duet impossible

[soundiesam]

right im watching duet impossible and the question how the hell do they do that? came from the little sister so can someone enlighten me?

sam

[Pete]

I was just discussing it with my girlfriend.

I imagine it similar to how they did fight box,if anyone remebers that?

[Bobbsy]

The boring answer would be that it's a mixture of various techniques including clever editing (using doubles) in some of the wide shots and computerised compositing cutting one of the performers out of an existing background and mixing it with the other.

 

To put it in perspective, this sort of thing is relatively common with computer trickery. Back in the late 90s, I worked on a pilot for a weekly entertainment show. After this pilot was finished, there was some interest from Nescafe in sponsoring the series...so a few hours of Quantel time (think it was a "Harry") was booked and red Nescafe coffee mugs were added to the set, including in somebody's hand where (in the original) they'd taken a sip of water. Even with the technology ten years ago, you couldn't see "the joins".

 

The one I'm watching right now (Peggy Lee with somebody I haven't heard of!) was very simply done, just keying the modern performer over the old footage and converting the whole thing to monochrome. Other ones have taken rather more effor though.

 

Bob

[Ynot]

The boring answer would be that it's a mixture of various techniques including clever editing (using doubles) in some of the wide shots and computerised compositing cutting one of the performers out of an existing background and mixing it with the other.

 

The one I'm watching right now (Peggy Lee with somebody I haven't heard of!) was very simply done, just keying the modern performer over the old footage and converting the whole thing to monochrome.

That'd be Simon Webbe, one of the boys from 'Blue'. wasn't too impressed with him - shame, he does have a decent voice.

Other ones have taken rather more effor though.

VERY impressed with the modern Lulu with Marvin Gaye - that was definitely a look-a-like in the long shots, but the mixing with the archive footage was good.

 

Lulu again (at 15) with McFly wasn't bad either - I noticed that the shadows on the backdrop were pretty much uniform between her and the boys (who were plainly not taking things TOO seriously ) were realistic.

Boy George... Hmmmm... (tm Ynot) ..... Didn't think much of him as the original - just looked like the worn out soak that he is - certainly not someon who 'dominates the pop scene and front pages'... :(

 

Have to say that perhaps the most low-tech of all was surprisingly my fave song of the show - Katie Melhua (sp?) who I normally don't have a deal of time for, was excellent singing in counterpoint to Eva Cassidy in a cracking duet of 'Over the Rainbow' - Eva was a very soulful singer in her day and Katie actually complimented her style well. But the simplicity of just running the VT on background screens was easily as effective in some ways as sticking the talent in the same picture.