Computer Generated Imagery in Movie Production Essay - 8

Computer Generated Imagery in Movie Production - Essay Example These new techniques include the use of motion capture or motion tracking. Avatar used this extensively especially in the development of some scenes which required the performance of the actor to be well captured. The use of motion or performance capture is done with a set of equipment. The first set includes sensors which are placed in the strategic locations where they can sense the motions of the individual. These sensors are then connected to a computer or a colony of computers which analyze the data collected by the sensors and they use this data to apply it to the animated objects. In Avatar, this method was used to capture the facial performance of the actors such as the movement of the lips, the eyes and the cheeks and the data was then used to animate the non-human characters. Motion-capture suits were also used to capture the motion of the whole body. The director of the movie thought it would be necessary to use this technology rather than completely depending on onscreen animation. The actors would wear special suits such as the leotard with sensors attached all over it (Johnson para 4). Each sensor has a computing capability making it possible for it to collect data and send it to a computer which would then analyze the data and create motion data for the computer graphics. In the making of Avatar, unlike in the making of Jurassic Park, the technology was developed specifically for the development of the movie. So, unlike in Jurassic Age where CGI was used as a way to complement the other techniques used to create reality, such as animatronics, CGI in Avatar was developed specially to the development of the movie. James Cameron, the director of Avatar spent over a decade developing this technology. This included special stereoscopic cameras which were able to capture the actions of the actions and effectively transfer this to the computer models such as the Navi  monkey-like beings.