Hyperreal is a Los Angeles company founded by motion capture guru Remington Scott. The company is dedicated to creating “Hypermodels,” which are ultra-realistic digital recreations of a person’s entire body, face, voice, and gestures.
The company is working on creating artificial intelligence (AI) that can talk to the fans of the person the model represents, so it may be that in the future we can make a video conference with the digital double of our favorite actor without many issues.
Scott has been instrumental in various technology projects in the entertainment industry, including supervising the motion capture equipment for Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and developing eye motion detection systems for the film Beowulf. Now, his goal is to create digital identities of celebrities and personalities that actors and artists can use in movies, music, virtual reality, or video games.
“Hypermodels” are compatible with a variety of 3D rendering engines and can be used by an actor or artist for multiple projects. The idea is that artists own their digital identity, and that these identities can have several lives in different projects. The models are captured at a resolution that can handle close-ups on an IMAX film, but they are also volumetric 3D assets, which means they the same model can become a controllable character in a video game or in a virtual reality experience.
interesting examples
One of the most impressive examples of Hyperreal’s work is a virtual concert for pop star Madison Beer. The presentation was held in a virtual version of the Sony Hall in New York, and was rendered using Unreal Engine. The 10-minute concert features a hyper-realistic model of Beer performing a selection of her songs with 3D digital effects around her. The model is so realistic that, without paying attention, one might assume that it is a live performance.
The technology used by Hyperreal is nothing new, as Scott has been working in motion capture for decades, having been responsible for some of the most iconic characters in film and video game history. In addition to the aforementioned Gollum, he was also used in Dr. Manhattan in Watchmen or several of the protagonists in Spider-Man and Superman Returns.
In addition to creating hyper-realistic models, Hyperreal is working on creating artificial intelligences based on the words and thoughts of the represented person. For example, the company is working with a bestselling author to create an AI that fans can speak to directly, using the author’s words and thoughts. Scott sees huge potential in creating custom AIs for different purposes, such as virtual baristas or train agents.
One of the most interesting features of Hyperreal is that the models he creates are the property of the personalities who commissioned them. This means that actors and celebrities can use their models in multiple projects, and can also sell or license their models for use in third party projects.
Creating hyper-realistic digital identities is an exciting project, one that could have applications in a variety of fields, from entertainment to education to healthcare. However, it also raises important questions about the nature of identity, privacy, and control of personal data, as always.
