Monday, November 19, 2007

Mova Contour - Technology pushes digital actors to realism in a new film - Beowulf

Since Mickey Mouse and other animated characters appeared on the screen we have watched an amazing evolution of the animated character. A new movie just released in North American theatres this past weekend is Beowulf, an "animated film based on the Anglo-Saxon epic poem, was the top film at U.S. and Canadian theaters this past weekend..." (source: Bloomberg)

Steve Perlman developed a process:
fluorescent child’s make-up + 44 cameras = captures of 100 thousand reflective points on a human face. Cheaper and less time consuming this process captures a much more realistic digital clone of the human actor. The process is called Mova Contour an advanced motion capture method that "captures subtle movements of body, skin and cloth."

More Reading:

School Chat....
Think of what an experience it would be for young "future technologists" to be exposed to this process from a "road show." In other words - mobile unit with all the motion capture hardware and tools moving from secondary school to secondary school to engage students in a world they could only imagine or read about......think of the possibilities for this industry when these students get into the work force. Do I sense a challenge here for the industry :)

No comments: