Check out this post that I put up at my site pause.com about the “Emily Project” from Image Metrics.
Although it certainly conjures up some potentially naughty holodeck scenarios, what’s cool about this as relates to voice work in the real world is that it opens up all sorts of possibilities for voice actors, especially those who can sound like other celebrities.
Extrapolating out this technology’s usefulness to, say, 50 years in the future, it could be used now to build a library of Harrison Ford’s facial expressions and subtleties, for example, which could then be used to create a CG copy of him, which could be used to make lackluster Indiana Jones sequels (ahem) for decades to come. All that would be needed at that point would be a very lucky actor who can perform Ford’s voice well enough to marry to the CGI and, presto, movies with actors who aren’t around anymore or who never even existed.
Even if that never comes to pass, this is still amazing tech.
Tags: CG, CGI, computer animation, Emily, facial animation, Image Metrics
September 4, 2008 at 9:03 am |
Hi Lou,
This facinating concept (and the technology to go with it )is now so real, it is truly scaring the actors unions who have foreseen this since the early 1990′s. Now all that’s needs are the lawyers to clean up the details. Thanks for this post.
Best,
Bobbin Beam- Voice Actress