Technology transforms entertainment experience

You will be definitely remembering the romantic scene from Titanic with Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio standing on the bow of the ship, arms outstretched with the amber rays of setting sun and the infinite blue ocean in the background. And then DiCaprio says “I am the king of the world” and make you feel like one too. That scene could have probably been shot in a makeshift pool and with a small boat.

Welcome to the world of visual effects where technology bonds with creativity to create an elixir that transforms the entertainment experience. The most important trend in the creative world is the increasing use of technology. It enables creative people to achieve today what was just an impossible vision a couple of years ago.

Technology in the creative context is not the end by itself but the means to the end. Creative content is increasing being handled in digital form. This simplifies the process of capturing, storing, manipulating, duplicating and delivering the content to the target audience. Says Chandrasekaran, chairman and chief executive officer, Pentamedia Graphics Ltd: “Content is king. The king has to be kept alive by showing it through multiple delivery channels. This is easier when the content is handled digitally.”

Technology has wormed its way into the entertainment industry by way of Computer Animation and Graphics. The global computer animation industry has seen a growth of 28.98 per cent - a jump from $15.70 billion to $20.27 billion. In fact, the industry is estimated to grow to a whopping $40 billion in the next couple of years not considering the Web entertainment which has the maximum potential, adds Chandrasekaran.

Software aided by high-end work stations has transformed the technology landscape of the creative industry. The animation segment is one that offers a tremendous opportunity for Indian companies to capitalise upon. Two dimensional animation (2D) requires painstaking sketches of characters and movements to be created. These are then delivered as continuous frames which creates the illusion of motion to the viewers. Three dimensional animation (3D), which portrays sequences with better depth has rapidly gained in popularity. Feature rich software and high powered hardware has given a fillip to this segment. In 3D, images are often created in computers out of sketches or models and then manipulated.

Motion capture for computer character animation is fast gaining popularity. The movement of a model with markers placed is captured. A 3D model is then superimposed on the data. The resulting images are manipulated and content is created to be delivered to the audience. For example, motion capture techniques are used at Pentamedia Graphics Ltd’s studio in Chennai to cut production time to a third. Says Chandrasekaran:”We are among the few who have mastered the motion capture technique.” The increasing use of information technology in entertainment is a tremendous advantage for India, which has a head start in IT domain. The country has the potential to become a world leader in the 3D niche, say industry eperts.

In the entertainment world which will increasingly be using the ‘Computer as a Camera’, India can be the torchbearer.

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