Kinect fulfills movie prophecies

 

Microsoft has recently released a new Xbox 360 add-on called Kinect. This device makes any Xbox 360 equipped with the Kinect are able to play certain video games without controllers. Kinect features two cameras and a microphone. The two cameras work together to capture a 3D image of the space in front of the device. The player stands in this plane and Kinect can read certain gestures from the player’s entire body. The microphone is included that is able to interpret voice commands from players. (more after jump)

 

Each game employs unique gestures. Dancing games respond to certain dance moves and driving games respond to special driving motions. This technology has recently been featured in the futuristic science-fiction movies Minority Report and The Island.

In Minority Report, a character uses a graphical user interface (GUI) that is controlled by natural hand motions. The Kinect will allow also users to navigate through the Xbox 360 menus in a similar fashion. Hand waves and pinching motions are used to scroll through and rearrange data. Videos and pictures can be resized by pulling corners in or out. Selections can be made by pointing gestures.  The video below is taken from memorable scene in the 2002 Science Fiction movie Minority Report starring Tom Cruise. (more after jump)

(This video happens to open with a quick violent image of a woman getting stabbed. Out of context it will seem somewhat shocking.)

 

In The Island, characters are seen playing a game that uses motion capturing technology. Ironically, the device they are using has the Xbox logo. The animations that the console in the movie renders are photorealistic and very advanced. The animations that you control with the Kinect are Wii-like and quite cartoonish. These differences aside, the Xbox from the movie and the real-life Xbox 360 with Kinect are strikingly similar. Take a look.

 

from YouTube to Hollywood

Just about anybody can make a movie these days. High-definition video and audio recording is a standard feature on many cell phones, laptops and digital amounts. Websites like YouTube and Facebook allow anyone to share these videos with the world. Most YouTube videos are movie clips, video blogs or funny home videos.

Occasionally, videos will be scripted, shot and edited, with some effort. Even less of them find an audience. Less than a handful of those resulted in film careers. Barely several of those careers have been successful. Below, I will profile someone a few folks who got their big break from Internet videos.

Bo Burnham

In late 2006, Burnham wrote and played funny songs and uploaded them to YouTube so his brother could watch them. They spread through the internet like wildfire. The videos racked up millions of hits. Eventually, Bo’s songs were brought to the attention of The Gersch Agency.

By 2008, he had written and recorded a six-song album for Comedy Central Records that hit No. 1 on the comedy albums chart and No. 6 on overall albums chart on iTunes.

In 2009, he appeared in two movies: American Virgin and Funny People.

In 2010, He released the new Comedy Central special Words, Words, Words

After performing a set at the USF Homecoming carnival, I was able to ask him about future projects and rumors.

He is no longer moving forward on an “Anti-High School Musical project” with comedy super-producer Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, Superbad). He is in talks with MTV to develop a “fake documentary” show.

What’s special about his videos: His image can be jarring to some. He just turned 20 this summer. He is a skinny, unassuming, white boy that chooses to use his considerable musical talent to joke about the Holocaust and feminine hygiene products. He claims its satire. Actually, its just immaturity.

Video that made him famous:

Patrick Jean

This French graphic designer started with advertisements and credit sequences after graduating from Supinfocom in 2002.

Patrick Jean’s official website says the following about Pixels.

Pixels has been seen 1 million times in just 24 hours after its release, creating a huge buzz on the internet, and won several prizes in festivals worldwide. Major hollywood studios have shown great interest in adapting it as a feature film, including  Sony pictures, Warner, and Dreamworks.

Adam Sandler’s production company Happy Madison has recently hired a writer to adapt the three-minute internet video into a feature-length motion picture to be possibly directed by Jean.

What makes him so special: The originality and competency he brings to 2D and 3D art, especially as a director.

Video that made him famous:

Fede Alvarez

Alvarez has made movies all his life. He earned a degree in Communications and started making commercials. Making advertisements for Mattel was his first job in the US.

In 2005, he won a scholarship to complete a masters in screen-writing.

He made his breakthrough short film Ataque de Panico! (Panick Attack!) for about $300 and posted it on YouTube. According to Alvarez it blew up over night. Kayne West posted it on his blog and Hollywood producers were trying to contact him

Writer/Director Sam Raimi (Spider-man series) will produce a feature-length version of the film with his production company Ghost House.

What makes him so special: His resourcefulness and special effects work is outstanding. He is very practical but thinks big.

Video that made him famous:

New Media’s effect on the Film Industry

The film industry is currently in a slump. Supposedly, the entire US economy is in a slump but thats no excuse for Hollywood. Films still make enough money for studios to produce more pictures.

During the past ten years massive innovations in computers have both contributed to and taken away from the film industry. In 2010, a cell phone named Samsung Vibrant shipped with a copy of the 2009 blockbuster Avatar. (Ironically enough, Avatar is the top-grossing movie in film-making history.)

Most iPods now support video and (I’m guessing here) 99.999 percent of all computers in the past ten years support both the Internet and video.

Not only can movies be watched with more freedom, they can be obtained with more freedom. Piracy was made a million times easier and faster with the Internet and computers.

Video games have over taken movies in media-sale records. In 2007, Halo 3 sold $170 million worth of units on its opening day. The opening weekend (three days) record for film is held by The Dark Knight (2008) at $158 million.

In 2010, the video game Call of Duty: Black Ops sold $550 million dollars worth of units in five days. Five days! The five-day record for film is The Dark Knight with $203 million.

With entertainment content on cell phones, televisions, video game systems and iPods, the film industry has been seeing major decreases in attendance and earnings since 2005.

In 2005: The Xbox 360 was released, the Playstation 3 and Wii were announced, smart phones (like Blackberry) became widely used  and blogging became prevalent. People had many more entertainment options.

The film industry started to tank. Avatar may have started an industry saving trend with 3D. It has proven itself as the most successful film to date and in new media. Avatar has a video game and is included as a feature on a new series of cell phones.

Below are some numbers showing Hollywood’s decline.

All numbers reflect records from theaters in the United States, thanks to Box Office Mojo

Year-end total box-office grosses

• 2010 – $8.6 Billion (so far)
• 2009 – $10 Billion
  • Avatar (all-time highest grossing film) is responsible for $0.7 Billion of that.

High-speed internet became widely available in early 2000’s. Online video piracy most likely started to become a threat in 2003. Total ticket sales started to steadily drop after 11 years of growth; peaking in 2002 with 1.5 Billion tickets sold.

Ticket Sales in Billions

• 1992-1.17
• 2002-1.57
• 2003 – 1.53
• 2004 – 1.51
• 2005- 1.35

In the past five years theater attendance has dropped and has not recovered. 2009 was a good year selling 1.4 Billion; Avatar itself was responsible for 100 Million tickets. 2005 marked another major drop in both total gross and ticket sales. During the ten-year period between 1994 and 2004, total grosses increased an average of 6.2 percent each year.

Year-end box-office grosses

• 1994 – $5.3 Billion
• 2004- $9.3 Billion
• 2005 – $8.8, biggest drop in total grosses ($0.5 ) and ticket sales (160 Million) since 1985.