Re: Re: Re: Re: Hacking actors

[enilsson@xxxxxxxxx]

Doyle wrote:

>The computing problem of producing images (conversational agents) that are
> realistic in real time . . .is probably insurmountable. . . .is unrealistic
>about what computers can do.

I'm not sure, but we might be talking about different things. It appears you
are talking about the creation of a cyber actor which could, in theory, act on
the stage, live, while people watch.

I'm talking about something much more limited and almost within today's
computing power (excepting the well-known problem with realistic hair
movement): digital images of "people" that exist solely within the computer
(and on the screen) that appear "real."

> "The Titanic" and other technically costly works soak up the budgets for
> many smaller real world movies.

The Titanic is a good example of the use of computer-generated extras. Most of
the people seen on the ship (when the shot is long-distance) are computer
generated. Another movie using this extensively is The Patriot which used
computer generated people in its long-shot battle scenes.

Combination real actor/animated actor movies such as Roger Rabbit, going back
many years, are getting people used to having supporting actors (or in some
cases leading actors) what are not real. It's only a matter of time--say 10
years--before a "photo realistic" computer-generated actor will appear as a
full-fledged supporting role.

> I want to repeat what I wrote about in my previous posting, the purpose of
> seeing a persons face in movies is to understand how they feel, and also to
> know better through watching how the actor uses their body to show where
> their attention is focused.

In some way, actors already ARE cyber-people. They pretend to have certain
emotions, etc, in their acting. But this is only rarely "true" feelings that we
see on the screen; movie-goers know this--it isn't real.

Movies can be emotionally affecting if the viewer suspends disbelief: viewers
might be just as able to suspend disbelief with computer-generated actors as
with real actors.

One interesting possiblity is that once an "actor" in a movie is simply a set
of mathematical equations or data streams, then it might be possible to have
the viewer select certain attributes of an actor as they watch the movie. That
is, once an action movie is made with a virtual actor, then I might be able to
input data about my body into a super-DVD player (from the future) and watch
this action movie with (now) me apparently in the staring role.

Eric