To give a complete introduction to The Polar Express, it would take a thousand words to cover plot, film review, and special effects!

◆Director: Zemeckis launches the second revolution◆You may not be familiar with Robert Zemeckis alone, but when talking about "Forrest Gump" and "Back to the Future", you must Everyone came to their senses immediately. It can be said that Zemeckis became a world-renowned business director as early as the 1980s. In the 1990s, he launched "Forrest Gump" and successfully transitioned from business to art, no less than Steven Spielberg at the time. grid. After saying so much, it seems that he has nothing to do with cartoons. Don’t forget that he also directed an epoch-making live-action cartoon "Who Framed Roger Rabbit". It is no longer surprising that a movie that combines live-action and animation, but Zanmi However, Keith used this film to establish "a milestone in the history of the development of world film technology" (U.S. "Movie Monthly" in 1988). When "The Polar Express" started filming, Zemeckis announced to the media: "I want to launch the second animation revolution!"

◆Behind the scenes: Ranger vs. P-Boss◆The current American animation industry There are three pillars: Disney, Pixar and DreamWorks (PDI). Disney is resting on its laurels. In terms of 3D animation, it has been left far behind by Pixar and PDI. Today's 3D animated films have been revolutionized and began to follow the model of "technology is the key and story is the core". Regarding the issue that story is the core, both P’s have a deep understanding: Pixar believes that there is nothing to talk about without a fascinating story, while PDI says that the failure of a movie can only prove that there are problems with the storyline. Regardless of technology and story, Pixar has surpassed other opponents. Moreover, Pixar's "The Incredibles" and "Polar Express" are both on the Christmas schedule, with only a five-day difference in release dates. So let’s put PDI aside and see how Zemeckis, the animated ranger, competes with Pixar Animation. Robert Zemeckis's winning formula is a detailed introduction

◆Brief review: What can seduce you and my audience◆While taking the global box office by storm, the 1993 "Jurassic Park" also transformed the traditional Special effects technology has been driven out of the film market, and "Polar Express" will set off a new round of special effects production storm. The biggest challenge when creating "Polar Express" is to maintain the realism of the characters. Zemeckis hopes that the digital characters can also show the simple and natural side of human beings. His goal is: What I am pursuing is a realistic effect that is close to real people. Imageworks senior visual effects supervisor Ken Lowstone and his colleagues are working on a new technology that will take the motion capture system to the next level. This technology ensures that Zemeckis requested "The Polar Express". 》The filming became possible. However, using digital technology to create realistic character images also relies on the actor's delicate performance, which requires an actor's extraordinary acting skills. Zemeckis believes that the development of new technologies can also focus the audience's attention on the development of the storyline. He said: "In this virtual world, all elements are under our control. Nothing is impossible, only imaginable." Then, the three killer features of Zemeckis' "Polar Express" may attract audiences to finally go to the polar regions. Express behind-the-scenes production about the director

In the fierce competition at the 67th Academy Awards in 1995, the film "Forrest Gump" stood out and won the Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, It won 6 awards including Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing and Best Visual Effects. In addition to the Oscar statuette, director Robert Zemeckis also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Director and the Directors Guild of America Award for Best Director.

Zemeckis was born in Chicago in 1952 and received degrees from Econo State University and the University of Southern California. In his early years, he mainly focused on writing film scripts. After his script "1941" was adapted into the screen by Spielberg, Zemeckis and Spielberg began a long-term collaboration. The "Back to the Future" series is a classic work of their collaboration. In these three films, Zemeckis served as director and Spielberg served as producer. The tacit cooperation between the two made the film one of the most successful works in film history.

In 1988, Zemeckis released the film "Who Framed Roger Rabbit". The film cleverly combined cartoons with real scenes. The novel effects allowed Zemeckis to once again demonstrate his extraordinary response. His film talent established "a milestone in the history of the development of world film technology." "Forrest Gump" is Zemeckis's true pinnacle work, which set off a wave of "Forrest Gump" around the world.

The film grossed nearly US$330 million at the box office in the United States and Canada, becoming the fourth highest-grossing film in film history. The film earned a global revenue of US$550 million and was called a miracle by the world's film industry. Zemeckis also became famous and ascended to the supreme throne in the American director world.

In March 2001, the Robert Zemeckis Digital Arts Center was completed at the School of Film and Television of the University of Southern California, becoming the first digital technology training center in the United States, in the fields of film shooting, post-production and stage effects. With the most advanced high-tech technology.

Huge investment

The filming of "The Polar Express" cost US$165 million. It is a masterpiece created entirely by computer CGI animation technology, similar to the Magic Trilogy The creation process of "Gollum" in "Lord of the Rings". Zemeckis, who has always been known as a "tech geek", used the most advanced "performance capture" technology in the film. "Performance capture" is more advanced than traditional "motion capture" technology. It can simultaneously reproduce the facial expressions and body behaviors of multiple actors in the form of three-dimensional effects during the recording process, and provide it through a complete digital photography system Comprehensive shooting information. Compared with "motion capture" which copies the actor's overall movements in a crude way, "performance capture" shows a more meticulous and lifelike effect. This new technology can vividly reproduce all the actor's small movements and complex expressions, ultimately making the virtual character have both form and spirit. In addition to obtaining more data, "performance capture" technology also gives directors and editors the ability to freely choose the width, depth and parameters of the shooting.

Hollywood industry insiders said that in the past 10 years, the computer graphics industry has been focusing on how to produce realistic smoke, water, fire and other effects. Now, the industry is in the midst of a metamorphosis toward creating realistic effects of human facial expressions, hair, and clothing movement. The pinnacle of art in this field is the creation of realistic humans, and perhaps one day digital technology can replace actors. The birth of "The Polar Express" is undoubtedly a milestone.

The film was produced by Imageworks, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation, which has gathered a large number of animation and special effects masters from the United States and Japan. Before working hard to produce "The Polar Express", most of them participated in the special effects production of live-action commercial films, including "Lord of the Rings", "Harry Potter", "Spider-Man", "The Matrix", "Charlie's Angels", etc. It has a high reputation in the industry. Although it is the first time to independently produce a 3D animation, its past performance has given people high expectations for this debut film.

Tom Hanks Transformation Show

This film is Tom Hanks's co-director Robert Zemecki's "Forrest Gump" and "Cast Away". Hanks plays five roles in the film: the protagonist, the little boy, the train conductor, the boy's father, the homeless man and Santa Claus. Hanks believes that this way of acting allows him to get rid of many limitations: "I would rather play a kid sitting on a train to the North Pole in this way. You won't get hurt, and you won't shiver with cold. Because everything is just Use a computer to do it.”

During the filming, nearly 150 infrared photosensitive points were attached to Hanks’ face in order to allow the infrared camera to capture the rich expression changes on his face, making the production The resulting computer images are more humane. What's interesting is that when Hanks plays different characters, he has to show the details of the age, personality and even habits of different characters. For example, when playing the role of a train conductor, he must remember that he is wearing a pair of glasses and adjust his virtual hat and collar from time to time; when playing the role of a tramp, he must show an unrestrained personality and bold temperament; when playing the role of Santa Claus When it comes to the film, he has to show the feeling of being "potbellied"; and then to the 8-year-old boy, the core character in the film, he often has to show the naughty and innocent characteristics of children.