Animated videos misrepresented as 'real mermaids' in viral social media posts
- This article is more than one year old.
- Published on August 4, 2022 at 07:12
- Updated on August 10, 2022 at 11:12
- 4 min read
- By AFP Philippines
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"Real mermaid caught on camera," reads a Tagalog-language Facebook post shared on April 10.
The video, which has more than 2.5 million views, shows a fish-like creature flailing about on a wooden deck near a body of water.
The video racked up millions more views in similar Facebook posts and also circulated on TikTok.
A similar video, which shows a creature with a tail and long hair perched on rocks, was shared on Facebook on July 27 with the text overlay "Real life mermaid".
The clip was viewed more than 13 million times on Facebook around the world, including in Ghana, Malaysia and the Philippines. It was also shared on TikTok here and here.
A third video showing a similar-looking creature lounging on a concrete structure in a lake was shared on Facebook on April 27.
"Mermaid caught on camera in West Virginia," reads text overlaid on the clip.
Some social media users appeared to believe the videos showed real-life mermaids.
"I believe it's real. The mermaid casts a shadow," one user commented.
"Hope they let it be," another wrote. "If they can respect the snakes to be in the wild, then they should let these beings receive the same respect."
However, all three videos show digital creations.
CGI mermaids
Reverse image searches of the videos' keyframes and Google keyword searches found the clips were previously published on YouTube channel JJPD Productions.
The channel, which has more than 440,000 subscribers, regularly posts special effects videos appearing to show mythical creatures.
The channel's description reads: "We are two Nicaraguan YouTuber Brothers, creators of special effects videos, videos of paranormal encounters, short fiction films, Horror Stories and more."
Contacted by AFP, Jose Joaquin Perez, one of the creators behind the channel, said he and his brother Jimmy Jose Perez made the three videos circulating on social media.
"All the videos and creatures are digitally recreated using specific CGI (computer-generated imagery) programs. The mermaids are not real, they are small paranormal shorts for entertainment," he said.
First video
The first clip was taken from a longer video posted on the channel on September 1, 2019.
"These are paranormal videos created by us to entertain. All images shown are fictional. Video CGI (Computer Generated Image)," the Spanish-language caption reads in part.
The YouTube channel also published a separate video in 2020 that explained how the mermaid animation was created.
Below is a screenshot comparison of the first video (left) and a corresponding frame from the original video (right):
Second video
The second video was posted on the JJPD Productions YouTube channel on July 16, 2022.
The Spanish title reads: "Terrifying Mermaid caught on video 2022 - Real or myth?"
The caption says the video was made using computer-generated imagery.
Below is a screenshot comparison of the second video (left) and a corresponding frame from the original video (right):
Third video
The third clip was taken from another JJPD Productions video uploaded on February 15, 2021, titled: "Shocking Mermaid Caught on Camera in the Xiloa Lagoon of Nicaragua - in the Real Life 2021."
The caption says that the computer-generated video was created by Jose Joaquin Perez and Jimmy Jose Perez.
Below is a screenshot comparison of the third video (left) and a corresponding frame from the original video (right):
AFP has previously debunked posts misrepresenting videos from the same YouTube channel, including here and here.
August 10, 2022 This article was amended to correct the upload dates of JJPD Productions' YouTube videos.
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