Behind the scenes: Motion capture tested with 'Sinbad'
LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- A new animation process that uses live actors to create more believable characters is being tested in Hollywood. The process, known as "motion capture," uses several infrared cameras and computers to simultaneously film one subject.
When computers gather together all the digital data from the shoot, the product is a three-dimensional, animated figure -- yielding a stunning image for the audience at a fraction of the cost of traditional animation techniques.
You may already have seen motion capture in play: it was used to create the creature in the movie "Species," for example.
But the first feature-length film to commit to this process is "Sinbad: Beyond the Veil of Mists," expected to open in theaters at the end of this year or in early 1999. CNN's Dennis Michael filed a report from the set.
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