Visual Humanoids and The Certainty of the Uncanny

Carlson / Course SDGM-719-OL / Visual Humanoids and The Certainty of the Uncanny 1
The uncanny valley is a hot topic revolving around visual effects communities. This term
according to the oxford dictionary,
“Used in reference to the phenomenon whereby a computer-generated figure or
humanoid robot bearing a near-identical resemblance to a human being arouses a
sense of unease or revulsion in the person viewing it.”1
The definition of the uncanny valley is seems to give a direct answer to what it is.
However, if you look at the word uncanny on its own , the answer isn’t so simple. Can
we define the uncanny? How has it been defined before and how can we use semiotics to
surpass the uncanny valley? Let’s look at previous critically analyses, and examples of
how it has already been represented.
Freud’s Take on the Uncanny
The uncanny as a word has many definitions and uses.
“It is equally beyond a doubt that the word is not always used in a clearly
definable sense.” 2
It is a term that is used in day to day speech, to discuss narrative genres, and 3D
creations of humans. What is the common denominator in the definition and use of the world
uncanny? Freud in his essay on the uncanny focuses on its background and different ways
languages have used a similar word to uncanny. The germans have a similar word called
unheimlich which is comparative to the English word uncanny. The opposite word exists just as
there is canny to uncanny. The word is heimlich. The german definitions for heimlich translate
1
"uncanny valley, n.1."OED Online. (Oxford University Press, March 2017), Web. 24 April 2017.
2
Sigmund, Freud. The Uncanny (First published in Imago, Bd. V., 1919; reprinted in Sammlung, Fünfte Folge.
Translated by Alix Strachey.) p. 1

to a familiarity to home, familiarity to humans, unease, and secrets. How can this word mean
familiarity and unease?
Unheimlich when broken down to its definitions seems more like an synonym than an
antonym to heimlich. In german, this term can mean, ghostly, fearful, mysterious, and hidden.
“Unheimlich nennt man Alles, was im Geheimnis, im Verborgenen...bleiben sollte und
hervorgetreten ist, ‘Uncanny is what one calls everything that was meant to remain secret
and hidden and has come into the open’” 3
However the german terms for uncanny and canny definitions blur together without a single
answer to its definition. This lack of answer can be seen as a hint to the value of what the
uncanny represents. The answer is in certainty and uncertainty.
Todorov and The Fantastic
Exploration of how uncanny is used to define narratives leads us down a familiar path.
Freud’s focus on the narrative suggests that the definition is just as varied. His definition
contrasts greatly with the author of The Fantastic, Tzevetan Todorov. Freud believes that the
uncanny genre is filled with double possibilities, uncertainty, and a relationship to being human.
In contrast Todorov’s book The Fantastic puts a focus on the uncanny genre relating to realism
without uncertainty. The fantastic is a term when used in a narrative describes the uncertainty of
the narrative's reality. The marvelous is when a narrative resolves its reality with the
unexplained or supernatural answer. The uncanny is when the narratives reality is answered
rationally with a basis in reality.
3
Sigmund, Freud. The Uncanny (First published in Imago, Bd. V., 1919; reprinted in Sammlung, Fünfte Folge.
Translated by Alix Strachey.) p. 132

The neighboring genres the marvelous and the fantastic can be used to describe realism
and uncertainty. All three categories can be used as sub categories to define a narrative. A
narrative can be uncanny, fantastic and uncanny, fantastic and marvelous, and marvelous. We
will explore this further in a later section. Both Freud and Todorov use the uncanny in terms of
familiarity, humanity, and certainty. If we use both Freud’s and Todorov’s analytical structure to
critique visual representations of humans perhaps we will get a better understanding of the
uncanny.
The Fantastic, The Marvelous, The Uncanny in Humanoids
Let’s start with the marvelous. According to Todorov, the author of The Fantastic,
“In the case of the marvelous, supernatural elements provoke no particular
reaction in either the characters or in the implicit reader.”4
The supernatural elements are accepted throughout the narrative without question. In
visual representations of humans we could use this term in a similar fashion. The marvelous is
when the character or human is accepted as being not real or lacks in characteristics based on
reality. Just as the marvelous narrative is related to a lack in reality and rationality. An example
of this would be the movie Toy Story. The characters though humanoid do not have realistic
skin, proportions, or movements. The viewer knows the characters aren’t human and do not
doubt that the movie does not take place in reality. This term can be used to define all
caricatures of humans in animated pictures.
4
Todorov, Tzvetan. The Fantastic (Ithaca, New York:Cornell University Press,1975) p. 54

