News Stories

Virtual Reailty Journalism Immerses Users In A Public Crisis

2.1.2012

[Philip Lelyveld comment: this is a USC Annenberg project.]

[psfk.com]

Former Newsweek correspondent Nonny de la Peña has developed a 3D virtual reality simulation that recreates a real eyewitness account of a crisis in Los Angeles as people wait outside a food bank. ‘Hunger in Los Angeles’ was designed using gaming development tools and includes a body-tracking system. Users wear a head-mounted goggle display to fully immerse themselvesin the game where they can walk around and interact with other characters in real-time.

The incident in the game is an account of what happened at the Unitarian Church in L.A., where real audio collected at the scene were used in the game. The simulations places the gamer in line with numerous of other people waiting to collect their food. Suddenly, a man collapses to the ground with a seizure. As people try to help the man, another person runs to the front of the line to steal food. The chaotic drama soon fades when emergency medical technicians arrive at the scene and the game ends with the information: 1 in 6 people in America are hungry. 1 in 5 are children.

The project is ongoing and was commissioned by USC Annenberg School of Communications & Journalism. It’s currently on display as part of the Sundance Film Festival.

Read the original post here: http://www.psfk.com/2012/01/virtual-realty-journalism.html

Top 10 Technologies That Revolutionized The Way We Watch Movies

2.1.2012

[ology]

The Hand-Held Camera – And we’re off! In the 1890s, Auguste and Louis Lumière developed the Cinematograph, which could be mounted on a tripod or carried by a cameraman. Shaky-cam, here we come!

Rotoscoping –

The Optical Printer –

Sync Sound –  

Color –  

The Steadicam –  

Video –  

Digital Video –  

3D – 3D films first arrived in the 1950s, but were largely regarded as a niche in the movie industry for decades before experiencing a full-blown cultural breakthrough in the 2000s, culminating in the unforeseen success of James Cameron’s Avatar. Nowadays, nearly every blockbuster is released in 3D or IMAX. Sometimes both!

Computers –

Read the full story here: http://www.ology.com/shake-things/top-10-technologies-revolutionized-way-we-watch-movies/01312012

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Specification for Naming VFX Image Sequences Released

ETC’s VFX Working Group has published a specification for best practices naming image sequences such as plates and comps. File naming is an essential tool for organizing the multitude of frames that are inputs and outputs from the VFX process. Prior to the publication of this specification, each organization had its own naming scheme, requiring custom processes for each partner, which often resulted in confusion and miscommunication.

The new ETC@USC specification focuses primarily on sequences of individual images. The initial use case was VFX plates, typically delivered as OpenEXR or DPX files. However, the team soon realized that the same naming conventions can apply to virtually any image sequence. Consequently, the specification was written to handle a wide array of assets and use cases.

To ensure all requirements are represented, the working group included over 2 dozen participants representing studios, VFX houses, tool creators, creatives and others.  The ETC@USC also worked closely with MovieLabs to ensure that the specification could be integrated as part of their 2030 Vision.

A key design criteria for this specification is compatibility with existing practices.  Chair of the VFX working group, Horst Sarubin of Universal Pictures, said: “Our studio is committed to being at the forefront of designing best industry practices to modernize and simplify workflows, and we believe this white paper succeeded in building a new foundation for tools to transfer files in the most efficient manner.”

This specification is compatible with other initiatives such as the Visual Effects Society (VES) Transfer Specifications. “We wanted to make it as seamless as possible for everyone to adopt this specification,” said working group co-chair and ETC@USC’s Erik Weaver. “To ensure all perspectives were represented we created a team of industry experts familiar with the handling of these materials and collaborated with a number of industry groups.”

“Collaboration between MovieLabs and important industry groups like the ETC is critical to implementing the 2030 Vision,” said Craig Seidel, SVP of MovieLabs. “This specification is a key step in defining the foundations for better software-defined workflows. We look forward to continued partnership with the ETC on implementing other critical elements of the 2030 Vision.”

The specification is available online for anyone to use.

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