0:00:00.470,0:00:01.651 Hello everyone. 0:00:01.651,0:00:03.290 In this video I'll show you 0:00:03.290,0:00:06.220 something incredible, which [br]defies the imagination 0:00:06.220,0:00:07.592 and the laws of physics as 0:00:07.602,0:00:09.291 today we are going to interview... 0:00:09.291,0:00:10.351 an iPad. 0:00:10.351,0:00:14.083 But not just any old iPad, as it [br]will bring Louis XIV back to life. 0:00:14.083,0:00:17.071 Even speaking in the same voice [br]he would have had in the past. 0:00:17.341,0:00:18.461 Let's start! 0:00:24.631,0:00:27.341 Louis XIV, wesh wesh, [br]as they say these days. 0:00:27.341,0:00:28.691 It's a pleasure to meet you. 0:00:28.691,0:00:30.632 Good day, Mr. Wesh Wesh. 0:00:31.652,0:00:33.504 The pleasure is all mine. 0:00:33.504,0:00:35.562 Oh yeah right, that's me...[br]Mr. Wesh Wesh. 0:00:35.562,0:00:38.651 When you were a child, [br]five years old to be exact 0:00:38.651,0:00:41.451 you fell into a fountain and almost died. 0:00:41.451,0:00:43.383 How did that have an effect on you? 0:00:43.383,0:00:45.642 Did you, for example, [br]develop a fear of water? 0:00:45.642,0:00:48.932 Hmm. That fountain story [br]is a bit of a myth. 0:00:48.932,0:00:51.711 I really fell into one of the lakes 0:00:51.711,0:00:53.652 in the Palais Royal garden. 0:00:53.652,0:00:55.735 and I was fished out [br]at the last moment. 0:00:55.735,0:00:58.390 The gossips said that I developed 0:00:58.390,0:01:00.361 rather too much of a dislike for water 0:01:00.361,0:01:02.061 including when washing. 0:01:02.061,0:01:05.093 Yes, it's true that it has been [br]said you were a bit mucky... 0:01:05.093,0:01:08.672 But, if I'm not mistaken, that [br]wasn't the first time you almost died. 0:01:08.672,0:01:12.052 When you were a kid your [br]health was a bit fragile. 0:01:12.292,0:01:15.682 What with chickenpox, a tumour, [br]gonorrhoea and typhus... 0:01:17.802,0:01:20.622 It's true that my medical record reads 0:01:20.622,0:01:23.362 a bit like a horror novel 0:01:23.362,0:01:25.772 or thriller, as you call [br]them these days. 0:01:25.772,0:01:30.021 On several occasions, I came [br]close to losing my life. 0:01:30.021,0:01:33.262 But with the miraculous [br]attention and talent of my doctors 0:01:33.262,0:01:35.252 I managed to live a long life. 0:01:35.362,0:01:38.453 Don't be so modest. You must have [br]had a strong constitution. 0:01:38.453,0:01:41.644 And what is impressive is how [br]you managed to live such a long time. 0:01:41.644,0:01:43.282 Your reign was one of the longest. 0:01:43.282,0:01:46.974 I was king for 72 years, [br]3 months, and 18 days. 0:01:46.974,0:01:47.754 Not bad! 0:01:47.754,0:01:50.283 The young Elisabeth II 0:01:50.283,0:01:53.544 has reigned for only 66 years, so far. 0:01:53.544,0:01:58.263 But she certainly has the [br]advantage of still being alive. 0:01:58.263,0:02:01.324 Anyhow, you were so old when you died 0:02:01.324,0:02:04.692 your great-grandson was your successor 0:02:04.692,0:02:05.694 Louis XV. 0:02:05.694,0:02:08.220 It is said that on your [br]death bed you told him 0:02:08.220,0:02:10.972 "In my life I have [br]loved war too much". 0:02:10.972,0:02:13.672 What did you mean by that? [br]Can you clarify a bit for us? 0:02:13.802,0:02:17.572 Well, it's true that I [br]told the young Louis 0:02:17.572,0:02:21.154 that I had gone to war too often and [br]liked building things too much. 0:02:21.914,0:02:24.523 But, you know, gangrene tends to make 0:02:24.523,0:02:26.302 people a bit grumpy. 