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Rumor: ‘Ghost in the Shell’ producers ran VFX tests to make white actors appear Asian

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*This* is your pet peeve? Okay. Must be nice.

pet peeve (noun) : something that a particular person finds especially annoying.

So what is your pet peeve? The lack of human rights in the third world economies? Female slave trading? Police brutality? It must be nice to think such large issues are a mere annoyance.

Do you want to argue about my post or simply show everyone how good you are at pissing in the air while you clap loudly for yourself?
 
The reality is that this "it's just too risky without a (white) name" stuff is a convenient excuse that Hollywood executives, and defenders of this bullshit, throw out to explain why non-white actors are always passed over, even for roles that call for them.

Defenders of this bullshit? I am not defending anything, I am explaining my interpretation of the realities of the situation to people who seem to have unrealistic expectations of how things happen.

And I should care about their problems, why?

I care about the message this movie sends, not whatever fucking money they hope to make from this trash.

I didn't say you should care about it. I don't care about it, and I don't think you should either. But don't expect things to change, not with movies like GITS.
 
If you can't see the difference between a Terminator movie, one of the biggest most beloved film names in Hollywood, and Ghost in the Shell, an adaptation of a comparatively unknown foreign comic book, then all hope is lost.

One of these films will have a huge audience on its name. The other doesn't have a name, so it needs a big lead actor.

I bet you all my money more people heard of Ghost in the Shell than John Carter.
 
If you can't see the difference between a Terminator movie, one of the biggest most beloved film names in Hollywood, and Ghost in the Shell, an adaptation of a comparatively unknown foreign comic book, then all hope is lost.

One of these films will have a huge audience on its name. The other doesn't have a name, so it needs a big lead actor.

And John Carter? Battleship? I like how you conveniently ignore half my post because it screws your argument.

Okay, so riddle me this. GITS is a "small" enough movie that it needs a white star to prop it up, yet it has a large enough budget that they can't risk not having a white star. Interesting how in every situation, it seems they have no choice but to cast someone white. Funny how that always seems to be the case
 
Cloud Atlas was a great film,outstanding soundtrack. And as mentioned, was very much justified in having it's actors don prosthetics to change their appearance as it was integral to the story - and they had Asian actors and Halle Berry doing whiteface and women and men crossdressing to fit every actor in the different timelines.

For those who haven't seen Cloud Atlas:
Reincarnation is a major theme of the original book. The plot itself takes place across 6 stories in different timelines. To get it across in film, all of the major 9-10 actors in the film appear in every one of the storylines, which inevitably entails some drastically different looks, when the storylines are set in Future Seoul, 1930s Scotland, 1970s America and so on.

I got banned for making this argument in one of the now infamous blackface threads, so tread lightly.
 
Fuck this movie, it's a disgrace. Not worth my money.

Cloud Atlas was a great film,outstanding soundtrack. And as mentioned, was very much justified in having it's actors don prosthetics to change their appearance as it was integral to the story - and they had Asian actors and Halle Berry doing whiteface and women and men crossdressing to fit every actor in the different timelines.

For those who haven't seen Cloud Atlas:
Reincarnation is a major theme of the original book. The plot itself takes place across 6 stories in different timelines. To get it across in film, all of the major 9-10 actors in the film appear in every one of the storylines, which inevitably entails some drastically different looks, when the storylines are set in Future Seoul, 1930s Scotland, 1970s America and so on.
Cloud Atlas sucked and was an hour too long.
 
Yup because Terminator Salvation ($200,000,000) and Avatar ($425,000,000) were low budget.
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The same with John Carter ($275,000,000)
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No matter how many times you guys try and make this argument, you're ALWAYS wrong and it ALWAYS looks bad
Taylor Kitsch also got to star in the $220 million Battleship.
 
This motherfucker is going to be set in Japan isnt it.

The idea though that they would even think of or attempting to change Scarlet's appearance is so fucking ludicrous, she was hired because she is Scarlet fucking Johansonn, the marketing potential makes no sense if you warp the appearance of your highly bankable actress.
 
And John Carter? Battleship? I like how you conveniently ignore half my post because it screws your argument.

Okay, so riddle me this. GITS is a "small" enough movie that it needs a white star to prop it up, yet it has a large enough budget that they can't risk not having a white star. Interesting how in every situation, it seems they have no choice but to cast someone white. Funny how that always seems to be the case

I'm not conveniently ignoring your argument sir I have like 6 people quoting my posts and I'm trying to respond to everyone.

I didn't say GITS is a small movie. I said it's an unfamiliar name. And I didn't say it needs a white star, I said it needs a big star. You're putting a lot of words in my mouth.
 
Defenders of this bullshit? I am not defending anything, I am explaining my interpretation of the realities of the situation to people who seem to have unrealistic expectations of how things happen.
Please, my aunt was a producer at Paramount, so I am well aware of the stupid-ass justification for racist casting policies. Not only is it a stupid excuse but it's a self-fulfilling prophecy; they keep saying that there are just no non-white actors who will draw audiences, so they never give them roles, so there are never any non-white actors who could ever get to the point where they are well-known enough to become less risky.
 
