Technology that makes motion picture masterpieces

Best picture nominee “Avatar” would have lost its ability to immerse movie audiences in a fantastical world on Pandora if the Na’vi’s trademark blue skin color had changed shades from scene to scene.

Making movies look more like real life is no easy task for nominees of the Feb. 20 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Scientific and Technical Achievement awards.

When audiences watch a movie, they know that what they are seeing is an illusion–and making the images appear as real as possible can be a major undertaking for any filmmaking team.

“Computer displays have a different color space compared to film; colors that I can see on a computer, I can’t always reproduce on film and vice-versa,” said Mark Wolforth, an electrical and biomedical engineer who specializes in imaging with FilmLight Limited. “Truelight is a color management system that keeps the colors the same so whether you are looking at a scene on film or you are looking at the same scene on a computer screen, the colors will look exactly the same.”

Creating those realistic-looking illusions is the job of the film’s cast and crew. Making sure that colors look the same throughout a film, creating animated scenes that look real, and reproducing the same highlights and shadows as those created by natural light is only a sample of the accomplishments of the 15 scientists and engineers who will be honored during the Feb. 20 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Scientific and Technical Achievement awards hosted by actress Elizabeth Banks.

Before the first scene of the film is even shot, the Truelight system is used to determine how the cameras and lights for the film will work together. The crew is told to make a film print using their normal camera and lighting settings.

“They make a film print and send it to us with their camera and lighting settings,” said Wolforth. “By looking at the film print, we will give the crew specific instructions to make sure that their settings will give the same colors.”

The life-like scenes in the animated film “Up”, which has also been nominated for best picture, captured the attention of children and adults alike. Creating a believable room without the use of a real stage or lights presented a substantial challenge to the scientists and engineers at PIXAR.

“Indirect illumination is when a surface that is illuminated by a light source reflects that light onto other surfaces,” said Per Christensen, electrical engineer and computer scientist specializing in computer graphics at PIXAR animation studios. “One indirect illumination effect is known as ‘color bleeding;’ if you have a red carpet next to a white wall, some of the light shining on the red carpet will be reflected onto the white wall, giving it a pink hue.”