0:02:26.302,0:02:27.343 I see. 0:02:28.303,0:02:30.443 So, speaking of dying, 0:02:30.443,0:02:32.244 what did you think of communism? 0:02:32.294,0:02:36.123 Your epoch is still quite baffling to me. 0:02:36.173,0:02:38.662 That's OK. I think we can arrange 0:02:38.662,0:02:40.102 an interview with Karl Marx. 0:02:40.322,0:02:42.344 He'll take the time to explain his 0:02:42.344,0:02:45.312 vision of the world to you. 0:02:45.652,0:02:49.094 Your grandfather, Henry IV,[br]issued the Edict of Nantes 0:02:49.094,0:02:52.122 to improve relations between [br]Catholics and Protestants. 0:02:52.602,0:02:56.193 I remember that this gave Protestants[br]the freedom to pursue their religion 0:02:56.193,0:03:02.413 and you, a staunch Catholic, [br]decided to revoke the Edict. 0:03:02.883,0:03:04.132 Can we talk about that? 0:03:05.132,0:03:08.353 Well, you often get bad advice. [br]What can I say? 0:03:08.353,0:03:12.233 Vauban advised me not to do that and [br]maybe I should have listened to him. 0:03:12.233,0:03:14.968 Really? So, you are passing the buck [br]onto your advisers? 0:03:16.118,0:03:19.334 So Lolo, how did you like [br]your life in the royal court? 0:03:20.474,0:03:22.724 In the court, with all absolute power 0:03:22.724,0:03:24.845 how many people were really sincere? 0:03:25.065,0:03:27.721 But I do miss the parties, [br]the pomp, and the plays. 0:03:29.081,0:03:30.128 I really do. 0:03:32.078,0:03:33.795 That's a bit [br]depressing, old boy. 0:03:33.855,0:03:36.114 Anyway, for the last few years, [br]on French TV 0:03:36.114,0:03:38.994 there has been a popular series [br]called Versailles. 0:03:39.354,0:03:40.973 Can you say a few words about it? 0:03:41.083,0:03:42.383 I worked all my life 0:03:42.383,0:03:45.264 so that my reign would [br]be admired for all time. 0:03:46.584,0:03:50.364 So, I was very happy to [br]hear about such a show 0:03:50.364,0:03:52.826 320 years after I died. 0:03:53.076,0:03:54.983 I'm sure Canal+ is [br]happy about that too. 0:03:54.983,0:03:59.524 And did you think the series is[br]an accurate portrayal of your life 0:03:59.524,0:04:02.214 or is it all a bit romanticised 0:04:02.214,0:04:03.913 to make it a bit spicier? 0:04:04.373,0:04:06.452 Well, of course it was! 0:04:06.452,0:04:10.771 I spent entire days working [br]with my advisers. 0:04:10.861,0:04:12.590 Who would be interested in that? 0:04:12.630,0:04:15.631 In my time we also liked to have fun. 0:04:16.490,0:04:17.889 That's not changed much. 0:04:18.219,0:04:21.249 Would you please say, into the camera 0:04:21.809,0:04:24.338 "Long live the sixth republic!" 0:04:24.580,0:04:27.449 Or even better: "My dear comrades, [br]a good day to you all" 0:04:27.492,0:04:29.151 I'd really love you to do that. 0:04:29.151,0:04:30.109 It's for my video. 0:04:30.109,0:04:35.171 Ha ha. My dear sir, it wouldn't be proper [br]for the King to do as you ask. 0:04:35.631,0:04:36.361 OK. 0:04:36.361,0:04:38.082 But, as a gesture of my good will 0:04:38.252,0:04:41.232 I reverently bow down [br]to your followers. 0:04:41.232,0:04:43.610 And so we are coming to the [br]end of the interview. 0:04:43.780,0:04:46.738 Would you like to add [br]anything to finish off? 0:04:46.922,0:04:49.974 I must go now, but rest assured 0:04:49.974,0:04:52.776 that I hold you in the highest estime 0:04:52.776,0:04:55.217 and wish you all the very best. 0:04:55.396,0:04:57.783 Thank you, Louis XIV, for spending 0:04:57.783,0:05:01.105 a little of your precious [br]royal time with us. 0:05:01.291,0:05:02.472 Until the next time! 0:05:02.472,0:05:03.492 With Karl Marx. 0:05:09.782,0:05:13.338 Now we come to the second part of [br]the video and this time I'm not alone. 