Capturing the details of an actor’s face, cheaply
Tuesday, August 1st, 2006Steve Perelman, the cofounder of WebTV and founder of Moxi, has led a team that has invented a device that accurately captures very small movements of an object, including an actor’s face. As the NY Times states,
The system could change the nature of cinematography in several ways, according to leading Hollywood producers and technologists who are planning to use the system. For example, it will make it possible to create compellingly realistic synthetic actors by capturing the facial movements of real actors in much greater detail than is currently possible.
One remarkable thing about the system is its relatively low-tech components. Rather than using super expensive lasers, it uses makeup, relatively cheap cameras, and fluorescent lights…
The Contour system requires actors to cover their faces and clothes with makeup containing phosphorescent powder that is not visible under normal lighting. In a light-sealed room, the actors face two arrays of inexpensive video cameras that are synchronized to simultaneously record their appearance and shape. Scenes are lit by rapidly flashing fluorescent lights, and the cameras capture light from the glowing powder during intervals of darkness that are too short for humans to perceive.
The captured images are transmitted to an array of computers that reassemble the three-dimensional shapes of the glowing areas. These can then be manipulated and edited into larger digital scenes …
The difference offered by Mr. Perlman’s technology is in the detail. Standard motion-capture systems are generally limited in resolution to several hundred points on a human face, while the Contour system can recreate facial images at a resolution of 200,000 pixels. The digital video images produced by the system are startlingly realistic.
For more, see http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/31/technology/31motion.html?ex=1154577600&en=7ca93170fc84af3d&ei=5087%0A
