In this article, we will look over some examples of technology envisioned in sci-fi movies that have since been realised. We will then consider science fiction’s role in influencing the development of new technologies before looking at the implications of deriving tech from the genre. 

Movie Technology In Real Life

1. Tablet Computers – 2001: A Space Odyssey

There has been no shortage of words written about how much 2001 got right about modern technology. But interestingly one of its technological predictions was so close to reality that Samsung offered it as evidence in a legal battle between them and Apple. That being the tablet computers that the crew of the Discovery One use during their Jupiter mission to watch videos. A scarily accurate vision of the future.

2. 3D Projected Images – Star Wars

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, R2-D2 used holographic technology to relay Princess Leia’s call for help to Obi-Wan Kenobi. In actuality, this was done by superimposing an element isolated from a TV screen. Now scientists have actually created 3D holograms which don’t need to be projected onto a 2D surface. Let’s hope that means more distress signals will be heard.

3. Digital Billboards – Blade Runner

Considering the amount of detail thrown into Blade Runner‘s world design it’s understandable how some things can be overlooked. However, in the background of many shots showing the then-futuristic 2019 Los Angeles, we see digital billboards advertising various products. At the time the film was made this practice had not yet emerged. Now they are everywhere. Just like the film predicted.

4. Biometric Security – Back To The Future Part 2

Every fan of Back To The Future Part 2 is still disappointed we don’t have flying hoverboards. But we have seen something else from the movie become widely available, biometric security, which is now commonly used in things like mobile phone security.

Art Influences Life

While many like to view science fiction as just a fantasy it has clearly had some level of influence. There are of course direct real-world influences with companies and researchers citing various movies as inspiration. But even without one-to-one examples, science fiction is a popular film genre (for example 8 of the 10 highest-grossing films of all time have some level of sci-fi genre trappings to them) that is seen by a huge number of people. With such a wide reach and its juxtaposition of seemingly fantastical inventions with real scientific theories (though rarely presented accurately), it is understandable why some people would try to realise what appears on screen.

Missing The Point?

However, it’s important to note that while movies like Star Wars are generally optimistic about advanced technology, and 2001 showcases the great possibilities of technology, so long as we don’t lose sight of humanity, many sci-fi movies also present a darker side to how technology can be used. 

The looming advertisements of Blade Runner are not presented positively. They symbolise how much capitalist corporations intrude on our lives. And while Back to the Future Part 2’s convenient biometric security is awed over it also notes how it can be used by forces like the police to keep watch over us. Science fiction encourages us to imagine but to be cautious of how technology can be corrupted for profit and for use by oppressive systems. Science fiction preaches altruism, and invention for the benefit of all, something science fact doesn’t always do.

Also Read: The Technology Inspired By Star Trek

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Communicators

This is probably the most obvious example in all of Star Trek. Even in the Star Trek: The Original Series (ToS) the characters all had communicators, small portable devices that you flipped open and allowed you to talk to people at great distances, being very similar to mobile phones. In the early 60s phone calls from Western Europe and America had to be scheduled due to the lack of transatlantic cable. The ease with which Kirk contacted his colleagues would have seemed spectacular. In Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) communicators have been made even smaller, and instead of a handheld device, they are small items pinned to their clothes, mimicking (or predicting) the ever-smaller mobile phones.

The bridge of just about every starship is dominated by a large flat screen which they use to view information and communicate with people on other ships, much like video conferencing technology like Skype or Zoom. These conversations could be with nearby vessels or people on distant planets.

Computers

The characters in Star trek have regular conversations with their computers. Kirk could ask the Enterprise to tell him how long it would take to get to Vulcan and it would respond with an answer. Whilst not artificial intelligence the ship’s computer was able to easily understand the characters and give answers. Characters request music be played, directions given to a destination, and information on virtually any topic and the computer responds. Clearly, Alexa, Google Assistant and so on, were inspired by Star Trek even down to the manner these smart speakers talk which is very reminiscent of the computer on the Enterprise.

