A dvances in digital special effects have opened a new world for motion picture and television producers. As an example, look at modern movie monsters. Swinging his arms blindly under the blazing lights, venting rage on flimsy scale-model buildings, spots and fills pouring down hot light, the actor finally passes out. Monster fall down, go boom. The doctors murmur about heat prostration.
Equity files a grievance.
Today that same scene of destruction likely is being created in virtual reality. Crumbling city buildings are constructed from gigabits of data by advanced CAD imaging systems. The monster is animated by an actor in a motion-capture suit, sensors attached on the legs and torso and arms and head. Sensors on the face help the creature give an angry roar. If the project has the budget, a scale model of the monster may be constructed with miniature servos built into the beast to make the arms swing in fury and the head tilt back in defiance.