History Main / DigitalHeadSwap

* In ''Literature/RisingSun'', and its film adaptation, a computer programmer notices that the head of an alleged murderer caught on video has a blue halo, suggesting that his face had been digitally inserted. She demonstrates the technology on SeanConnery's and Wesley Snipes' characters, swapping their heads in the computer.

* The Wayans brothers vehicle ''Little Man'', wherein one of the brothers took position on the body of a child actor.

* In Creator/TimBurton's ''Film/AliceInWonderland'', Tweedledee and Tweedledum have actors' heads on digital bodies. As well, the Red Queen's head is greatly enlarged.

[[folder:Film]]

* In ''Film/BeingJohnMalkovich'', when John Malkovich goes into the door (and inside his own mind), he sees numerous clones of himself (both males ''and'' females), all with Malkovich's face digitally superimposed on everyone.
** At least partially it is actually a subversion: They used [[http://www.propstore.com/product/being-john-malkovich/john-malkovich-mask/ physical masks]] and make-up extensively through the scene, though, probably, digital make-up, as well.
* ''Film/{{Beowulf 2007}}'' did this, after a fashion, for the lead actor, Creator/RayWinstone. The whole thing was filmed using motion capture, and Winstone claimed they put his head on his eighteen-year-old body. The same sort of thing was done with Creator/AngelinaJolie.

* This was going to be done on ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'' for the scenes of Steve Rogers before he becomes Cap, sticking Creator/ChrisEvans' face on a shorter, scrawnier stand-in. However, it was subverted when the director decided against it, in order to preserve Evans' unique body language. Instead, Evans was digitally shrunk down.

* Done with Robert Downey Jr. in a couple scenes in ''Film/IronMan3'' as he broke his ankle during a stunt and was unavailable for some time.

* In ''Film/{{Titanic 1997}}'' when Jack and Rose are running down a flooded hallway, their faces are superimposed over stunt doubles.. It's noticeable, though, as the sequence was longer and in slow motion.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* The video for the Wet Wet Wet song "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwKeNIUbMsM Strange]]" sees the band members having their heads swapped onto various types of bodies, including a pregnant woman, a contortionist and a child, by two Japanese women. At the end of the video, the tables are turned, and the two women end up with their heads swapped onto the bodies of a footballer and a male bodybuilder.

* ''Series/{{SeaQuest DSV}}'' has a variant on this, due to dignitaries being lost, they create the illusion of them touring the ship by digitally grafting their faces onto computer generated bodies that are touring the ship, buying them some time.

* A really ''bad'' one done by a girl who was trying to lie about knowing Creator/DominicMonaghan in real life resulted in the {{meme|eticMutation}} phrase "[[https://fanlore.org/wiki/My_hed_iz_pastede_on_yay My hed iz pastede on yay]]".

* Used during the NightmareSequence of the film ''Film/{{Junior}}'' in a moment that sent WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic screaming out of the room.

* ''Film/GameOfDeath''. In order to complete the movie after the death of BruceLee, they hired a {{FakeShemp}} to stand in for Lee by either obscuring most of his face with sunglasses or, in one infamous moment, [[SpecialEffectsFailure pasting a cardboard cutout of Bruce's face onto a mirror to act as the double's reflection]].

* ''Film/{{Beowulf}}'' did this, after a fashion, for the lead actor, Ray Winstone. The whole thing was filmed using motion capture, and Winstone claimed they put his head on his eighteen-year-old body. The same sort of thing was done with AngelinaJolie.

* ''TheGeorgeLopezShow'' did this [[StylisticSuck incredibly obviously]] in its flashbacks, with the adult actors' heads pasted onto child actors' bodies.

* In an episode of ''That70sShow'', where after getting high, [[TheDitz Kelso]] sees Kitty's and Red's heads on each other's bodies.

* An early non-CGI example in the movie ''BachelorParty'', where Creator/TomHanks's character is conflicted about sleeping with another woman before his wedding and sees several heads of his wife, his male friends, and a nun, superimposed upon the girl's naked torso, exhorting him to either do it or not, FloatingAdviceReminder style.

* Used as part of TheInfiltration in ''[[XWingSeries X-Wing: Wraith Squadron]]''. An enemy corvette captain was vain enough to keep his CaptainsLog in full 3-D hologram, so when the Wraiths seize his ship, their technical expert is able to program an audio-visual overlay for the team's thespian when he needs to call their "employers." This does lead to some tense moments as the actor worries if the programming will be able to keep up with his [[LargeHam extravagant hand gestures]], or glitch out and fail at the worst moment.

[[quoteright:350:[[Film/{{Junior}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/26b87b6aa3b8a0df6f39d1790c0d7809.jpg]]]]

* In ''Film/{{Titanic}}'' when Jack and Rose are running down a flooded hallway, their faces are superimposed over stunt doubles.. It's noticeable, though, as the sequence was longer and in slow motion.

* Subverted with a segment on ''LateNight With Creator/JimmyFallon'' titled "Head Swap", which is introduced as this trope, but the theme song gets derailed into a RandomEventsPlot that takes up the entire segment. See an example [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88nkygS4V9I here]].

* Done to eerie effect in the video for Music/WeirdAlYankovic's "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ss_BmTGv43M Perform This Way]]", a parody of LadyGaga which put Al's head on a woman's body.

* In ''Literature/RisingSun'', a computer programmer notices that the head of an alleged murderer caught on video has a blue halo, suggesting that his face had been digitally inserted. She demonstrates the technology on SeanConnery's and Wesley Snipes' characters, swapping their heads in the computer.

* In ''Rising Sun'', a computer programmer notices that the head of an alleged murderer caught on video has a blue halo, suggesting that his face had been digitally inserted. She demonstrates the technology on SeanConnery's and Wesley Snipes' characters, swapping their heads in the computer.

** In ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'' and ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', this was done with Count Dooku and Palpatine for their lightsaber battles, quite necessarily given the ages of their actors Christopher Lee and Ian [=McDiarmid=]. However, the quality of the effect has resulted in UncannyValley for some.

** Also infamously done in the 2004 DVD release (and later releases) of ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', with Hayden Christensen's face over Anakin's Force Ghost played by Sebastian Shaw.
** And used to give future Grand Moff Tarkin a cameo at the end of Revenge of the Sith, Creator/PeterCushing having been deceased for some years at the time.

* Subverted with a segment on ''LateNight With JimmyFallon'' titled "Head Swap", which is introduced as this trope, but the theme song gets derailed into a RandomEventsPlot that takes up the entire segment. See an example [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88nkygS4V9I here]].