Filmmaker says AI can’t replace doggie actors
When director Robert Vince was filming “Air Bud Returns,” he was impressed to see Roscoe, his four-legged star, improvising concern in a scene where two humans burst into tears.
“He’s curious to what’s going on,” Vince told Agence France-Presse (AFP) at last month’s CinemaCon in Las Vegas. “This is real.”
Having done more than a dozen productions featuring dogs, Vince said he is still impressed by the authenticity that animal actors bring to film sets.
For him, the magic of a canine performer cannot be replicated by artificial intelligence (AI).
“You look at how much joy this dog, and human actors, give you, right?” he said, gesturing to Roscoe.
The golden retriever, who is wearing a T-shirt and basketball shoes, is still boundlessly enthusiastic despite greeting fans for hours.
‘Authenticity’
Every technological innovation initially causes a stir and sparks curiosity among audiences.
But wizardry can only wow for so long before audiences see through it and start looking to the fundamentals again, Vince said.
“I remember when visual effects really [appeared], everybody was like: ‘Oh, those are so cool. We’re gonna do a million superhero movies.’”
“After a while, it’s like: ‘Oh, I’ve seen that before,’” he said. “It’s really about your emotional connection to the characters. There’s an authenticity to this type of filmmaking that does not go away.”
‘Overwhelming’ reception
The film, to be released next year yet, is the latest chapter in a franchise that began in 1997 featuring a runaway circus dog who has an extraordinary ability to play basketball.
Subsequent installments took in other popular sports, including American football (“Air Bud: Golden Receiver,”) soccer (“Air Bud: World Pup”) and baseball (“Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch.”)
Vince said the audience reception to news of the latest production, which sees the canine hero back on the basketball court, has been “overwhelming.”
“But I can’t say I’m surprised,” he added. “We know from social media… that this movie was basically being begged to be made.”
He also noted this is a quintessential family film, one that a whole generation remembers from childhood.
“People that grew up with ‘Air Bud’] are millennials that were 10 years old when they saw the original one. They are now parents, and they have kids of their own.”
‘No CGI’
And, of course, a cute-as-a-button golden retriever who can shoot hoops as well as he can act is always going to hit the mark.
“We have an audience that grew up with the original “Air Bud” movie where there was no CGI,” Vince said. “And so we kept that promise in this movie as well.”
“It’s all dog, all the time,” he said of Roscoe’s balling talents.
At a time that Hollywood is grappling with the job-killing effects of AI—and with organizers of the Oscars and Golden Globes having made their stand that avatars can’t win prizes—Vince said he’s confident the new technology will never displace the warmth of a real-life performer, human or animal.
“Despite what everybody wants you to believe, I don’t really believe it’s happening,” he said. “You don’t get any emotion out of that.”
