The Work
This is a music video of “Cold Stares,” a collaboration between Los Angeles-based artist and beatmaker Nosaj Thing, who is actively working around the world, and rapper Chance The Rapper.
A dance piece by two dancers was produced to express a message in the lyrics——their mental situation and conflict searching for reason of being and memories, wandering along the border between reality and illusion. This dance has been shown in two ways: the real world performed by people and the delusional world of CG.
Technical Approach
A plug-in has been developed to link a drone equipped with a camera for synthesizing video images, drone control, image synthesizing software, and existing CG software (e.g. Maya). While controlling with a program the position and angle of the drone and the camera using the motion capture technology, the camera data for synthesizing CG are recorded at the same time.
Using technology for restoring 3D models from plural 2D data, 3D models with a high quality of texture can be achieved.
Camera motions used for two worlds of reality and fantasy are identical. It is usually difficult to move a camera motion for the real world as freely as a camera motion for CG due to many restrictions. In this project, however, a system to move drones according to a camera motion created by CG software has been developed.
Using this system, drones can be moved accurately and freely like a CG camera. What’s more, a smooth transition could be achieved between live-action and CG.
A realtime morphing system was created between both point of view of real & virtual world.
Recording & repeatable feedback system of cam-drone movement was created.
By using 3D scanning data, the point of view between real & virtual world could be easily switched.
Full credits at the project website
