Disney's Prom Pact viral clip exposes Hollywood's use of digital extras

When Disney released the romantic comedy Prom Pact on its platforms in late March, it seemed like just another teen-oriented TV film with modest fanfare. However, seven months later, the movie found itself at the centre of a viral storm for all the wrong reasons.

The controversy began when a clip from the film's opening pep rally scene made its way to X. In a fleeting moment, the clip exposed a curious sight – unrealistic-looking digital humans enthusiastically cheering alongside real background actors in the bleachers.

Watch the clip below:

Reminder this is what SAG-AFTRA is fighting against pic.twitter.com/dsZl130uif

— Caiden Reed | Ghostface-Doo (@caiden_reed) October 12, 2023

This odd juxtaposition quickly caught the attention of the internet, resulting in widespread sharing and, of course, ridicule.

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But what's the real issue here? The viral clip resonated with a much larger and pressing concern in Hollywood – the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. At its core, the strike revolves around the fear that actors' likenesses could be recreated digitally without their proper consent and fair compensation. Background actors, in particular, are concerned that their work, which might typically span days or weeks on a production, could be reduced to a mere day if studios decide to digitally insert their likenesses into scenes.

One key detail here is that the characters in the controversial shot were not recreated using AI-scanned actors, but rather through other VFX techniques. These digital extras were the result of the work of CG artists. Surprisingly, Disney has remained tight-lipped and has not offered an official comment on the matter.

The concept of using digital extras to populate crowds in movies and TV shows is not new in Hollywood. War movies, for instance, have almost always inflated the number of soldiers using CGI to make the scale seem bigger. The difference with Prom Pact lies in the closeness of the shot, which made it glaringly obvious that the extras were, in fact, digital creations.

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As the controversy rages on, there is reason for hope. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), representing the movie studios, made an announcement on October 11. Their latest offer to SAG-AFTRA concerning AI ensures that performers must provide written consent and receive a clear description of how their digital likeness will be used in any production

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