Translator: Sebastian Betti Reviewer: Gisela Giardino
The art of movies has existed for more than 100 years.
And the way we make movies hasn't changed much
from a dimensional perspective.
Placing a camera and press the rec button, this has not changed at all.
Cinema is still a frontal experience,
and it's still perceived as such.
The experience of watching movies is the same since their creation.
You stand in front of a screen and look at the image displayed.
In fact, there's nothing wrong with that.
I love going to the movies, watching movies on TV;
the experience of watching stories in motion
can be so powerful to even move us emotionally.
The question we ponder on is how stories in motion
can go beyond the flat screen.
If we look at the media of the future there is an opportunity to create content
that adapts to new platforms.
When we shoot a film,
we traditionally imagine a scene inside a frame,
creating depth with foreground, middleground and background,
as the camera moves.
Obviously, with new devices
like virtual reality or augmented reality goggles
or new smart platforms that allow us to navigate in 3D,
there is an opportunity to create much more immersive content.
In a way that we could move inside it
and try to live the experience from a new perspective.
I'm not talking about video games or computer-created characters,
even if they look super realistic.
I'm talking about real actors.
Flesh-and-blood performance. Artistic performance.
To do such a thing we would have to start redefining
or thinking about new technologies and methodologies
to enable these new experiences.
We already know about 360-degree filming,
putting a camera in the center
that allows us to create a 360-degree immersive image.
This already takes us one step further in an interaction.
But it's still a frontal experience.
To start investigating how we could get into the scene
we would have to capture the light from all angles,
putting cameras and sensors to capture all the light
from all perspectives.
These solutions allow us to recreate the subject in three dimensions.
It would be like a 3D photograph.
This allows us to not just record the image on one single plane
but capture it as a volume.
This is what we call volumetric video.
It is the process of capturing light and storing it inside a voxel.
But what is a voxel?
A voxel is like a pixel in three dimensions.
Instead of being a flat square with light information,
it's like a cube in space, with position X, Y and Z,
saving all the light information from all perspectives.
This methodology allows us to generate a volume of light
visible from all sides.
And with this, we can start thinking
and opening up the opportunities for new content.
Obviously, to capture and create film
and scenes and stories with this kind of solution
we would have to create a space
large enough to accommodate entire scenes and montages,
and powerful enough to install hundreds of cameras
and process that huge amount of information.
It sounds like a crazy idea, but it's exactly what we did.
For the last three years we've been building
the studio of the future.
We installed hundreds of cameras.
And we built a gigantic dome
that allows us to create exactly what we wanted.
We called it Intel Studios.
It is the world's largest volumetric camera,
created to develop, research, and define
new methodologies for interactive content.
But what does interactive content mean?
What does it mean to get into the scene?
To test these new hypotheses and ideas
we decided, for the first time we used the studio,
to choose a classic scene.
We picked a scene from the Far West.
We brought scenarios, filled the studio with dirt, actors, four horses,
to recreate an entire scene
but this time captured from all angles.
The actors, to work on these new media, faced a challenge.
They had to act flawlessly to be seen from all angles.
There is no longer a frontal position that you just refer to.
But now we have to think of all perspectives.
Very similar to theater.
Let's see now what came out with the first result.
What you see here opened our eyes to the opportunities we can have
with these new technologies and media.
The result was a complete full scan of the entire scene.
And it allowed us to move inside in a free way that we couldn't before.
With this new solution we can see
not only the image or light emitted on a screen
but also get into that light and navigate inside its volume,
perceiving it from new angles.
Now let's look at one of the shots we rendered using this technology.
What you will see is done entirely with a virtual camera
that moves in space.
(Volumetric video)
(End of volumetric video)
(Applause)
Thank you.
As you can see, with this solution we manage to have total control
of space and movement,
allowing new angles and freedom for content creation.
But what else can we do with this freedom?
Can we put a virtual camera in the eyes of the actors,
from their points of view?
What if instead of the actor we chose the horse?
Let's look at the same scene --
there wasn't a new take --
but this time, from the horse.
(Volumetric video)
(End of volumetric video)
(Applause)
No horse was harmed and no camera was placed on his head.
Actually, this frees up the possibilities of navigating within the scene.
This is perfect for filmmakers or content creators
as it gives them the tools to create these new visualizations.
But what about the audience?
We can look into how the audience can get immersed.
That's why we partnered up with Paramount Pictures.
We researched how the experience
and interactions within stories in motion would be like
in some Hollywood movies.
Together with director Randal Kleiser
we got together and recreated the 1978 film Grease.
Bringing 20 dancers to the stage,
we recreated the song "You're the One That I Want"
in a brand new take.
What you see here really allowed the directors and us
to break down the barriers of 2D thinking.
And start thinking in a whole new way
and let new tools come up
for content and for creating new stories.
But why see it in a flat way?
Let's invite them to the stage.
Not really, we'll bring them in augmented reality.
I'm going to use this tablet, I'm mapping the scenario,
recording the information in 3D.
(Applause)
Let's see what they say.
(AR video)
(Clapping)
(End of AR video)
(Applause)
Thanks to the augmented dancers.
As you can see,
the content can be experienced as a traditional movie
or as an immersive experience.
It all depends on how and what we're seeing it with.
We're not trying to change the traditional ways of creating content,
but to enhance them.
We are at a unique moment in the history of cinema,
opening up and understanding new ways to create immersive content.
The journey has just begun.
I invite you all to join us.
Thank you.
(Applause)