The uncanny seen in visual representations of figures typically is an undesirable effect.
With Todorov’s definition the uncanny can be seen as a rational and familiar to reality. However,
Todorov was comparing fiction to reality. It was a comparison of a story based in reality that did
not actually take place. It is familiar to reality but not actual facts or truth. So in this way the
uncanny in visual representations is the same. The digital humanoid can be seen as close to what
a human actually is. However, the eerie feeling that something is off or disturbing about the
figure tells the viewer that the figure is not actually human. Both the uncanny and the marvelous
have something in common. They have a definitive answer of their reality. They are either
obviously lacking in realism, or close to being real. What if the answer is in the third category,
the fantastic?
The fantastic is a genre defined as an uncertainty to either the characters or readers
perception of the narratives basis in rationality and reality. An example of this would be if
supernatural events take place in the story, however, there could be a rational answer for it. This
in between knowing and not knowing is the fantastic. When the truth of the reality is answered
the genre switches to being either marvelous or uncanny. If we were to say that character on
screen was indecipherable from being either human made or actually human; did we surpass the
goal of the uncanny valley? In this way realism can be viewed as the fantastic.
Can a character be both fantastic and uncanny? If the goal in a film was to mimic our
current reality where robots had to contend with the uncanny valley then those characters surely
would be fantastic. An example of this would be robotic representations of characters. Many of
these representations can be seen as fantastic and uncanny.

Robotic Representations of The Uncanny
The uncertainty of a visual representation of character’s existence brings about an
element of realism. This uncertainty has been brought up before in Freud’s definition of the
uncanny. He also talks about familiarity and a relation to being human. If we use certainty as
the basis of our evaluations of visual representations of humanoids we can start to categorize
what we perceive as real. However this essay will focus on theory and semiotics and not full
scientific evaluations on reality. Lets focus our efforts on recent fantastic humanoid
representations.
To evaluate, robotic depictions were picked based solely on their relation and closeness
to humanity. Though, realistic humanoid robots are slowly blooming into our reality they
currently do not match the futuristic representations in film. This allows an area of uncertainty
which gives way to the fantastic. We have no actual proof as to what a robot in the future would
look like. We assume the goal is to create a robot that is human-like. When the viewer sees an
actor or actress playing a robot it is seen as believable. This uncertainty of what a robot is and
certainty of what a human is makes visual representations of robotic characters believable. This
uncertainty of its existence creates an area of disbelief. It could be real. This disbelief means the
character’s depiction is fantastic.
In what ways do films successfully create robotic humans? The knowledge of how
robots exist in the uncanny valley and the biology of what a human is used as a defining basis for
the creation of the characters. Both Freud and Todorov say that uncanny is a familiarity to
humanity. It would be easy to hypothesize that the uncanny is a pathway to the fantastic. Using
real actors to play the robotic characters immediately makes the characters relatable. Familiarity

is immediately apparent. The goal of a robotic creation in film is to mimic reality. Robots in our
reality and current technological standards all lay within the the uncanny valley. To replicate
this a film must focus on removing humanity from the actor.
Humans and the Uncanny
A great example that is currently on television is the BBC show Humans. This show has
robots known as synths that can pass as humans when they have a human based consciousness.
However, not all synths are the same. Many are lacking the human quality and the ability to be
conscious of their decisions. To be able to complete this feat of treading the line of the uncanny
valley and the fantastic the production had their actors attend Synth School.
Their movements and actions were choreographed by Dan O’Neill. There was a detailed
pamphlet with information about the sophistication of the robots. The movements and actions
were a combined effort of the choreographer, two of the main actors, and the director. According
to O’Neill, a large focus was placed on energy. They considered how a robot would be
programmed to conserve their energy for tasks. Minimal movements and twitches would be seen
as unnecessary, although natural for humans. A large part of making the synths uncanny was
their use of movement.
Another part of removing their humanity was removing their individuality. These
movements and ideas were used as a rulebook for the actors. They were told to find a
commonality with their movements with other actors. According to Dan O’Neill and his
interview for Vulture online,

“We did really look at each element of the body. So with the eyes … normally
when we look at something, we lead with our noses and find it and focus. We did
a lot of work on [Synths] leading with their eyes, and the skull kind of following.5
Some of the characters of the show were more uncanny than others. To achieve this
more aspects of humanity were removed. Will Tudors plays William
Hurt’s broken robot. He often has a hard time with coherent speech.
Often his speech includes digital glitch sounds and repetitions which no
human would be able to make. His arm is off center to his body and
does not move. He is often lacking facial expression and character. It
is immediately apparent that he is a malfunctioning robot character and
not a human. This certainty puts Will Tudor’s character solely in the
realm of the uncanny and not the fantastic.
One last way the show Humans creates the uncanny is through the use of makeup. The
synths in the show are distinguishable by their unrealistic green eyes. The actor’s wore green
contact lenses to create the effect. In the show many of the synths attempt to convince other
characters that they are in fact human. To do this the synths would wear contact lenses to shield
their true eye color. However in reality the actors often would just remove the lenses they were
wearing for the scene. The actress that plays Niska has blue eyes. In the show she removes her
green lenses to display her true eye color. This changing from being robotic to human is an
example of being both uncanny and fantastic.
5
Cohen, Ivan. Vulture Online. Graceful Robots ( New York Media LLC, 2015)

