Realistic digital characters.(Viewpoint: CGI)

Is it possible to have expressive digital characters that are sincere, intense, and subtle? And, why would you care?

The term "realistic digitally created movie" (also called 3D or CG) appeared on the scene a few years back with the release of Final Fantasy--The Spirits Within. Since then, however, the concept largely has been ignored, like the proverbial 800-pound gorilla in the room. The arrival of digital movies is a momentous development in the art of cinema that is practically going unnoticed. Yes, there is a buzz among the people who work in the field, but the general public is pretty much unaware of their existence and totally confused about the nature of the medium.

The digital movie is much more than a technical curiosity; it is the birth of a totally new medium. It's not animation. It's not conventional cinema. It's not just slick special effects or weird monsters. It is a whole new ball game.

A Personal Foray

Coming from conventional movies, I've spent the last few years exploring the possibilities of this new mode of expression. I found the experience to be nothing less than total freedom. The progress in motion pictures through its century of existence was about controlling what the spectator sees and hears, and using that control to better communicate what the authors want to express. From Griffith, Gance, and Eisenstein, through Welles and Kurosawa, to Spielberg, Lucas, Scott, Jackson, and Cameron, artists and technicians have contributed advances to the control of film's various aspects: staging, camera work, editing, makeup and costume, sets, special effects, and sound. These were giant steps in the right direction, but now there is a new kid on the block: realistic digitally created movies.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

With digital movies, you control absolutely everything, and can do absolutely anything. You actually reconstruct reality from your own imagination.