How can computer science help with making movies

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How can computer science help with making movies?

• Irfan Essa
• Computational Perception Lab
• GVU Center / College of Computing
• Georgia Institute of Technology
• Atlanta, GA, USA
• http//www.cc.gatech.edu/irfan

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Movies and CS?

• Almost each and every frame in movies is somehow
  digitally manipulated Doug Robles, Digital
  Domain, (2003).
  
• Video is pervasive, ubiquitous, and more
  accessible.
  
• Research in Computer Vision, Animation, Graphics
  and Computational Video (since 1988).
  

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Videos Panic Room.
http//www.sonypictures.com/movies/panicroom/
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Goals

• To teach technical concepts associated with
  digital media (video and audio) to UGs
  
• How is digital video
• represented?
• manipulated?
• processed?
• analyzed?
• synthesized?

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Programmatically!

• CS 4480
• Specialization Track in Imaging / Graphics
• Graphics, Visualization, Usability Center
• Other courses in
• Graphics, Vision, Animation, HCI, Visualization,
  VR, etc.
  
• Interesting new options
• Media Computation Courses
• Music .. etc.

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Content - I

• Methods for digital video manipulation
  processing
  
• Representation
• Coding, compression
• Analysis
• Segmentation
• Tracking,
• etc.

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Content - II

• Methods for generating synthetic scenes.
• Shading
• Lighting
• Rendering
• Motion

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Content III

• Camera
• Calibration
• Motion
• Control
• Merging
• Compositing
• Blending
• Morphing

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Content - IV

• Narrative Story telling
• Importance of Story
• Generate Story-boards
• Story for both the effect and the segment
• Putting it all together
• Editing
• Synchronization
• Pacing

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Requirements

• Compositing Exercise
• Camera Calibration / Match Move
• Critiques of Existing Effects
• Final Project
• Production
• Daily / Weekly / ...
• Screening (Internal / External)

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Conclusions

• Students love the class
• Take advanced Vision, Graphics courses
• Consider research and Grad studies
• Get great jobs (not just .com)
• Learn about digital video, production
• www.cc.gatech.edu/dvfx
• irfan_at_cc.gatech.edu

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Videos

• Show videos from
• www.cc.gatech.edu/dvfx/productions.htm

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Acknowledgments

• GTs Technology Licensing Fee
• HP
• Intel
• Microsoft
• Imlay Fellowship
• Deans Funds