Cyberspace cinema

Cyberspace technology has hit
Hollywood. While actors are shooting at sites in Hollywood, the back-
drop is being built inside the memories of computers in London.

Lawntnower Man 2: lobe's War,
which is to be released by the end of
the year, involves scenery being sent
down each night via high-capacity
phone lines to Hollywood, where it
is locked in with the day's filming
(New Scientist, Vol 146, No 1978).

The actors perform in front of a
blue background, and the recording
takes place on a conventional 35min
film. The images are converted into
digital code and stored on disc and
tape. Meanwhile, the computer
artists draw 3-D images of the
model where the action is taking
place. Then, the actors' images are
superimposed on the computer
sequences and the blue background
removed electronically.