Synchronising Multimodal Movie Metadata

Movie making is changing from a two-dimensional process (in which scenes are shot on a camera and ‘composited’ as 2D layers) to one that combines digital video, computer-generated models, animations and effects in a three-dimensional world. This increases the director’s creative freedom, and supports the production of both 2D and 3D stereo versions, but is very technically demanding.
SyMMM is developing ways to capture and process many kinds of metadata from video streams, photographs, laser scans and other measurements to support 3D approaches to movie making. The project will advance the state of the art in 3D video and automatic metadata extraction. It will lead to new methods and tools for blockbuster movie production, using multimodal metadata to control the way that scenes are put together and to help the creative team to visualise what is happening.
The project leader is SME technology developer FilmLight, which won four ‘technical Oscars’ in 2010 and the Queen’s Award for Innovation in 2012. The project partners are Double Negative, Europe’s largest visual effects company (winner of the 2011 Oscar, as 2011 and 2012 BAFTAs for best VFX) and the University of Surrey.