Cloud Atlas sucked and so has every movie the Wachoskis have made since the first Matrix.

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Which ironically is probably the best western Ghost in the Shell adaptation.

In the other thread I also suggested they should have just taken the story and re-branded it like Edge of Tomorrow or The Departed, but then I realized The Matrix probably already did a better job, at least in terms of adapting the visuals.

Edit: And fuck you, I liked Speed Racer.
 
This seems a little out there on the believability scale. This is an industry that isn't exaclty shy about having white actors play established non-white roles.
 
I'm not conveniently ignoring your argument sir I have like 6 people quoting my posts and I'm trying to respond to everyone.

I didn't say GITS is a small movie. I said it's an unfamiliar name. And I didn't say it needs a white star, I said it needs a big star. You're putting a lot of words in my mouth.
This is semantics.
 
Please, my aunt was a producer at Paramount, so I am well aware of the stupid-ass justification for racist casting policies. Not only is it a stupid excuse but it's a self-fulfilling prophecy; they keep saying that there are just no non-white actors who will draw audiences, so they never give them roles, so there are never any non-white actors who could ever get to the point where they are well-known enough to become less risky.

I'm not saying their isn't a problem. I'm just saying expecting things to change is unrealistic. Being shocked and appalled when things haven't changed is silly.
 
This seems a little out there on the believability scale. This is an industry that isn't exaclty shy about having white actors play established non-white roles.
This is also an industry that is finally becoming aware of the fact that white people aren't the only ones with disposable income and aren't shy about letting them know that they won't keep supporting their whitewashing bullshit.
I'm not saying their isn't a problem. I'm just saying expecting things to change is unrealistic. Being shocked and appalled when things haven't changed is silly.
I have no idea where you're seeing me shocked by any of this.
 
Cloud Atlas was a great film,outstanding soundtrack. And as mentioned, was very much justified in having it's actors don prosthetics to change their appearance as it was integral to the story - and they had Asian actors and Halle Berry doing whiteface and women and men crossdressing to fit every actor in the different timelines.

For those who haven't seen Cloud Atlas:
Reincarnation is a major theme of the original book. The plot itself takes place across 6 stories in different timelines. To get it across in film, all of the major 9-10 actors in the film appear in every one of the storylines, which inevitably entails some drastically different looks, when the storylines are set in Future Seoul, 1930s Scotland, 1970s America and so on.

it isn't justified at all since traces of your physical appearance shouldn't be tied to your soul as it moves from one body to the next. The fact that the makeup looked as bad it did made the whole thing comical and didn't do the film's message and themes any favors.
 
No way this is true. For background actors maybe. But what's the point of splurging trucks of cash for lead actress' paycheck just to then digitally alter her to look like somebody different? It doesn't make any sense.
 
it isn't justified at all since traces of your physical appearance shouldn't be tied to your soul as it moves from one body to the next. The fact that the makeup looked as bad it did made the whole thing comical and didn't do the film's message and themes any favors.

It was done that way so you could follow the characters throughout time.
 
This is a bad idea.

They should either cast an Asian actor or commit to it being a full remake and set it in a futuristic Europe or America.
 
No way this is true. For background actors maybe. But what's the point of splurging trucks of cash for lead actress' paycheck just to then digitally alter her to look like somebody different? It doesn't make any sense.

Ask the Wachoskis, or the people who made John Wayne look like Gengis Khan, or Mickey Rooney look Asian, or Ben Kingsley Gandhi
 
I mean, I get your point. Motoko Kusanagi is a Japanese name...but her anime version LOOKS white! Plus race doesn't matter to her character or the themes of the story. So let's make her white, which is totally not a race you know.

LOL... Show me how an asian should look like in an anime.
 
it isn't justified at all since traces of your physical appearance shouldn't be tied to your soul as it moves from one body to the next. The fact that the makeup looked as bad it did made the whole thing comical and didn't do the film's message and themes any favors.
So your argument is that they should have cast 50-60 actors to fill all roles and leave them with no way for the viewing audience to know how each incarnation was connected?
 
Symbols and recognizable traits would've done the job too. Something eccentric like a obsession with a certain colour or a certain food taste that is emphasized.

They would've had to cast 4 times the people they had to do what you're talking about though

Right. The film wouldn't have worked if it had different actors across its timelines and settings.

Yeah that shit was hard enough already, imagine if they weren't the same actors
 
No way this is true. For background actors maybe. But what's the point of splurging trucks of cash for lead actress' paycheck just to then digitally alter her to look like somebody different? It doesn't make any sense.

As I said my first thought when reading that response was The Laughing Man disguised that way instead of:
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I don't think i'd like that honestly.
 
