Digital, virtual director apparatus and method
First Claim
1. A method for cinematography comprising:
- providing a synthetic set comprising set images stored in digital data representing a scene comprising images of physical objects;
directing action before a camera, creating a moving picture comprising a sequence of photographs, while actors being photographed and a camera taking the photographs are both moving;
recording, by the camera, from a viewing angle that changes with time, the action into a recording of the action; and
creating a movie scene having the recording and the synthetic set each integrated to display the synthetic set and the action continually from the same perspective, corresponding to the viewing angle of the camera.
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Abstract
In a computerized film (digital camera action) production system, a virtual director module takes responsibility for creating sets, and enabling cinematography by creating a synthetic parallax matching of a “set” image to what would have existed before a camera in real motion about the physical location represented. This overcomes failures typical of “green screen” technology in dealing with such conditions as shallow depth of field and low light. Computer generated, synthetic sets from a 3D animator may be projected behind real actors during or after filming. Sythetic sets are seen through a virtual camera as photo-realistic because they are skinned with textures, and structured geometrically, to match reality represented by actual still photography of a physical environment, such as buildings, walls, streets, landscapes, props, and the like.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A method for cinematography comprising:
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providing a synthetic set comprising set images stored in digital data representing a scene comprising images of physical objects; directing action before a camera, creating a moving picture comprising a sequence of photographs, while actors being photographed and a camera taking the photographs are both moving; recording, by the camera, from a viewing angle that changes with time, the action into a recording of the action; and creating a movie scene having the recording and the synthetic set each integrated to display the synthetic set and the action continually from the same perspective, corresponding to the viewing angle of the camera. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13)
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11. A system comprising:
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a camera, configured to record a continual stream of images of actors in motion, constituting a motion picture; a processor operably connected to share information with the camera; a tracking device operably connected to the camera and the processor to record motion and a viewing angle of the camera and provide corresponding motion data and viewing angle data to the processor; the processor programmed with a director module generating a synthetic set corresponding to an image representing a physical environment, time-varying to correspond to the moving picture; and the processor, further programmed to select a perspective for the synthetic set corresponding to the viewing angle and motion; the processor, further programmed to to generate the synthetic set to appear as if recorded by the camera from the viewing angle and motion. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
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Specification