LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A creation by California-based Digital Domain 3.0 stunned 15,000 fans at a live concert last night in Taiwan. ‘Virtual’ Teresa Teng, a computer-generated likeness of the iconic Taiwanese Chinese singer who passed away in 1995, delivered a surprise performance as part of pop sensation Jay Chou’s “Opus 12” shows at the Taipei Arena. ‘Virtual’ Teresa Teng will appear at Chou’s shows again September 7th and 8th.
Virtual Teresa Teng performed three songs in an original duet with Chou, his hits “Red Tavern” and “Thousand Miles Away,” and her hit “What You Have to Say,” at the Taipei Arena.
The performance came together through the Teresa Teng Foundation. Chou and his producers were moved by the unexpected appearance of the Digital Domain-created ‘virtual Tupac’ during rap star Dr. Dre’s show at the 2012 Coachella music festival and the worldwide excitement it created. They envisioned a touching performance by a virtual Teng as a fitting tribute to the legendary performer that would also be a perfect fit for the high-tech “Opus 12” show. They approached Chairman Frank Teng of the Teresa Teng Foundation (brother of the late singer) to propose the idea. Simultaneously, Hong Kong company Sun Innovation brought the idea of having Digital Domain 3.0, the artists who created ‘virtual Tupac,’ create a virtual Teresa Teng for the Foundation. The groups came together to produce the performance.
Chairman Teng took an active role in the creation of the performance, spending weeks with the artists at Digital Domain, guiding them on expressions, physicality and mannerisms to get the digital likeness to look and perform just like his sister. Digital Domain Visual Effects Supervisor and Animation Director Steve Preeg said, “Chairman Teng’s guidance was invaluable. When friends and relatives get involved it’s no longer a project, it’s family. Our goal was to honor Teresa Teng – as a singer and as a person. If her family and fans feel that her personality came through in the performance then we did our jobs.”
Chairman Teng said, “Digital Domain’s work is a wonderful tribute to Teresa. It gives her long-time fans a chance to see her perform again and it brings Teresa’s music to a whole new generation, through Jay Chou’s show and songs.”
Digital Domain 3.0 CEO Daniel Seah said, “The huge, positive response to ‘Virtual Teresa Teng’ in Taiwan demonstrates the global appeal of this type of entertainment. We are honored to have had the opportunity to apply Digital Domain’s creative leadership to honor an artist as beloved as Teresa Teng and look forward to bringing new experiences of iconic performers to fans all over the world.”
Following the delivery of virtual Teresa Teng, Digital Domain 3.0 is looking forward to the November 1 release of Ender’s Game, a feature film for which it created visual effects and co-produced. Digital Domain’s majority ownership was acquired by Sun Innovation just last month.
About Digital Domain 3.0
Founded in 1993, Digital Domain (the original Digital Domain company) delivered innovative visuals for more than 100 movies including “Iron Man 3,” the “Transformers” trilogy, and “Titanic." Its artists earned multiple Academy Awards®. A creative force in advertising, Digital Domain brought its artistry to thousands of commercial, videogame and music video productions and was at the forefront of innovation for two decades. The company led the industry in the creation of virtual performers and co-produced the upcoming feature film “Ender’s Game.” From facilities in California and Vancouver, BC, Canada, including its own state-of-the-art virtual production studio, the new Digital Domain 3.0 continues the tradition of creating extraordinary visual imagery in entertainment and advertising. www.digitaldomain.com.