The Future Of Motion Capture Animation: Building The Perfect Digital Human

The Future Of Motion-Capture Animation: Building The Perfect Digital Human
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The Time Is Soon
Ready or not, expect to see the first photo-real digital human in approximately 18 months, when Giant Studios unveils a top secret film project that is currently in the works. "I'd love to be able to tell you about it, but, unfortunately, I can't," Madden teases. In the meantime, he reveals that Giant is working with New Zealand visual effects company Weta, Ltd. on New Line Cinema's much-anticipated The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Directed by Peter Jackson, the trilogy requires 1,300 computer-generated effects shots. "We're creating virtual characters through our software," says Madden. Though not human, they are main characters and, Madden assures, "We're definitely not doing Jar-Jar Binks." Further details on the production are under wraps. Other upcoming projects include a possible Webbie Tookay ad campaign for Nike of Europe, an on-line Webbie-hosted talk show that mixes live-action with digital imaging, and the digital scanning of real-life Elite models in order to represent them virtually on the Web.

"Some of the models were a little bit threatened by that," says Madden, "but obviously, you wouldn't capture or portray a supermodel without their permission. You certainly wouldn't do it without some kind of contract, and you would always use their voice and probably their motion as well. It's just a more efficient way to produce an appealing marketing piece for less cost. The intention is to build digital versions of them in a computer, and those things can then be reused and restructured in all these different ways, with motions combined and recreated for a completely different product or shoot. If a model is walking and talking, doing a commercial, for example, you can recapture the facial motion and audio track and play it back in Spanish and re-purpose it worldwide. The model would own a part of that, even if she herself didn't actually participate in that commercial."

Says John Casablancas, Elite Models' Chairman of the Board, "I'm thinking that you need cyber everything nowadays. You need people who are available in two places at the same time, people who are flexible to change. A virtual model is absolutely the ideal person for that." Webbie would no doubt agree.

Prior to becoming a freelance journalist and screenwriter, Laura Schiff sold animation art for Hanna-Barbera Cartoons. Her work has been published in Animefantastique, Creative Screenwriting, People, Mademoiselle and Seventeen.