AngelMJ136
Proud Member
I have been reading the comments and I guess we can all agree on one thing that the performance in the end was still awesome. I agree with Qbee, the face of CGI generated Michael Jackson was no where near the real MJ. Now when it comes to a solution to that well I believe there IS technology that can improve the features on MJ's face. Am not an animator. But I am a visual effects enthusiast and love watching special effects and animated movies. And I have imagined innumerable number of times a virtual MJ. That is why my expectations were sky high seeing that the visual effects technology today has come to the point that ANYTHING is possible (yes, including creating a virtual MJ). What I have learnt from watching Dreamworks and Pixars "making-of" documentaries is that a lot of time is devoted to the character's mannerisms and face. They have to have so much character that the audience can immediately connect with them. With the MJ hologram, the connecting factor was his dancing but what failed to deliver was his face which doesn't seem to have been worked upon much. Now, I actually have a software which captures a person's face and superimposes it on an animated body. The result is mechanical, the body does everything but the face is just dead. The solution for the face is performance capture. This was notably used for the Na'vi in "Avatar", "Golem" in "LOTR", "Caesar" in "Planet of the Apes" and in a LOT of animated movies. They install a video camera in front of the person's face and then use that information of facial movements on the character they have to animate. The result is highly realistic.
Now, with MJ they would have to make do with his footages, use it to study his facial expressions, mannerisms. This needs a LOT of time. Animators spend months, even years to learn things so that they could replicate it properly. In 6 months this is what you get. I am guessing they hardly studied MJ much but depended on the choreographers to help with the movement. And as this was a projection on screen and meant for a live performance, they didn't devote time on his face because largely the audience would be watching from AFAR. Although I am still at a loss on his dance. Motion capture was used on MJ in "Ghosts". I wonder if they used all that in this performance especially on the "MOONWALK".
Now, with MJ they would have to make do with his footages, use it to study his facial expressions, mannerisms. This needs a LOT of time. Animators spend months, even years to learn things so that they could replicate it properly. In 6 months this is what you get. I am guessing they hardly studied MJ much but depended on the choreographers to help with the movement. And as this was a projection on screen and meant for a live performance, they didn't devote time on his face because largely the audience would be watching from AFAR. Although I am still at a loss on his dance. Motion capture was used on MJ in "Ghosts". I wonder if they used all that in this performance especially on the "MOONWALK".
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