July 30, 2009 : The Cambridge connection to Hollywood

>> HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU


SAID SAT IN A MOVIE THEATRE


DAZZLED BY A SPECIAL EFFECT


AND ASKED YOURSELF HOW DID


THEY DO THAT?


WELL, IT JUST MAY TRACE BACK


TO CAMBRIDGE.


>> GENARTS OF CAMBRIDGE HAS


BEEN MAKING THE VISUAL


SPECIAL EFFECTS SOFTWARE


THAT HAS UNLEASHED THE


IMAGINATION OF HOLLYWOOD


FILMMAKERS SINCE 1996.


AND FOR THE PAST 12


YEARSGENARTS TECHNOLOGY HAS


BEEN INVOLVED IN MOVIES THAT


WERE EITHER NOMINATED OR WON


THE OSCAR FOR BEST VISUAL


EFFECTS.


MORE THAN 100 FILMS WERE


FROM THE PIRATES OF THE


CARIBBEAN SERIES TO THE


CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN


BUTTON HAVE ALL USEDGENARTS


TECHNOLOGY TO ENHANCE ITS


ESCAPISM OF MOTION PICTURES.


>> ALL RIGHT, JOINING ME IS


KARL SIMS, THE FOUNDER


OFGENARTS AND KATHERINE HAYS,


THE CEO OF THE COMPANY.


WELCOME TO YOU.


WHAT IS THE GENESIS OF THIS,


DOES THE DIRECTOR OF EYE NIL


AM COME TO YOU AND SAY I


HAVE THIS IDEA.


WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE OR


DO THEY COME TO YOU FIRST.


HOW DOES THAT WORK?


>> WE CREATE SPECIAL EFFECTS


TOOLS THAT WE SELL TO PEOPLE


WHO ARE WORKING ON THE


POVEES.


SO THE DIRECTORS WORK


INDIRECTLY WITH US.


OFTEN THEIR IDEAS WILL COME


THROUGH TO US AS SUGGESTIONS


FOR WHAT THE SPECIAL EFFECTS


TOOLS SHOULD DO.


BUT IT'S OUR CUSTOMERS WHO


ARE ACTUALLY CREATING THE


EFFECTS.


>> SO YOUR SOFTWARE ALLOWS


THEM TO DO WHATEVER THIS IS,


WHATEVER AFFECT IT IS THAT


THEY WANT TO ATTEMPT TO DO.


>> CORRECT.


>> IT'S THE TOOLBOX THAT


THEY USE.


>> UH-HUH.


HOW MANY FILMS WOULD YOU SAY,


KATHERINE, AT THIS POINT OUT


THERE IN THIS DAY AND AGE


USES A SPECIAL EFFECT.


>> ALMOST ALL.


>> ALL OF THEM.


>> EVEN SOME STRAIGHTFORWARD.


>> ABSOLUTELY.


AND IN FACT, IT'S SURPRISING


BUT EFFECTS ARE USED AS OFF


EP TO CREATE REALITY AS THEY


ARE TO CREATE WHAT YOU MIGHT


THINK OF AS A SPECIAL EFFECT,


AN EXPLOSION OR A FANTASY


FILM.


THEY'RE REALLY USED TO


CREATE REALITY.


>> COMPAQ LEER.


YOU THINK HOW FAR WE HAVE


COME IN SPECIAL EFFECTS,


EXACTLY THAT.


THEY CREATE REALITY.


NOW YOU HAVE JUST TEAMED UP


WITH GEORGE LUCAS, HOW IS


THAT PARTNERSHIP GOING TO


WORK?


>> STAR WARS I SHOULD SAY


FOR THOSE PEOPLE THAT DON'T


KNOW.


>> SURE, WELL, LUCASFILM HAS


USED GENARTS TECHNOLOGY FOR


THE PAST 12 YEARS, SO THAT'S


NOT NEW TO THE RELATIONSHIP.


BUT IT REALLY GREW OUT OF A


SHARED VISION.


A SHARED VISION THAT SPECIAL


EFFECTS ARE BECOMING


INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT TO


STORYTELLING.


AND ALL FORMS OF STORY


TELLING IT.


AND AN IDEA THAT LUCAS IL IF


AM BY STANDARDIZING ON


GENARTS TECHNOLOGY MEANING


HAVING ALL OF THEIR ART


USE -- ARTISTS USING IT


COULD PUSH THE ENVELOPE BY


HAVING THE EFFICIENCY OF


BEING ARMED WITH OUR SET OF


TOOLS.


THEY COULD CREATE THE NEXT


NEW THING THAT WOULD


DOWNLOAD THE FILM IN THE


FUTURE.


