The State (And The State Of The Art) Of Computerized Film Making

Culture

from the animate-this dept

Two separate articles in the NY Times suggest the state of computer animation film making these days. The first, is a discussion about how Steve Jobs took Pixar to the point it is now, though plenty of troubles early on — and compares it to competitor Dreamworks, who hasn’t found the same level of consistent success. The second, is a discussion about the new Tom Hanks movie, Polar Express, that uses a fully digitized Hanks in five separate roles. The article discusses the complicated process of using the motion capture sensors on both Hanks’ body and face at the same time, claiming it goes beyond what others have done in the past. Of course, you have to wonder if this makes him ineligible for an Oscar. Last year, Andy Serkis, the actor who did the same thing to bring to life the Gollum character in Lord of the Rings, campaigned for an Oscar nomination and was more or less told that virtual actors don’t count. Will that still apply when the “virtual actor” is Tom Hanks?