0:05:13.338,0:05:14.920 The iPad has transformed. 0:05:14.920,0:05:16.001 Hi! 0:05:16.141,0:05:18.242 Why did you create that voice? 0:05:18.892,0:05:20.939 Well, we created that voice for 0:05:20.939,0:05:23.352 the third and lastest season of Versailles 0:05:23.352,0:05:26.952 that will be broadcast on [br]Canal+ at the end of April. 0:05:27.144,0:05:30.001 We noticed that Versailles, the series, 0:05:30.001,0:05:31.821 had made quite a stir, in the press 0:05:31.901,0:05:33.900 and the fans of the series [br]were very keen. 0:05:34.130,0:05:35.710 Everyone had an opinion about it. 0:05:35.720,0:05:39.708 But we realise that the [br]only person who never 0:05:39.708,0:05:41.676 had a voice in the series 0:05:41.676,0:05:43.449 who couldn't take part in the debate 0:05:43.469,0:05:44.479 because he was dead 0:05:44.479,0:05:45.540 was Louis XIV himself. 0:05:45.540,0:05:48.225 We recreated his voice to [br]allow him to express himself . 0:05:48.346,0:05:51.618 How on earth did you decide [br]which tone of voice to use 0:05:51.618,0:05:53.990 for someone who had [br]been dead for 300 years? 0:05:54.060,0:05:57.130 We gathered as much [br]information as we could, 0:05:57.130,0:05:59.670 with the help of the [br]historical adviser of the series 0:05:59.708,0:06:01.758 All this data was then sent 0:06:01.758,0:06:04.618 to a speech therapist [br]who helped us 0:06:04.618,0:06:07.582 to convert this historical [br]data into vocal data. 0:06:08.068,0:06:10.277 Then this vocal data was used 0:06:10.277,0:06:12.872 by Voxygen, experts in voice synthesis 0:06:12.872,0:06:17.318 to create the synthesised [br]voice of Louis XIV. 0:06:17.341,0:06:20.455 So, did you have any specific information 0:06:20.455,0:06:22.211 on how his voice sounded or...? 0:06:22.403,0:06:26.181 The first clue: he was tall, [br]1.82m or 1.83m. 0:06:26.181,0:06:29.206 And the longer your vocal chords[br]the lower you voice will be. 0:06:29.889,0:06:31.957 Of course, this is only a generalisation. 0:06:32.419,0:06:35.861 Secondly, he liked to sing [br]in an opera called Atys 0:06:35.861,0:06:37.944 arranged for him [br]by the composer Lully. 0:06:38.241,0:06:40.389 And in Atys, the parts [br]are for bass voices. 0:06:40.389,0:06:42.382 Another clue that he had a low voice. 0:06:42.851,0:06:46.143 And, as well as that, we worked [br]with the paralinguistic data 0:06:46.143,0:06:47.452 in the King's medical record. 0:06:47.452,0:06:50.916 The King had problems with his mouth [br]and teeth due to a cleft palate 0:06:50.916,0:06:52.541 that made his voice very nasal. 0:06:52.939,0:06:55.982 He also had a tendency to [br]breath through his palate 0:06:55.982,0:06:57.804 or through his mouth 0:06:57.804,0:07:01.723 because he suffered from fluid [br]passing through his palate to his larynx. 0:07:02.259,0:07:03.226 Very glamorous! 0:07:03.226,0:07:04.074 Yep. 0:07:04.744,0:07:07.380 So, reconstructing a voice is one thing 0:07:07.380,0:07:09.472 but performing it, that's another. 0:07:10.557,0:07:14.227 But what about his phrasing, [br]what was his speaking style? 0:07:14.227,0:07:17.729 Everyone has a slightly [br]different way of speaking. 0:07:17.729,0:07:19.079 How did you copy that? 0:07:19.199,0:07:21.729 In the same way, based on evidence [br]from his contemporaries 0:07:21.729,0:07:24.738 and these resources suggest [br]that Louis was not very talkative. 0:07:24.888,0:07:26.554 He measured his words carefully. 0:07:26.590,0:07:30.467 Perhaps this was a way to [br]express his status as King. 0:07:31.088,0:07:34.814 Secondly, he rarely lost his temper. 