As a celebrity impressionist, I’m used to receiving an eclectic mix of requests, but this one was different and it turned out to be a very interesting challenge.
In 2019, Future Advocacy created a DeepFake Boris Johnson film to demonstrate how manipulated political videos could be used to mislead viewers and damage trust in democracy.
I performed the Boris Johnson voice for the film and was recorded on camera delivering the script. Although DeepFake technology was used to create the finished visuals, the voice you hear was performed by me. It was not generated using an AI voice clone.
This DeepFake Boris Johnson case study explains why the project was created, how my performance was filmed and how the finished film was put together.
Future Advocacy created the campaign with artist Bill Posters to raise awareness of the threat DeepFake videos could pose to democracy.
The film appeared to show Boris Johnson endorsing Jeremy Corbyn. A corresponding film showed Jeremy Corbyn endorsing Boris Johnson.
The idea was to demonstrate how convincingly video could be manipulated and why people could no longer assume that everything they saw and heard on screen was genuine.
My role was to perform the Boris Johnson voice and provide the mouth movements needed for the visual process.
A camera was positioned in front of me while I delivered the script. Unlike a normal voiceover session, the way I physically formed each word was particularly important. My mouth movements had to work with the visual DeepFake process used to create the finished Boris Johnson film.
Boris Johnson has a very distinctive way of shaping certain sounds, particularly his “s” sounds. His jaw and lower teeth also affect the way his mouth moves when he speaks. Reproducing those details helped the voice and mouth movements feel like part of the same performance.
We recorded several takes while the production team studied the performance and chose the version that worked best. My involvement was the human vocal performance and the filmed delivery. Future Advocacy and its collaborators were responsible for the campaign and the visual DeepFake production.
Here’s the finished film, combining my human-performed Boris Johnson voice with the DeepFake visuals created for Future Advocacy’s campaign.
The finished film shows how a recognisable face, a convincing vocal performance and manipulated visuals can be combined to make someone appear to say something they never said.
The technology was used here as part of a clearly identified awareness campaign. Its wider message was more serious: a fabricated political video could spread rapidly and influence public opinion before viewers had time to question whether it was real.
The BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme filmed behind the scenes while I was recording the performance.
The report shows me delivering the script on camera and explains how the mouth movements from my performance were used as part of the visual DeepFake process. It provides a fascinating look at how the film was created and why Future Advocacy wanted to draw attention to the risks surrounding manipulated political videos.
If you need a Boris Johnson impression for an advert, promo, comedy video or other recorded project, visit my Boris Johnson impressionist and voiceover page to hear more examples of my work.
I record from my broadcast-quality London studio. Send me your script, project details and intended usage and I’ll be happy to discuss what you need and provide a quote.