Snarky Gossip

13 opinions for Elvis and Celine Dion on American Idol - how did they DO that?!?!?

• Steve
  Apr 26, 2007 at 16:46

  She did one prerecorded session in the AI studio that was later mixed to show her with Elvis using simple green-screen technology. The Elvis video was from his late 60s TV special.

  Then for the live show they had her come out with an Elvis look-alike with her, and also showed them periodically either from a distance or from behind etc so you wouldn’t be able to tell it wasn’t Elvis (ha)…

  The hardest part was probably to keep the prerecorded version and live coverage in synch as they cut back and forth.

• Jason
  Apr 27, 2007 at 11:17

  Is that really how they did it? Make sense as there isn’t any known “hologram” technology as far as i know.. the planning of the shots and switching was brilliant - it looked flawless. Not that Tv viewers could see, but more for those in the live audience..

• Steve
  Apr 27, 2007 at 12:38

  Just an addition to my earlier comment, where I “guessed” how they did it…

  FWIW I was essentially correct, except gave more credit to the show than it deserved… :)

  Both the video of Celine with the Elvis look-alike and them green-screening in Elvis from the 1968 TV Special were filmed previous to the American Idol Gives Back show.

  So they did all the editing and splicing and matching and syncing etc before the show aired. That’s why Ryan, immediately after the Celine/Elvis song, mentioned the girl in the audience was confused. It’s because that audience watched the song on video - a previous audience watched Celine and the look-alike.

  Just an additional fyi. :)

• Gary Kunich
  Apr 27, 2007 at 18:44

  I don’t care how they did it … it ROCKED! The King lives, baby! They could release that and watch it go to No. 1. And they all laughed when I said I saw Elvis ordering a Whopper at the Kalamazoo, Mich., Burger King …

• Diva28
  Apr 29, 2007 at 00:36

  this is how they did it:
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8zR2nDdzYM

• lynn May
  May 5, 2007 at 11:19

  well done to american idol. PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! would love to see more
  of elvis with other great performers, especially with
  Lisa Marie. he is still rockin.

• marylamb
  May 7, 2007 at 10:06

  I’ve never been an elvis fan but I tivo’d that and I thought it was the coolest thing,I’ll never erase it,I love elvis.Elvis lives on.I agree they definately should do that again.

• deb kaivola
  May 8, 2007 at 19:23

  this video was fantastic! it actually gave me goosebumps with chills. it was great to see the younger elvis again. i would love to see more videos done like this, possibly with one of this years idol contestants.

• delores cocuzzo
  May 24, 2007 at 09:28

  the estate should release this as a single and I do agree it would go to#1 - how foolish not to

• Bernie Donaghy
  May 25, 2007 at 08:38

  Steve you are brilliant. You must be a computer wizz to have recognised all that technology. I was flummoxed with how they did it. I fell in love with the song but more the emotion that I had while watching the whole thing unfold. Your explanation of the process is very interesting. Thank you for enlightening me on this how they done it!

• Jodi
  May 27, 2007 at 16:20

  I enjoyed seeing Elvis Presley and Celine Dion’s video on American Idol. I would love to have the video on my computer to play any time I want to!

• sue
  Aug 18, 2007 at 22:43

  I don’t care how they did it. I only care that I got
  to see Elvis again and if I Can Dream this would be
  it. What a thrill and it brought back so many good
  memories of Elvis and how he influenced my life
  since I first saw him on tv. The worlds best performer ever.

• Wendy
  Aug 18, 2007 at 23:45

  I know Sue, I loved it too. :>)

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