Seth Rogen's Las Vegas ball video sparks online skepticism
Seth Rogen, the famous comedian and cannabis entrepreneur, recently posted a video on Instagram that sparked speculation and entertainment across the internet. The video shows Rogen, purveyor of cannabis and accessory brand Houseplant, apparently trying out its products on the Exosphere, the world's largest LED screen at 366 feet tall and 516 feet wide.
The title is "Right to the Dome." "Happy holidays."
The Instagram Reels video has been viewed 8.8 million times and even received a comment from drug culture magazine High Times, which quipped: "Finally a real hotbox."
Don’t believe everything you say
The incredible videos - Blink, Basketball, Moon - seen in the 18,000-seat concert hall have encouraged many scammers to create their own fake Sphere videos and display them on social media.
Rogen happens to be a filmmaker, apparently just the latest.
Here’s the TikTok version of the clip:
While Sphere Entertainment didn't respond to requests to confirm or deny the video's legitimacy, it's obvious to us and here's why:
- There is no mention of the cannabis brands Sphere or Rogen in the video, presumably so Sphere can't sue him for fake free advertising.
- Rogen's head takes up only 30% of the display, so it is only visible to a very small number of observers directly in front of the sphere.
- Even with vertical grid lines, it's ridiculously low-fidelity.
If you need more proof, Reddit user ZackZak30 did some impressive research.
"Edited," the Reddit user wrote. “The area around the base of the ball does not reflect Seth Rogen’s clip, like the previous clip.” Additionally, ZackZak30 noted, “Seth Rogen’s collar has a reflective surface on the lower left corner of his collar, which is a reflective surface ." The remaining reflection from the previous clip (probably the frame where they rotated the viewing sphere). "
Effect of Sphere
Deliberately fake Sphere videos are now common. Not only does Tiktok have a "Vegas Sphere Real or Fake" category, but someone also invented a TikTok filter that puts the user's face directly on the Exosphere, although the results don't look very realistic.
A video posted to Twitter in October that appeared to show an Israeli flag was revealed as a fake a day later by Sphere itself, but only after the video received hundreds of thousands of likes and shares. Even the news media fell for it, including Breaking News Network and gossip reporter Perez Hilton.
The original poster of the Israeli video is a Twitter account called "Tallywood," which belongs to visual effects artist Tal Cooperman, who serves as executive creative director at Station Casinos. It appears that the Israeli did not create the video intentionally to spread misinformation, but to express his solidarity with festival-goers who were attacked, killed and taken hostage by Hamas on October 7.
Back in October, we compiled this list of the best fake Sphere videos to date.
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Source: www.casino.org
