Seeing Behind the Scenes of 3-D

	馬顥, 胡中榮, 蔡哲彥, 陳秀霞
	Seeing Behind the Scenes of 3-D Movies
	Nowadays we have seen a lot of three-dimensional movies. Not less of them are quite popular. The two most famous ones are “The Polar Express” and “The Matrix” trilogy. These two movies have earned high profit for its company regardless million dollar expenses invested in producing them. Making a successful movie is very difficult. It needs a lot of skilled and experienced workers in 3-D computer graphics, and a lively imagination from the creators. However, invested efforts and finance are worthy since they are destined to be popular in terms of box office.
	The term of three dimensional is use to describe any visual presentation system that attempts to maintain or recreate the illusion of depth as seen by the viewer. The basic principle involves taking two pictures, either still or moving, with cameras positioned side by side, and with identical characters. When viewed in such a way that each eye sees only the image taken on the same side as itself, the viewer will interpret the pair of images as a single three-dimensional image. In some 3-D movies audience are required to wear special glasses with either polarized lenses or electrical shutters to capture it.
	When making a 3-D movie, first, we have to write the script. It would be better if we can make the storyboard. The storyboard is used to make it easier to imagine the situation and the themes of the scene. In “The Matrix: Reloaded”, there is a sequence, the Burly Brawl, where Neo have to fight with numbers of Agent Smith. That sequence was first roughed out as a series of storyboard illustrated and blocked out the action. These conceptual drawing is the starting point to bring it to reality. Although it will make digitally, the live-action shots are still needed. In order to match these two shots, creating the real scenes inside or outside the studio is also needed. It is also very useful to as the reference model for recreating the geometry model at the computer.
	Creating the actor as a 3-D object is the most difficult part of creating a 3-D movie. The likeness, the facial expression, the skin tone, and the clothing of him all have to be recreated and simulated in the computer in photo-realistic quality. There are some ways to recreate it. One of them is a process called Universal Capture (UCAP). This process was developed to capture and recreate his head and facial characteristics. The data is collected using five-high definition cameras and a small army of computers which are set up to record the various facial expressions. Then the replica of the actor’s head is done.
	The other way to recreate a replica actor is using digital sensors. To recreate the replica for the movie’s computer animation, the actor needs to wear digital sensors throughout his body. Then computer will record all the data of the actor’s movement. After all the data is collected, the replica soon would be created. This kind of technology was used in “The Polar Express”.
	The images in 3-D movie are captures with special cameras which have two identical lenses that are precisely spaced to match between human’s eyes. This interlobular distance allows each lens to “see” both left and right views as human’s eyes would see them, so it would generate 3-D images once projected. The images are recorded in two different rolls of film that run in the same time. This kind of 3-D movies will require the audience to wear glasses with either polarized lenses or electronic shutters to enable the three-dimensional effect.
	As we saw before, there are a lot of ways to create a 3-D movie. Each movie has its way to optimize the 3-D effects. Some of them are using universal capture (UCAP), some digital sensors throughout the actor’s body, and some capturing the image with special cameras. High technology of computer graphic is as key of optimizing the movie. That’s why a 3D movie earns profits high. But, to make a successful 3-D movie, it’s not only about the special effects but also don’t forget to put a good plot of story in it.

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