Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/683118
24 reconstruct the movement with the character from the story (i.e., Neytiri from Avatar). This often would take place in an indoor environment with even overall lighting. With Active Markers, virtual actors can interact with live actors, in an outdoor or indoor environment, and use traditional set lighting. Robbie Derry does the 3D CAD design and the 3D printing of the custom-fitted head rigs with a single arm holding the 2K high-resolution cameras that are capable of shooting at 120FPS for facial capture. Each actor wears a small custom- made computer serving as a video capture recorder. They can tap into these recorders wirelessly, on their own Wi-Fi network using Ubiquity routers built into Pelican cases. With their Web application, they can use a cellphone, iPad, or any device to watch the video back and also function as a confidence monitor. Before the technological advances developed by the motion capture industry, the old paradigm of Mo-cap involved an animator sitting at a computer with the director, or the DP, having to decide what live-camera shots were needed, and what set construction was required. Now we are capable of putting new tools in the hands of directors and directors of photography, enabling them to create scenes from their imaginations in real time instead of waiting for the animators and the computer modelers to generate their environments. Glenn Derry sums it up, "The end result is the creation of a vir- tual reality, where the director can interact with all the actors and ele- ments in real time. Teamwork is key because there's so much inte- gration between pre-visualization, live action and post production. Ninety percent of our entertain- ment will be generated in virtual reality in the near future. We are doing the groundwork for what will be the norm in ten years." "Walt Disney would be impressed with today's technology," says Moore. "On Jungle Book, Technoprops and Video Hawks served a creative team of filmmak- ers and a director's imagination. Virtual reality technology will have an impact on our entire industry and the members at Local 695." tion is at a facility in Van Nuys. Its two floors are crowded with equipment. Dan is very proud of the machine shop managed by Kim Derry, his son, Robbie. Angelica Luna, Gary Martinez, Mike Davis and others are also an integral part of their companies. The shop contains three Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines where they can fabri- cate whatever they might need for a project, from custom head rigs to the carts and the frames that hold components. Dan explained, "Having the metal shop here, and the talent just allows you to respond very quickly to what's needed, rather than having to sub all this work out." One of the many creative technologies available in their facility is a Vacuform machine that makes precision molds of actors' faces, enabling the green registration marks to be placed in exactly the same place day after day. The green tracking markers are used by the Computer Graphics house to track the movement of the facial muscles. They also manufacture the active markers with surface mount LEDs that can glow green or emit an infrared sig- nal that can be used in exterior light. Computer gaming and motion capture films often use actors in black suits who wear reflective markers over their body. This allows a computer to see the movement of the actors and later