0:07:34.839,0:07:35.730 Almost never. 0:07:36.340,0:07:38.410 He saved that for his private life. 0:07:38.480,0:07:40.973 So when he spoke he [br]didn't raise his voice. 0:07:41.180,0:07:44.108 His voice was always rather [br]bland and unemotional. 0:07:44.297,0:07:47.956 Everyone realises that this, after all, [br]is just an interpretation 0:07:47.956,0:07:50.621 and the team are aware of this? 0:07:50.698,0:07:52.312 Of course, it's an interpretation 0:07:52.312,0:07:55.992 but, to recreate the voice [br]exactly we'd need Louis XIV's body 0:07:55.992,0:07:57.167 and as you know 0:07:57.167,0:07:59.637 his body vanished after the Revolution. 0:07:59.831,0:08:03.408 We'd have to scan his vocal chords [br]to get the voice exactly right. 0:08:03.491,0:08:07.633 So yes, what we did is an interpretation,[br]based on the information we have 0:08:07.633,0:08:09.779 or data, as we call it today. 0:08:09.902,0:08:13.028 As you will have noticed in [br]the first part of the video 0:08:13.028,0:08:15.721 we followed a script [br]to conduct the interview. 0:08:17.240,0:08:20.859 There are a certain number [br]of pre-recorded responses 0:08:20.859,0:08:25.231 which are relevant to [br]a wide range of questions. 0:08:25.339,0:08:28.466 Exactly. There are about 100[br]responses on a wide range of topics 0:08:28.466,0:08:31.995 that are relevant to the [br]lifetime of Louis but also to our times. 0:08:32.628,0:08:36.124 So now people can have [br]a discussion on the Internet 0:08:36.124,0:08:38.591 using Louis XIVs Twitter account. 0:08:38.659,0:08:41.810 So, in manner of speaking, [br]Louis XIV has been brought back to life 0:08:41.810,0:08:43.649 to give his opinion on the series 0:08:43.819,0:08:48.882 and also on the world [br]in which we now all live 0:08:48.882,0:08:50.633 with all its craziness. 0:08:50.810,0:08:52.792 It's a real blast to [br]follow him on Twitter. 0:08:52.792,0:08:53.965 It certainly is, yeah! 0:08:53.965,0:08:55.736 These is no shortage of questions 0:08:55.897,0:08:57.433 that he can answer. 0:08:57.510,0:08:59.086 - Thanks very much![br]- Thank you! 0:08:59.242,0:09:00.849 Thanks for watching my video. 0:09:00.849,0:09:04.525 As you will have realised, this is a [br]production in collaboration with Canal+ 0:09:04.525,0:09:06.986 for the start of season [br]three of Versailles 0:09:06.986,0:09:09.552 which takes us back to [br]life in the court of Louis XIV. 0:09:09.552,0:09:11.836 If you want to ask him some questions 0:09:12.033,0:09:13.094 as I just did 0:09:13.094,0:09:15.100 you can now do it on Twitter. 0:09:15.219,0:09:22.152 The account name is @Louis XIV_CANAL 0:09:24.468,0:09:27.017 This would be great opportunity [br]to have some fun and 0:09:27.017,0:09:29.247 to test the limitations [br]of the application. 0:09:29.261,0:09:30.076 So go and try it! 0:09:30.130,0:09:33.090 I'd like to give special thanks [br]to the Chateau de Chamarande 0:09:33.090,0:09:35.294 who welcomed us here to [br]record the interview. 0:09:35.294,0:09:36.892 It was really kind of them. 0:09:37.100,0:09:41.706 If you have the chance to [br]visit the castle and its grounds 0:09:41.706,0:09:44.304 it's situated to the [br]south of Paris in l'Essone. 0:09:44.304,0:09:45.792 It's a great place to visit. 0:09:45.940,0:09:47.931 Thanks to everyone for watching. 0:09:47.931,0:09:50.470 Don't forget to give us a [br]thumbs up, like and share. 0:09:50.500,0:09:53.761 We'll see you again very [br]soon for another historical video. 0:09:53.791,0:09:54.641 Bye!