Replicators

One of the most impressive and useful pieces of technology demonstrated in all of Star Trek is the Replicator. A person approaches a replicator, asks for a sandwich, and a sandwich is created for them, seemingly out of thin air. And it wasn’t just food – seemingly there are few things that replicators cannot create. This is based on one of the cornerstones of Star Trek science, the ability to turn energy into matter and vice versa, in the example given the sandwich isn’t created from nothing, but by turning energy into matter. Some people have heralded 3D printers as replicators, a device that creates just about anything (even food) from a stored resource. But many a pedantic fan – including me – would find this comparison a bit generous to 3D printers.

Holodecks

The holodeck is a room on a starship where holographic worlds are created but made solid by the same energy-matter conversion technology behind replicators. The world can be populated by people, animals, giant robots, pretty much whatever you can imagine. Whilst virtual reality pre-dates Star trek coming up with holodecks the modern VR headsets seem very reminiscent of the holodecks.

Things Star Trek Didn’t Invent

Often the technology of Star Trek does exist in the real world already. Hyposprays are common medical equipment in Star Trek, effectively syringes but instead of piercing the skin with a needle the liquid is fired out at such a speed it pierces the skin, these were invented in the 1940s and are usually known as injector guns. Phasers are directed energy weapons and a variety of what we would call lasers, these were theorised in the early 20th Century and invented in the 1960s. In real-life lasers have numerous uses but not really as weapons, it does seem like some militaries have developed what could be called laser weapons but it is doubtful they could ever be deployed in actual combat. So sometimes Star Trek has taken an idea or a prototype and imagined a world where this technology was ubiquitous – phasers are not cutting-edge technology but standard equipment and driving the desire in real life for these things to be available.

It can be easy to get caught up in the idea of Star Trek having “invented” various pieces of technology. After all, George Orwell’s 1984 features two-way televisions where people on TV can see you and tell you to do more exercise. War of the Worlds features a heat ray which seems very similar to phasers/lasers. Star Trek is also famous for its almost meaningless technobabble, where scientific and things that sound plausibly scientific explanations are given for the things that happen. Star Trek is also perfectly happy to fly in the face of accepted science when the story demands it. Nevertheless, it is eerie watching Kirk and Spock with communicators in a show made in the 60s that anyone in 2022 would recognise as mobile phones.

Also Read: Five Star Trek Fan Films You Should Watch Right Now

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Big Picture Film Club started in 2015 with a straightforward mission: to find films that we wouldn’t usually see in the cinema and create an event where we can watch them with friends. Since starting our first events we’ve had the privilege of working across the film sector: from a U.K-wide screening programme with Odeon Cinemas to producing a wide array of events and interviews with people within the film & TV industry. However, early into our journey, we started to see a disconnect between the great films our audience and ourselves have been exposed to from both emerging and independent filmmakers and the limited options people had to distribute their films, particularly after their film festival run. How could we help filmmakers expand the reach of their films? Why are there limited opportunities for broadcasters and streamers to get the right film & TV content? How can we make the distribution of films simpler? These were some of the questions we were asking ourselves. And from these questions and crowdsourcing opinions from people at every level of the film industry we developed our new platform, known as Cinnect.

Introducing Cinnect

Our vision for Cinnect is to create a platform that allows the owners of film & TV content to directly distribute their content to buyers from all around the world in a way that is easy and transparent. There are many aspects of a filmmaker distributing their film, both within your own country and outside your own national borders, and we wanted to reduce those barriers that prevent great content from reaching new audiences. We’ve built a number of features on our platform to help make the journey of film & TV distribution simpler: such as the ability to securely see or send film & TV screeners, make legal agreements within the platform, video conference with other users, send and receive payments and intuitively submit your content to prospective buyers. Alongside this, we are working strategically with different service providers and film festival partners to deliver a truly unique platform.

The journey so far

With the platform nearing its release, we’ve already had over 100 companies from over a dozen countries sign up. This includes film companies not only from right here in the U.K but as far afield as South Korea, Australia, U.S, Canada, Italy, France and more. We’re continuing to build more partnerships by the day and from the initial response, we’re very excited to see what the future holds for independent films.