AND EVENTUALLY EXPAND THAT


TO OTHER MEDIUMS.


PART OF WHAT WE'RE DOING


WITH THEM IS WORKING TO


BUILD THESE TOOLS SO THAT


THEY CAN TAKE THAT SAME


EFFECT, THAT SAME EMOTION


YOU SAW IN FILM AND BRING IT


TO VIDEO GAMES OR BRING IT


TO ON-LINE MEDIA THAT


AUDIENCES ARE INTERACTING


WITH, AS THAT BECOMES AN


INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT PART


OF HOW WE ENGAGE WITH


STORIES AND CHARACTERS.


>> CAN EITHER ONE OF YOU


ENVISION THE NEXTGEN RE OF


ALL OF THIS.


I JUST HAPPEN TO SEE STAR


WARS AND MIXED FEELINGS


ABOUT THAT ONE.


IT'S ALMOST TOO MUCH.


IT BECOMES LIKE HO-HUM.


AND I'M WONDERING IF THERE


IS SORT OF A NEW KIND OF


REALITY THAT YOU CAN


ENVISION -- ENVISION BEING


BORN OF, YOU KNOW, DIGITAL


VIDEO.


>> SURE, ONE THING THAT


THESE TOOL DOESS IS AS WE GO


FORWARD IS ALLOW MORE AND


MORE PEOPLE TO CREATE


WHATEVER THEY MIGHT WANT TO


CREATE.


SO IT'S BROADENING THE


ABILITY TO CREATE CONTENT


AND TO MAKE MOVIES, SO THAT


NOT JUST LUCAS BUT WHOEVER,


YOU KNOW, HAS A COMPUTER AND


SOME SOFTWARE TOOLS CAN


ACTUALLY DO, HAVE A LOT OF


CREATIVE EXPRESSION USING


THESE SPECIAL EFFECTS TOOLS.


>> SO INDIVIDUALS, IT


DOESN'T HAVE TO BE --


>> EXACTLY.


>> TODAY WE HAVE ABOUT


20,000 CUSTOMERS AROUND THE


WORLD SO EVERYONE FROM THE


SONYS AND THE LUCASFILMS TO


SOME SMALLER CUSTOMERS.


BUT AS MORE PEOPLE ARE


CREATING FILM, EMPOWERING


THEM TO CREATE SOME OF THAT


MAGIC THAT WE SEE TODAY FROM


SOME OF THE MAJOR STUDIOS IS


PART OF OUR VISION.


>> NOW IS THE SAME SOFTWARE


USED WITH ALL THESE VIDEO


GAMES, ALL THESE


BLOCKBUSTERS HAVE SOME KIND


OF A VIDEO COMPONENT WITH


IT.


DOES IT SORT OF CARRY


THROUGH THAT WAY?


>> YEAH, IT IS ALL


CONVERGING.


IN FACT, KATHERINE'S


BACKGROUND IS WITH VIDEO


GAMES.


>> YEAH.


>> SO DESCRIBE THAT


SYMBIOSIS THERE.


>> WELL, PART OF WHAT WE


WANT TO DO AT GENARTS AND


ARE WORKING FIRST WITH


LUCASFILM ON IS TO TAKE


THOSE TOOLS, THE TOOLS WE


USE TODAY OR THAT THEY USE


OF OURS TODAY FOR FILM INTO


VIDEO GAMES AS ARE YOU


SEEING THE SPIDERMAN


CHARACTERS OR STAR TREK


CHARACTERS IN FILM, TO BRING


THOSE GAMES.


THE TOOLS ARE NOT USED IN


GAMES YET.


>> WE HAVE A SPOT HERE THAT


YOUR TECHNOLOGY USED


BRIDGESTONE TIRES, THE


LITTLE CART ON THE MOON.


DESCRIBE THAT IF YOU WOULD,


WE WILL PLAY A LITTLE OF


THAT VIDEO.


>> SURE SO, THIS IS DONE BY


A CUSTOMER OF OURS IN THE


U.K. CALLED FRAMES TO WEAR.


AND THEY USE SEVERAL OF OUR


SPECIAL EFFECTS IN THE SPOT.


THERE IS A LOT OF LENS FLARE


BUSINESS IN A REAL CAMERA


THE LIGHT OFTEN WILL REFLECT


IN THE LENS TO CREATE THIS


NICE LIGHT EFFECT WHICH HAS


BECOME PART OF THE LANGUAGE


OF FILM.


AND ONE OF OUR TOOLS


SIMULATES THAT SO YOU CAN


CONTROL IT JUST HOW YOU


WANT.


