House actor
Roger
Roger does not exist. His back, on the other hand, is thoroughly documented.
House actor, born of a description and a paragraph. The bad back was not planned; it came with the suit. He has every leading role and no legal existence. What he has left: his reading glasses, his midnight-blue jacket, and a back that has seen better days.
Fictional character, AI-generated imagesWhat never changes
The midnight-blue jacket
Single-breasted, white shirt with an open collar, never a tie. In a noir, a raincoat over it; the jacket stays visible when he takes out his glasses.
The reading glasses
Thin dark tortoiseshell frame, kept in the inside left pocket. They only appear when he reads. Anything long he has to say, he reads.
The back
A slight stiffness, a hand on the lower back when he stands up or climbs stairs. Nothing more.
How Roger was cast
A generated actor is built once, then holds. Seven views under flat light, a description block repeated word for word, and two animation tests: one failed, one that worked.
Animated from the description alone: the face changes, so does the hair. It is no longer Roger.
Animated from an already approved image: he keeps his face, hand to the lower back, then the glasses.
The lesson holds for all our characters: we never animate from a description, always from an image we have already accepted.
Filmography
His first film is in production. He asked for a fee.
Roger’s grievances
Fifteen seconds, one shot, a complaint read with his glasses on. Each grievance links to the glossary notion that explains what he is complaining about.
First grievance coming as soon as his voice is chosen.