If you’re filmmaker or production company and want to distribute your content on Cinnect you can sign up below, alternatively, book a demo call with us to have a walkthrough of the platform and discuss how we can help you.

Also Read: The New Hollywood: Streaming Giants

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Top Gun’s story is centred around a training academy that produces the very best pilots. Tom Cruise plays the ambitious main protagonist (Maverick) who wanted to be number one and Top Gun shows us the rivalry Tom’s character has with the current number 1 (Ice) played by Val Kilmer. Tragedy, coming of age, romance and action, with a cracking 80’s soundtrack. I found that Top Gun is still an entertaining watch as an adult.

Val Kilmer

Val Kilmer plays the confrontational Ice Man. The rival to Tom Cruise’s Maverick. The American actor later starred in Heat (1995), Batman Forever (1995) and worked with Top Gun Director Tony Scott again on True Romance (1993) and Deja Vu (2006).

In his interview with the New York Times Kilmer revealed he had developed a tumour. It was 2014 when a doctor diagnosed him with throat cancer. The treatments that followed involved chemotherapy and a tracheostomy. The Batman beat Cancer, but was left in a debilitating condition. His ailment meant that he now has to eat through a tube and use an electric voice box in order to speak. Kilmer featured in the autobiographical documentary Val (2021) after his recovery. You can hear how the actor sounds post throat cancer towards the end of the trailer.

Remarkably, despite his unfortunate circumstances, Val is still able to work. How could an actor who uses an electrolarynx be able to work? Through the power of technology.

Sonantic

John Flynn and Zeena Quereshi founded Sonantic in 2018. Their aim was to improve upon the common and robotic-sounding text-to-speech solutions that convert written text into spoken words. They achieve a hyper-realistic outcome by creating a model of an actor’s voice using the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI). In 2020 Sonantic created Faith, who they claim is the first AI that can cry. Check out this demonstration of the emotion their algorithm is capable of conveying.

Return of the Ice Man

The Washington Post reported that Sonantic were approached by Val Kilmer’s representatives to make a custom AI voice model for him. The usual process involves having actors record a script and feeding the recorded audio into their Voice Engine (VE). The VE then trains the AI model. But because Val couldn’t record, Sonantic had to research and implement new algorithms. This resulted in more than 40 different voice models, so Sonantic selected the best one to use for Val. After the model is chosen, it can be fine-tuned in Sonantic’s desktop application. You can read more about the full process here and check out a clip of Val’s voice model below.

Sonantic developed desktop software with a beautiful UI (User Interface) that resembles DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) tooling. Operators have options to choose what kind of emotion the audio is delivered in and choices range from anger to happiness. One could opt for a shouting style and even configure the intensity. Perhaps a director wants the actor to convey a high amount of fear in a scene? Well, there’s an option you can toggle to make the voice sound like it is extremely fearful. A custom dictionary allows one to add new words to the model. Editors can adjust the pitch, the pacing and alter the emphasis too. One can even batch process multiple voices at once. It sounds powerful, doesn’t it? Check out the video demonstration to see this all in action.

Is an AI Voice Model Ethical?

Kilmer felt confident enough in his audio doppelgänger to pitch an idea to Top Gun Maverick Director Joseph Kosinski. The voice model and accompanying software offer filmmakers unparalleled control over an actor’s voice. But this leap forward in voice technology raises ethical questions. What if the actor is deceased? Should the model still be used? What if the software is misused in combination with deep fake technology? Could the actor be impersonated? Sonantic addresses these valid concerns in an article sharing their guidelines and principles.

The AI audio pioneers offered their assurances to actors worried machines are coming for their jobs. Sonantic’s mission is to empower actors, not to replace them. A synthetic voice can be used on multiple projects simultaneously. This could drastically increase earning potential and give actors a passive income. Film production budgets will be able to retain funds that would otherwise be used to cater for actors on site. Maybe the benefits outweigh the drawbacks?

