Had, would have, bicycle chain: “If only I had said it differently, I would have stayed longer, I wouldn’t have worn the yellow pants to the party” – you can have these or similar thoughts. But what happens when you’re given the opportunity to go back in time and undo a mistake?
Markus asks himself that too. He is the protagonist of the new series “Mindblow”.
The ominous pill from Baschi
In 2003, 20-year-old Markus took part in the casting of “MusicStar” and involuntarily became the laughingstock of the nation. How does this happen? Because of his stage fright, Markus, who was called “Mäge” at the time, swallows a sedative pill. “Don’t take all of them, they’re really strong,” says Baschi, who offers him the pill in the men’s toilet. However, “Mäge” doesn’t hear that, has already swallowed the whole pill and is called to the casting a little later.
I wish I never became a meme!
The pill really hits home in front of the jury. “Mäge” became “Unfortunately-No-Mäge” – a nickname that stuck with him for decades and became a viral hit on the newly emerging Internet in the early 2000s.
Legend:
“Mäge” becomes a meme
SRF
A chain of events
20 years later: Markus is still struggling with his appearance on “MusicStar”. On his 40th birthday something strange happens: he plugs his smartphone into the power strip to charge it, there is a short circuit and he receives a text message from his 20-year-old self. The two write back and forth, in disbelief that this is actually reality.
Do you know what a bashi is?
Then Markus comes up with the idea: He warns the 20-year-old “Mäge” not to take the pill from Baschi. His reaction to his friends in the band room in 2003: “Do you know what a baschi is?”
In fact, “Mäge” does what Markus tells him. He goes to the “MusicStar” casting and, despite stage fright, forgoes Baschi’s pill. This decision changes his life forever: “MusicStar” hype, successful music career, other friends and relationships. In the end the question arises: was it worth it?
Aging backwards thanks to AI
The scenes in the series take place in both 2023 and 2003. In post-production, new artificial intelligence methods were used to artificially rejuvenate the main actor in over 400 shots. “Until recently, rejuvenating actors was only possible with a big budget in Hollywood,” says visual effects expert Valentin Huber about the post-production of “Mindblow”. Using their own workflows, he and his team managed to make the skin appear younger and adjust the shape of the face without changing the actor’s performance.
Young Baschi was artificially created from archive material and deepfakes.
A special detail in the film is the appearance of young Baschi – exactly as he actually appeared at the “MusicStar” casting in 2003. “On set, this role was doubled by an actor in a suitable costume. “We then completely replaced the actor’s face in post-production using archive material and deepfakes and even reworked the hairstyle,” explains Valentin Huber.
“Meh Dräck” – series with a star cast
The real Baschi also plays in the series “Mindblow” – as does former juror Chris von Rohr.
The main role in the series is played by Dimitri Stapfer, known from the SRF series “Frieden”, “Wilder”, “Neumatt” or from “The Undertaker – The Film”. The series is produced by the Zurich production company Shining Film with “Tschugger” producer Sophie Toth. The music comes from the Swiss electronic great Pablo Nouvelle.