"This collaboration will transform the movie-making model and erase some of the technology barriers that constrain the narrative form," said David Kirkpatrick, chairman and executive managing officer, Plymouth Rock Studios and former president, Motion Picture Group, Paramount.
According to the researchers, Center research will also focus on ways to revolutionise imaging and display technologies, including developing next-generation cameras and programmable studios, making movie production more versatile and economic.
"Storytelling is at the very root of what makes us uniquely human," said Frank Moss, Media Lab director and holder of the Jerome Wiesner Professorship of Media Arts and Sciences. "It is how we share our experiences, learn from our past and imagine our future. But how we tell our stories depends on another uniquely human characteristic -- our ability to invent and harness technology. From the printing press to the Internet, technology has given people new ways to tell their stories, allowing them to reach new levels of creativity and personal fulfillment. The shared vision of the MIT Media Lab and Plymouth Rock Studios allows us to take the next quantum leap in storytelling, empowering ordinary people to connect in extraordinary ways."
The research programme of the centre will begin immediately. Research will range from on-set motion capture to accurately and unobtrusively merge human performers and digital character models; to next-generation synthetic performer technologies, such as robotic or animated characters; to cameras that will spawn entirely new visual art forms; to morphable movie studios, where one studio can be turned into many through advanced visual imaging techniques; to holographic TV. |
