With concerns rising about the ability of tech-savvy trolls and propagandists to make believable-yet-fake videos, Oscar-winning screenwriter Jordan Peele created a PSA for Buzzfeed to warn people about the videos they consume.
The video is cleverly titled "You Won't Believe What Obama Says In This Video!" and begins with what appears to be Barack Obama addressing the nation.
"Now, you see, I would never say these things, at least not in a public address," he says, "but, someone else would. Someone, like Jordan Peele." Now we see a split screen, showing that Peele has being voicing the Obama figure, with his pitch-perfect Obama impression, all along.
The video ends with only Obama in the picture, signing off with, "Thank you, and stay woke b*****s.""
Variety reports Buzzfeed's Jared Sosa produced the video using widely available video-altering software, including an app "used mainly for superimposing celebrities’ faces onto porn scenes." Buzzfeed is led by Jonah Peretti, whose sister is the comedian Chelsea Peretti, who is married to Peele.
The video is cleverly titled "You Won't Believe What Obama Says In This Video!" and begins with what appears to be Barack Obama addressing the nation.
You Won't Believe What Barack Obama Was Digitally Manipulated To Say
“We’re entering an era in which our enemies can make it look like anyone is saying anything at any point in time, even if they would never say those things," the Obama figure says. "So, for instance, they could have me say things like, I don’t know, 'Killmonger was right!' [referencing the heated debate over the wisdom of the villainous Black Panther character], or, 'Ben Carson is in the sunken place,' or, how 'bout this, simply, 'President Trump is a total and complete dipsh-t.'""Now, you see, I would never say these things, at least not in a public address," he says, "but, someone else would. Someone, like Jordan Peele." Now we see a split screen, showing that Peele has being voicing the Obama figure, with his pitch-perfect Obama impression, all along.
Widely Available Technology Can Make Disturbingly Believable Fake Videos
The video continues, showing both Peele and Obama, and gets (mostly) more serious. "This is a dangerous time. Moving forward we need to be more vigilant with what we trust from the Internet. It's a time when we would need to rely on trusted news sources. It may sound basic, but how we move forward in the age of information is going to be the difference between whether we survive, or whether we become some kind of f****d up dystopia."The video ends with only Obama in the picture, signing off with, "Thank you, and stay woke b*****s.""
Variety reports Buzzfeed's Jared Sosa produced the video using widely available video-altering software, including an app "used mainly for superimposing celebrities’ faces onto porn scenes." Buzzfeed is led by Jonah Peretti, whose sister is the comedian Chelsea Peretti, who is married to Peele.