Literally trying anything so they dont have to cast asians. Jesus fucking christ.

Its kind of sick....

And the excuse is that it wouldn't resonate with white audiences... I don't get it.

White audiences can't relate to not shit if a minority has the starring role. But productions with white leads are the universal appeal amongst all minority groups?
 
When can we expect CGI blackface for Black Panther's solo movie?

No? That ain't happening? Then why the fuck would anyone consider it here? So fucking dumb.
 
I don't think they get someone like her in a film then mask her with ethnicity-altering CGI so I'm inclined to take their word on it.
 
Yup because Terminator Salvation ($200,000,000) and Avatar ($425,000,000) were low budget.

I wasn't....saying those movies weren't low-budget? Like, mate...what? When talking to the previous poster, I was mentioning the lack of relevancy in his counter-argument when mentioning unknown actors getting leading roles in low-budget movies. Also, I already specifically referenced Avatar as something anomaly. Please read my posts more carefully next time before replying to them.

Avatar shouldn't be used as an example to use when you're trying to assess the average output of Hollywood studios because of how ENTIRELY UNCOMMON that particular production was, most especially in relation to how those movies are usually produced. Much like with Titanic, James Cameron was allowed by the executives an entirely unprecedented amount of freedom whilst making that movie in comparison to other directors of his calibre. To even put that money behind an idea that wasn't driven by a prior IP, to any normal studio, would have been incredibly objectionable. Yet because of Cameron's significant influence, he was allowed to call the shots, one of those shots leading to an unknown actor getting to play the lead. And a lead we basically haven't heard from again.

Terminator: Salavation
is a ridiculous example, most especially as it's... 1) Another entry in a long-standing film franchise which this Ghost In The Shell adaptation certainly is not and B) That film co-stared Christian Bale as the co-lead, having recently emerged from spectacular box-office success The Dark Knight, the previous year.

And John Carter? Battleship?

Oh dear.

Battleship, an infamous box-office flop.

Next Taylor Kitsch film? John Carter, one of the biggest box office bombs of the decade.

And now Taylor Kitsch, for all intents and purposes, has disappeared off the face of the earth.

Like, what?

No matter how many times you guys try and make this argument, you're ALWAYS wrong and it ALWAYS looks bad

(Cringe)

Mate, listen...let me try to clue you in here. No-one's making "an argument" for the people working on Ghost In The Shell to essentially white-wash the main character. It's not a good thing, and I'm sure I speak for most people here when I say audiences for the most part would find it infinitely more refreshing (and infinitely more appropriate) to see an unknown Asian actress take on the role instead.

The Hollywood Star System is a very real, proven thing.. When it comes to big-budget projects that require millions upon millions of dollars to get up and running, movie executives will always prefer the insurance of having an A-list star to put on the poster, actors who have already developed a reputation for actively attracting audiences to theatres. Mentioning a couple of vague examples of movies that subverted the norm doesn't change that.

At the end of the day, the film industry is exactly that...an industry. And I can assure you, the executives in charge of financing this movie are much more interested in making money on this project than they in making a totally faithful Ghost In The Shell Adaptation. That's not an argument, that's a fact. It's how the movie industry works. Will it work that way for ever? I sincerely hope not. But for now, that's just the way it is.

In other words...

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I can see it now: "Audience, please put on your Asian Glasses now."

It's scary how real that could become D:
 
Everything

Much like the arguments in the other Scarjo thread. You make the mistake in thinking that the people who are upset don't understand how the industry works or that you gotta make money. We KNOW how it works. We KNOW it's a business.

But I'll say it again, just because a practice is EXPECTED does not mean it should be ACCEPTED. You don't change a business if the fucking complaints box is empty.
 
I agree. It'd be a shame if we hadn't just had a whole thread about Scarlet Jo being confirmed as the lead for this film where I had posted numerous times and debated within. It'd be a shame if my post had nothing to do with the hiring of actors but rather was about the thread I was posting in which, correct me if I'm wrong, is about the usage of an effect that was tested but never ultimately used in which people. It'd be a shame if the only thing you get from my post was some way to try and call me out over... what, exactly

Cause it's an awful post. Plus, read the OP:

We reached out to Paramount Pictures who acknowledged the tests, but refute the claim that Johansson was involved:

A test was done related to a specific scene for a background actor which was ultimately discarded. Absolutely no visual effects tests were conducted on Scarlett’s character and we have no future plans to do so.

Our sources maintain Johansson’s character was specifically the focus of these tests, though they were done without her participation or knowledge.

Trying to diminish the issue when in fact Paramount Pictures themselves already confirmed that they did do such tests is awful.
 
It's apparently less costly and risky to photoshop ScarJo into an asian girl than it is to hire an asian actress?
Like hire a well known chinese actress or something for the overseas prospect, no one will be more interested in the movie because ScarJo is playing in the live action adaption of a palme d'or movie anyway.
 
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