This video of basketball star Stephen Curry is spreading like wildfire on social media.
The clip shows the “Golden State Warriors” player throwing five balls into the net from the other end of the field.
The clip was viewed more than 29 million times in just a few days. Numerous users commented and shared the incredible video.
But is the clip really real? What is behind the recordings of the almost unbelievable performance?
The viral video is a fake.
During a press conference, the superstar made it clear that the clip was not authentic and that the five balls found their way into the basket using computer animation.
Curry also emphasizes that he takes it as a compliment that some viewers thought the video was real. He also scored twice himself – without the help of computer and video tricks.
The clip is a collaboration with video director Ari Fararooy – who has previously produced social media clips for other top athletes such as football star Tom Brady.
The case makes it clear that professional athletes and their skills on social media are given a kind of leap of faith by users.
This is how a manipulated video turns into a supposed real top sporting performance.
How do we check videos for manipulation in the editorial office? It is important to look at the details. The individual frames of a video often reveal whether a video has been edited. We take a close look at each image and enlarge individual sections. Indications of a fake are, for example: lack of motion blur, unnatural shadows or editing errors. The general rule at stern is: Seriousness before speed. We always double-check facts and material thoroughly before publishing them. For this we work with the cross-editorial “Team Verification” together with RTL, NTV, RTL2, Radio NRW.
