Via Techcrunch.com:
Earlier this year, LMxLAB, a research and development division for Lucasfilm and Disney, unveiled a new augmented reality installation called the Holo-Cinema at the New Frontiers program for the Sundance Film Festival.
The technology uses lightweight 3-D glasses covered in sensors, motion-tracking cameras, projectors, two screen walls, and the floor to immerse users in a cinematic world.
The Sundance exhibition featured the desert world of Jakku from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Several different users could walk into a pre-recorded scene and explore the environment in 3D.
Cameras tracked everyone’s location so that at any given time each person’s point-of-view was specific to his/her position. The project is a signpost for the ways in which augmented reality will impact the future of the entertainment industry.
“Directors are learning their way around the medium to make content that plays better in a 360-degree environment,” Shari Frilot, New Frontiers’s Senior Programmer and Chief Curator, said in an interview with Screen Daily. “This will only keep getting better.”
John Gaeta, the executive creative director at ILMxLAB, was similarly enthusiastic about advancements in the AR field. He believes that in a few years, the technology will evolve enough to be showcased at amusement parks or even used in the privacy of your own home. The R&D lab is already working on future consumer-facing displays to accompany upcoming episodes of Star Wars.
The development of Holo-Cinema marks a major milestone in filmmaking history.
Not only does this new technology allow viewers to explore their favorite films from a new perspective, but it can also help directors determine how to film a particular scene.
Generally, filmmakers only see concept art and animation while filming, so they are unable to see computer-generated graphics combined with the actors in-scene until post-production. Holo-Cinema enables them to better visualize each scene and decide on the best camera angles and props to use.
Gaeta predicted that augmented reality would become an extension of most mainstream movies in three to five years. In five to ten years, the technology may be within the budget of even more diverse films.
Fans of Star Wars should be relieved to hear that the ILMxLAB team is working closely with Lucasfilm’s story group to provide a cohesive experience of the fictional universe. Eventually, the technology may be used to explore new worlds and subplots that are not included in the movies.
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