Mathematicians for Hollywood

Computer programs used to make films deserve special nominations at film festivals

The third part of “Pirates of the Caribbean” released in theaters does not raise a simple question in the public, mesmerized by the spectacle: “How was this done?” Meanwhile, this is where perhaps the most interesting thing is hidden. A twisted plot, fencing and battle scenes - all this does not really get the viewer through. However, the moving tentacles on the face (is it the face?) of the main villain are absolutely incredible. Neither “Jurassic Park” with its dinosaurs, completely simulated by a computer, nor “War of the Worlds” with Martian tripods embedded in the city landscape can evoke such admiration for a computer scientist as these appendages - naturally moving, casting the correct shadow and highlights, and most importantly , in harmony with the actor’s facial expressions. The illusion of authenticity is so complete that the viewer quickly gets used to the character as if Cousteau was filming him.

This was done using Autodesk Maya - special software designed for creating images in movies, cartoons and computer games. Game and cartoon worlds that are completely computer-modeled are, we note, much easier to create than films like “Pirates of the Caribbean.” In a game, a mathematical model lives an independent life, but in a movie it interacts with an actor. Such technologies have never existed before.

Filming proceeds as usual, only special marks are applied to the artist’s face instead of makeup. Maya focuses on them, subsequently processing the digital recording. The program's task is to apply a digital mask to these marks, which changes from frame to frame. It works as a mathematical model, which, in addition to describing the mask itself, is given parameters (the intensity and location of the light source, the speed and direction of movement of the artist’s head, the dynamics of the facial muscles, the direction of gravity, the properties of the imaginary material from which the mask is “made”). This poses an extremely complex problem of simulation modeling, which, however, can be solved with the help of current high-performance computers. The American company Autodesk does not specialize in software for Hollywood at all. This is a by-product of her activity, which consists of modeling engineering objects.

"Pirates of the Caribbean" demonstrates the highest achievements of the computer in game cinema. The achievements are all the more amazing because even digital cameras have only recently gained the right to cinematic life. The first film shot without film was “Amelie” by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (2001). Information technology has also been used to edit films that were made long ago. Fragments of the image "Alien E.T." Steven Spielberg's films now look different from what they did during filming: for example, the police are chasing the boys not with revolvers, but with walkie-talkies in their hands.

Anna MAYOROVA