The Idea of an Essay, Volume 3

206 The Idea of an Essay: Volume 3 human and none can be neglected or the result will be unrealistic. In today’s movies, many people are required to make each of these areas successful. As more virtual actors are being made, the need for these technical jobs increases. Detractors, in particular stunt people, would not agree that the expanding job industry for virtual actors is a good thing, because people are losing their jobs. An example of this is The Matrix. During countless scenes, normal stunt actors could have been used, but because virtual actors were a more efficient option, the director chose to go with them (Bath Digital 2). Some stunt actors may be losing their jobs to digital humans, but overall the job market is growing and former stunt people have a chance to participate in the industry in new ways. Numerous stunt personnel have become consultants for the production of virtual stunts. In addition, many people do not hear about the fatalities or injuries stunt people receive on the job, they only see the final product on the screen. Digital humans may be putting some stunt people out of work, but they are also saving them from serious injuries and may even be saving their lives. A couple of examples are The Matrix and Mission: Impossible II. Near the end of The Matrix, there is a scene in which the main character jumps into a moving helicopter from the top of a skyscraper (Bath 1). Due to the difficulty and danger of the stunt, the director decided that the stunt would be done by a digital actor. In Mission: Impossible II, many different stunts were turned over to virtual actors, including falling from large heights and taking bullets (Smith Reality 2). Virtual actors have been around for quite some time and they are not going to go away just because some people have issues with them. When it comes to realism, the negative effect of the uncanny valley is only a problem for a few digital actors, and directors now use it to their benefit. Although there is a current issue with digital humans’ lack of soul, future advances should take care of that. Experts agree that movies can reach a higher level of realism with the many things that virtual actors can perform, such as large battle scenes and death-defying stunts. Critics have the mistaken belief that virtual actors increase the cost of movie production, when in fact technological advances have driven the cost down. One can sympathize with a stunt person who is displaced from his job, but overall safety of stunt personnel is better and more technical jobs are being created. It is amazing what digital humans have been able to accomplish in the movie industry in two short decades. As the present