Progress in Computer Graphics - Will Actors Become Obsolete?
category: offtopic [glöplog]
Tomaes I was actually referring to the OP... The Spirits Within was pretty cool when it came out (but, of course, hellishly dated now).
Then again it seems the footage in the OP youtube video is also from around 10 years ago, so I have no idea what Adok's point is, except maybe a weak attempt at trolling, as usual...
Then again it seems the footage in the OP youtube video is also from around 10 years ago, so I have no idea what Adok's point is, except maybe a weak attempt at trolling, as usual...
besides, better wank to CG anno 2013, adok: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vdw0If6Zzg
well... this looks quite amazing. nonetheless... it's mocapped. so... actor still needed.
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The characters in this video appear to be very realistic and also quite beautiful. Still it is possible to notice that it is computer animation and not real play.
One day, however, computer graphics might become so advanced that it will no longer be able to distinguish computer animation from real video shootings.
Hmmm, I'm sure sooner or later this will be possible but the example video you posted doesn't convince me at all. It looks far too clean and anime-ish to be realistic, like as if every actor has 10 thick layers of make-up on their skin!
Final Fantasy - The Spirit's Within looks far more realistic to me, and that movie is from 2001! :)
Spirits" even
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I'm baffled to think that someone actually thinks that that's good CGI?
No offence uncle - ^that^ seems a bit more trollish than adok's post. To me at the time I thought Final Fantasy - The Spirits Within was the shizz - cg, good voice acting and a passable plot (reminded me a bit of a mix between Akira and some hippy movie whose name I can't remember atm!). It is somehwat dated - cod:ghosts and bf4 probably have better rendering and shading during gameplay tbh.
A cg ver. of an Iain M. Banks Culture novel would be pretty fucking cool - only real way to convey some of the concepts too really.
Even with motion capturing CGI characters still are lacking compared to real filmed actors. The human mind processes "countless" optical informations while reading the face of a character - if it recognizes the slightest "error" in the facial expression (a missing/lacking movement), it notices it by regarding a face as a lifeless "mask". Still visible in "TRON: Legacy", "Tintin" or "Avatar". (The effect is well known and it even has its own name, but I cannot find it right now on Google.)
In the end, CGI characters are digital puppets. Without a human beeing behind it, controlling the puppet by adding the acting abilities of the human beeing to it, it will only stare blank.
I say: No, they will not become obsolete, because you always need an actor to control the CGI puppet to act like a real beeing. Be it by motion capturing an actor or by a character animator.
In the end, CGI characters are digital puppets. Without a human beeing behind it, controlling the puppet by adding the acting abilities of the human beeing to it, it will only stare blank.
I say: No, they will not become obsolete, because you always need an actor to control the CGI puppet to act like a real beeing. Be it by motion capturing an actor or by a character animator.
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(The effect is well known and it even has its own name, but I cannot find it right now on Google.)
They call it the uncanny valley.
Sorry uncle-x, I just read your post to Tomaes. Trolling accusation redacted.
If only there was an "EDIT" button.......
If only there was an "EDIT" button.......
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The progress that's been made with artificial voices has been pretty disappointing, to be honest. We can do near-photorealistic humans but synthetic voices still sound really synthetic.
Yeah, you'd think that with all of the progress in 3D you'd see some more innovative sound/vocal engineering. Synthetic voices have a lot of potential if you ask me.
yeah, we need a jim morrison speechsynth!
That is some ugly letterboxing in that video. Also: 'no', to answer the question.
even if you could, why spend the money?
smash: because if you really could replace the actors with computer characters, you could probably replace the script writer too, automate the whole thing, and just have a machine that churns out generic soulless films for the rest of eternity. The audiences might hate it, but you can replace them with machines too. We'll have bots that watch films made by other bots for us, and post our insights on the film automatically to social networks, to be read by our friends' bots who'll automatically like or reply to them while we're outside enjoying the sunshine.
Speaking of which, did everybody fail to notice still that adok has been replaced by a troll bot?
Speaking of which, did everybody fail to notice still that adok has been replaced by a troll bot?
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Speaking of which, did everybody fail to notice still that adok has been replaced by a troll bot?
stop turing testing my troll bot!
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Will Actors Become Obsolete
The question of a "mechanical" mindset.
An actor isn't payed for providing a shell to project a character on but rather to impersonate a written character and giving it an individual touch. Good actors - for the time being - become that character. One can't "render" that with a GPU.
So NO !
Listen to the man himself: http://youtu.be/E_dkuyy2Fro?t=2m17s
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...just have a machine that churns out generic soulless films for the rest of eternity.
The best description of the Hollywood blockbuster industry ever.
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Quote:Will Actors Become Obsolete
The question of a "mechanical" mindset.
An actor isn't payed for providing a shell to project a character on but rather to impersonate a written character and giving it an individual touch. Good actors - for the time being - become that character. One can't "render" that with a GPU.
So NO !
also... continuing from your point the "mechnical" mindset assumes that no improvisation occurs. some scenes in films are entirely improv'd and it comes down to things like timing too, how long a pause.. an actor is far more than just a directors tool. it has a parallel with making two people play a piece of music.
Off the top of my head I'd call this emotional intelligence.
To micro-manage all these things is counter productive.. to copy an actor digitally is still just a copy..