Conclusion

I previously wrote about A Space Odessey 2001. A movie which featured the computer AI – HAL 9000. Back in 1968, the fictional precursor to Siri and Alexa was voiced by an actor. But in 2022 the actor could be at home while his voice model went to work for him. Synthesised voices do carry concerns about potential misuse and some may be wary of their potential to replace actors. But Val Kilmer’s story is a shining example of the good that voice tech can do to empower actors. Hopefully, fans of the original Top Gun movie will be glad that Sonantic’s Photoshop for voice exists. After all, you wouldn’t be able to bring back the Ice Man without it.

Also Read: Artificial Intelligence: The New Art of Storytelling?

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Many games, particularly RPG’s (Role Playing Games) allow the player’s actions to affect the story. Games like the Mass Effect or The Witcher series can change dramatically based on decisions the players make, including whether characters live or die. This allows players to curate the experience to their own personal taste. As video games get more cinematic, could cinema get more gamified?

Choose Your Own Adventure

Choose your own adventure games have been popular even before video games, with many successful books requiring you to flip through to different pages. Early computer games took the same format, letting players type in the action they wanted to take. As games advanced, so did the choice. Some let players tackle levels in their own order while others offered good or evil choices. These good and evil choices often affect the ending, as well as the story.

Some games focus on these more than others, the acclaimed The Walking Dead game arguably is more of an interactive tv series than a game. The studio, Telltale Games, has a background with point and click adventure games. With simple puzzle solving and point and click gameplay. Most of the action is picking through various conversation options and timed button prompts in action scenes. While the plot is the same for every player, many elements are different based on their decisions. For instance, late in the game when the player needs allys, the characters that are willing to join vary based on the relationship with the player. If the player agrees with them, they are more likely to join.

In recent years, these types of games have become a genre of their own. Some are based on existing IP’s, like Batman, Guardians Of The Galaxy and Back To The Future. Others are brand new that have gone on to be franchises, such as Life is Strange and The Dark Pictures Anthology. Although all of these games have a pre-existing character that the player controls, some characteristics are left up to the player. For example, in Batman: The Telltale series, there are several points where there is a choice to use either detective work, or beat information out of a criminal. Both solutions lead to the same result and fit within the context of Batman’s character but allow the player to curate and define their own personal vision of him.

Interactive movie

Some recent projects have taken this a step further, removing the gameplay and instead acting as a movie. There were some early attempts at these, but they died out fairly quickly and are much different now. Netflix has experimented with this, first with an altered version of Minecraft Story Mode, which removed the puzzle-solving elements. The Netflix version still allows choices and conversation options but removes any gameplay elements, such as exploration and inventory management.

In 2018, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch was created. Unlike the other examples, this was designed for Netflix from the start and is also live-action. Originally designed to be part of Black Mirror‘s fifth season, development took longer than expected, and the special was released separately. The film focuses on a young game developer, and typical Black Mirror weirdness ensues. There are five “main” endings available, with some options only becoming available after making a choice and rewinding. Netflix developed a program called “Branch Manager” to help control some of the narrative points. The recent animated Batman: Death In The Family, follows a similar approach.

Some full cinema experiences have also made use of the format. My One Demand had viewers interact with the film on their devices, to vote on which direction characters should go. 2016’s Late Shift also took this approach, for a total of 7 different endings. The CrtlMovie system developed for it allows the cuts between each scene to be seamless, without having to wait for audience input (which sometimes is an option).

So, could we soon be making decisions for the Avengers? Or choosing if the protagonist will join the light or dark side in a future Star Wars? While it’s possible it’s unlikely every film would become like this. For one thing, it opens up debates about “true” or “canon” endings. If some choices leave characters dead, would a future instalment include them? It also takes much longer to make, not just to write, but also to film all the possible options, which can be very expensive. Audiences may also not be happy with some of the choices made, which can be frustrating. The concept is certainly interesting, and everyone should experience it for themselves at least once (either as a game or movie) but it could be a while before it’s mainstream.

Also Read: 7 Interesting Patents Owned By Disney

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