What is uncanny about a human acting robotic? If the depiction is telling the audience
the character is close to human and not actually human then the answer is uncanny; the viewer is
certain the character depiction is not human. The show Humans does any amazing thing. It not
only shows the characters as uncanny but as fantastic. These characters become believably
human by the other humans in the show. The other characters believing them to be human also
helps add to the fantastic. If the viewer can’t tell the difference or is uncertain if the character is
different than the other characters in the scene then this is fantastic.
The Fantastic and Reality
Fantastic humanoids not only exist in film but they
exist in reality as well. The artist Duane Hanson creates
realistic sculptures. He creates sculptures based off of
characteristics of real people. He has created tourists,
janitors, tanners, joggers, and security guards. These
realistic statues have an amazing realm of uncertainty.
Witnessing one in person one might be cautious to inspect

closely wondering if the subject will move or the security guard might ask you to stop staring.
This disbelief in reality means the creation is fantastic. His work is masterful and convincing.
However, once the viewer waits for movement the magic starts the fail. Once the viewer realizes
it is art it is no longer fantastic but marvelous. The doubt leaves and the viewer is convinced of
the role of the art. Doubt plays a large part in Duane Hanson’s works.
The fantastic is reality. Doubt plays a large part in the human mind’s interpretation of
existence. The philosopher, Descartes, focuses on the theory of doubt and perception.
According to Descartes there is one main truth in reality and that is the knowledge of one’s own
existence and thought. There is uncertainty to what we feel, what we see, and hear. Our reality
lies in what we judge things to be. If we judge a film to be a film then that is what it is to us.
Perception is adding up the parts of one sees and making a judgement on to what it is. This
judgement relies in the mind. However, the mind is easy to error and trick.
“But as I reach this conclusion I am amazed at how <weak and) prone
to error my mind is. For although I am thinking about these matters
within myself, silently and without speaking, nonetheless the actual 32
words bring me up short, and I am almost tricked by ordinary ways of
talking. “6
This tricking of the mind is the goal of the digital humanoid artist of the fantastic. They
want their creations to be judged as real. This judgement of realism is uncertainty. The
uncertainty of reality. The hesitation upon closer inspection, the doubt. The fantastic is the goal
of the digital artist to succeed the artist creates a realm of uncertainty. This uncertainty is what
6
Descartes, René. The Philosophical Writings of DESCARTES (Bath, Great Britain: Cambridge University
Press,1984) p. 22

makes the word uncanny hard to define. It is knowledge of reality and our perception that makes
the word undefinable and interchangeable. Just as our reality is certain it is also uncertain.
The Failures of the Fantastic
The failure of the fantastic is the uncanny valley. The uncanny valley as described earlier
is an unpleasant experience. In film, it is a failed attempt in creating the fantastic. Creating the
fantastic has a lot of hurdles to overcome. The uncanny fantastic gives room for error. The
creation of a believable character relies on artistic talent, technology, and the scientific processes
and developments. Though, Duane Hanson has created fantastic statues, fantastic robots do not
exist. Hanson has an advantage. Movement and sound are not required to be part of his statues.
Hanson’s statues are stuck in time. The fantastic for these creations lasts as long as the viewer is
willing to make-up their mind. Once they decide that the creation is art it is no longer fantastic.
It is marvelous.
Robots however require manufacturing, programming, movement, and sound. The
creation of skin that can move and deform with muscles would be a magnificent achievement. It
seems like an impossible hurdle. The creation of digital skin can be seen as the same. To create
skin from 1s and 0s seems like an impossible task. However, over time it is slowly becoming
reality. The digital humanoid is currently in the realm of the uncanny valley. It means progress
has been made. The creations have surpassed the realm of the marvelous into their own genre. It
will be a matter of time before actors will no longer have to be filmed in the traditional sense.
Actors will be created out of will and not reality. They will be fantastic.

Bibliography
Cohen, Ivan. "Graceful Robots." Vulture Online. N.p., 7 July 2015. Web. 20 Apr. 2017.
<http://www.vulture.com/2015/07/humans-robots-synth-school-walk-talk.html>.
Descartes, Rene, John Cottingham, Robert Stoothoff, and Dugald Murdoch. "The Philosophical
Writings of Descartes." (1985)
Freud, Sigmund. "The 'uncanny' (1919). Part I. Linguistic Approach to the Uncanny." Trans. Alix
Strachey. The Uncanny (1919)
Todorov, Tzvetan, and Richard Howard. The Fantastic: A Structural Approach to a Literary
Genre. Ithaca, NY: Cornell U Pr., 2007. Print.

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