D methods burst to the forefront, aging was done with makeup,” says Chris Nichols, director of Chaos Group Labs, “pretty successfully, I might add.” In 1983 David Bowie was convincingly aged up for The Hunger and just a year later F. Murray Abraham was similarly transformed for Amadeus.