Part
2 of 8:
Into An Entirely Digital World
One of
the most striking things about 405 is the entirely Computer
Generated (CG) shots. Most people don't recognize these shots as
being artificial. They assume that extensive amounts of film of
real cars and airplanes were shot and that somehow the crippled
airliner was added later. It surprises people to find out that everything
they are looking at was created using a computer.
It
was found that more control over shot design could be achieved if
an entirely believable digital environment could be created. Using
photographs shot around LA on a digital camera, Bruce Branit created
several photo-based 3D environments inside of which the virtual
camera could be placed and pointed in any direction. The road surface
was created using photographs of LA's famous freeway surfaces and
stitched together into long, usable maps. With this realistic, virtual
world, the camera can then be put in places inside the computer's
worlds where it would be much too dangerous to risk the lives of
a real camera crew.
Wireframe
Final
Scene
The car used
in 405 is a 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee. It was chosen for
its ease of modeling and also for its similarity to the much curvy-er
(and more difficult to model, we admit) 1999 body-style Grand
Cherokee used for live-action close-up shots and interior filming.
In almost all shots the Jeep seen on camera is actually the CG
model and not a real car. A lot of attention went into creating
a totally photo-real Jeep model so that it could be seamlessly
integrated with the physical car without detection.
Inside
the CG car is a CG character representing Jeremy Hunt who in addition
to being the co-creator of 405 is also its star. (Some
fans, however, might think that the actual star of 405 is
the DC-10.) This low-resolution head geometry had been created
long ago during a demo for a handheld cyberscaner. The face was
mapped on using several digital photographs. The reality of the
digital Jeep with its life-like occupant, the photo-realism of
the DC-10, and the look and feel of the Los Angeles freeway environment
are the details that combine into a unquestioned reality and hopefully
let the viewer get pulled along into the story.
Inside
the CG car is a CG character representing Jeremy Hunt who in addition
to being the co-creator of 405 is also its star. (Some
fans, however, might think that the actual star of 405 is
the DC-10.) This low-resolution head geometry had been created
long ago during a demo for a handheld cyberscaner. The face was
mapped on using several digital photographs. The reality of the
digital Jeep with its life-like occupant, the photo-realism of
the DC-10, and the look and feel of the Los Angeles freeway environment
are the details that combine into a unquestioned reality and hopefully
let the viewer get pulled along into the story. 
