The digital resurrection of Margaret Thatcher: Creative, technological and legal dilemmas in the use of deepfakes in screen drama

Lees, Dominic; Bashford-Rogers, Tom; Keppel-Palmer, Marcus

Abstract

This article develops from the findings of an interdisciplinary research project that has linked film practice research with computer science and law, in an exercise that seeks to digitally resurrect Margaret Thatcher to play herself in a contemporary film drama. The article highlights the imminent spread of machine learning techniques for digital face replacement across fiction content production, with central research questions concerning the ethical and legal issues that arise from the appropriation of the facial image of a deceased person for use in drama.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 16, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Aug 4, 2021
• Publication Date: Aug 1, 2021
• Deposit Date: Jun 16, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 5, 2021
• Journal: Convergence
• Print ISSN: 1354-8565
• Electronic ISSN: 1748-7382
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 27
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 954–973
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/13548565211030452
• Keywords: Deepfakes, Machine Learning, AI, Filmmaking, Law, Ethics of media
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/7473664