A GLOW EFFECT IS ONE OF OUR


STANDARD EFFECTS WHICH JUST


ADDS LIGHT TO A PART OF THE


SCENE IN A VERY ORGANIC WAY.


AND THEN ALSO IT USES A


DEFOCUS, IN A WAY THAT MAKES


IT LOOK LIKE IT WERE SHOT ON


A REAL CAMERA.


SO THERE ARE MANY PARTS OF


THIS SPOT THAT HAVE BEEN PUT


TOGETHER AND ASSEMBLED.


AND OUR TOOLS HELP MAKE IT


LOOK LIKE IT WAS ACTUALLY


SHOT WAY REAL CAMERA.


>> AND IT'S GOT ALL THAT


DEPTH PERCEPTION.


>> IN THE RECENT STAR TREK


MUSS TLIK ARE LENS FLARES


ALL OVER THE PLACE.


>> NOTICED THAT.


>> AND THOSE --


>> IT IS A MORE OBVIOUS


EXAMPLE BUT YOU KNOW, WE'RE


USED IN OPRAH, 30% OF THE


FRAMES IN OPRAH HAVE SPECIAL


EFFECTS.


>> WHAT PARTS OF OPRAH.


>> I DON'T KNOW SPECIFICALLY


ON OPEN RAL.


IN FACT, IT IS AN


INTERESTING QUESTION.


WHEN AFFECTS ARE DONE VERY


WELL IN A REALISTIC SETTING,


YOU DON'T NECESSARILY KNOW


THAT THEY ARE THERE.


THERE IS AN EMOTION CREATED


FROM THEM BUT YOU CAN'T


POINT THEM OUT.


>> YOU KNOW, IT'S AMAZING


LOOKING BACK, YOU SEE THE


MOVIES FROM LITERALLY ALMOST


A HUNDRED YEARS NOOING THE


20s ANYWAY, WERE USING SOME


KIND OF A SPECIAL EFFECT.


I'M SURPRISED AT HOW


REALISTIC.


I'M WONDERING IF YOU ARE TOO,


SOME OF THAT STUFF LOOKS


TODAY.


EVEN KING KONG OR MIGHTY JOE


YOUNG AND SOME OF THAT STUFF,


YOU KNOW?


DO YOU AGREE, IT'S STILL, I


MEAN WAS SOME OF YOUR WORK


BORN OF THOSE IMAGINATIONS?


>> SOME OF THE EARLIEST WORK


WAS DONE WITH MODELS WHICH


ARE REAL.


>> I THOUGHT THAT LITTLE CAR


SCENE ALMOST LOOKED LIKE


THAT.


>> RIGHT.


>> THAT A COMPUTER GRAPHIC


CAR.


>> COMPUTER GENERATED CAR


BUT IT LOOKED LIKE --


>> YEAH.


>> WHAT DAZZLES YOU,


ANYTHING?


>> WHAT DAZZLED ME?


>> YEAH.


>> ACTUALLY, IT'S THE IDEA


THAT WE'RE TRAINED AS AN


AUDIENCE TO HAVE UNCERTAIN


EXPECTATIONS AND THE SAME


HAPPENS WITH SOUNDTRACK BY


THE EFFECT SO AT ESPN USES


IT IN THEIR SPORTS SCENES.


WHEN ARE YOU WERE TO SEE THE


WINNING SHOT.


>> NFL DOES A GREAT JOB.


>> EXACTLY, OR IN A


TRANSITION SPOT ON THE


NIGHTLY NEWS, SO MUCH LIKE


IF YOU WERE TO TAKE THE


SOUNDTRACK OUT OF A FILM


SUDDENLY IT FALLS FLAT.


THE SAME IS TRUE WITH


EFFECTS.


AND SEEING THE BEFORE AND


AFTER AND SEEING HOW EFFECTS


CREATE THAT EMOTION IS


PRETTY EXCITING.


BUT THE IDEA THAT WE CAN


EMPOWER A LARGER SET OF


ARTISTS, THAT IS ITS ISSUE.


>> GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR NEW


MISSION WITH GEORGE LUCAS.


>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.


>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.


THAT IS IT FOR GREATER


BOSTON.


TOMORROW ON BEAT THE PRESS,


MEDIA MEA CULPA FROM THE


GATES CONTROVERSY.


PLUS WHY THE OBAMA BIRTH


CERTIFICATE DENYERS ARE


GETING SO MUCH PLAY.


AND MORE TOMORROW AT 7:00.


NOW STAY TUNED FOR A LIVE


EDITION OF BASIC BLACK.


I'M EMILY ROONIE, GOOD NIGH


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