Inside Walt Disney Studios' original animation building, where artists once drew "Dumbo" and "Cinderella" by hand, a 15-person team of innovators is hard at work. They are trying to imagine new ways of making and marketing movies. The Burbank, California studio's 4-month-old, 3,500-square-foot innovation hub is a short walk from Walt Disney's old office. It is furnished with retro chairs reminiscent of a bygone era. It isn't full of pencils and light tables found in old animation studios, though. Instead, visitors find experimental virtual reality editing equipment, location-scouting drones and digital projections that wrap around walls. The space is called StudioLab. Its purpose is to use Silicon Valley-style experimentation to help studio executives and filmmakers stay ahead of rapid advances in technology.
New Tech In ActionSome of its ideas have already spilled into the real world. Projects have included promotional efforts for the big-budget animated film "Ralph Breaks the Internet." It has also helped filmmakers shoot scenes for the upcoming superhero movie "Captain Marvel." "A startup-meets-Wakanda vibe was pretty much what we were going for," said Ben Havey, vice president of Disney's Technology Innovation Group, during a tour. "To be able to sit with those teams of storytellers, and basically give them superpowers through technology, is really our mission here." Studio technology centers are hardly a new idea. 20th Century Fox, for example, founded its own Innovation Lab in 2014, and Sony Pictures earlier this year announced its Innovation Studios project in Culver City, California. Disney executives said their hub can succeed by combining the brainpower of its various studios, including Marvel, Pixar and Lucasfilm. The company has a storied history of technological invention through Disney Imagineering, its famed park design and research group. Disney also develops long-term technological advances in entertainment through its Disney Research division. The new lab is focused on helping filmmakers such as "Avengers: Infinity War" directors Joe and Anthony Russo address the basic technological challenges that arise daily. Those difficulties include analyzing overseas film locations, finding faster ways to generate animation and protecting sensitive data while working on scripts and effects. The innovators plan to work on about 25 projects in the next year. "Ralph Breaks the Internet" is a sequel to the 2012 computer-animated hit "Wreck-It Ralph." The debut of the new movie was an ideal chance for the studio to test new uses for tech. It gave them a chance to innovate with virtual reality and mobile gaming, leaders at StudioLab said. In the film, the arcade-game characters Ralph and Vanellope von Schweetz take a trip to cyberspace via their arcade's new Wi-Fi connection. For screenings of "Ralph Breaks the Internet" at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, the studio created a display of colorful, moving light images, representing internet traffic, to project onto the auditorium's interior. StudioLab developed software to make the projection mapping process easier and more efficient for Disney employees. With new technology, it took just an afternoon to scan the El Capitan Theatre to map projections onto its walls and ceiling. That task once might have taken months to complete, Havey said. Another of StudioLab's projects was to help quickly create a free mobile game called "Pancake Milkshake." The game is based on a popular clip from the film's teaser trailer in which Ralph feeds big stacks of pancakes to a bunny and milkshakes to a kitty. The game lets players easily share their scores with friends through their messaging apps.
Into The Void
StudioLab also directs Disney's relationship with virtual reality company the Void, which recently unveiled its "Ralph Breaks VR" experience. The game lets four players, equipped with headsets and vests, travel the Internet with Ralph and Vanellope. StudioLab also wants to improve the filmmaking process itself. It fashioned software called Scout- in-a-Box, an iPad app that uses drones to view and digitally re-create filming locations to help filmmakers assess whether the location would work, plan logistics and set up shots. For "Captain Marvel," the studio used a drone to take images of an abandoned mall in the San Fernando Valley. Not only did the studio approve the location, it also used the data from the app to digitally re-create it as a Blockbuster Video store for the film itself. Danielle Costa is the vice president of visual effects for Marvel Studios. She said she plans to use Scout-in-a-Box for future films. "It definitely makes for a much more well-oiled machine when you're shooting," Costa said. It helps tell the movie crew exactly where they need to move all their gear and technology in advance, she said. StudioLab recently used video technology to conduct a remote set visit to "Stargirl," a movie planned for its Disney+ streaming service. Studio leaders Alan Horn and Alan Bergman were able to see and interact with the actors and crew on the New Mexico set and get a detailed sense of the action on the soundstage. Major Long-Term Projects In The Works
Other ideas are in the works. One room in the lab showcases how a future production studio could work, by letting visitors use virtual reality controllers to change camera angles on "Tron" images. Instead of typical lightweight gaming controllers, the lab uses wheel cranks and sliders that resemble the heavy equipment used on real sets. Disney also wants the lab to address major long-term challenges. For example, the process of generating computer animation remains expensive and time-intensive, and the lab is working on ways to make it more efficient. Improving data security during the filmmaking process is another priority. Although some of the ideas remain in early stages, Havey is optimistic that more of the lab's experiments will find everyday uses. "I'm happy when innovations get out of the lab and into the real world," he said. "That's what I live for."
1) What are 3 details/facts your learned from these articles?
2) List an "I WONDER" that you have related to animation.
1) Walt Disney Studios has a 3,500-square-foot innovation hub called StudioLab, where a team of 15 innovators work on developing new ways of making and marketing movies.
2) StudioLab has already implemented some of its ideas in real-world projects, such as promotional efforts for "Ralph Breaks the Internet" and assisting in shooting scenes for "Captain Marvel."
3) The lab is focused on addressing technological challenges that filmmakers face, including analyzing overseas film locations, finding faster ways to generate animation, and protecting sensitive data while working on scripts and effects.
I WONDER: How will advancements in technology, such as virtual reality and artificial intelligence, impact the future of animation?
1) What are 1 detail/fact your learned from these articles?
2) List an "I WONDER" that you have related to animation.
1) Disney's StudioLab is located inside Walt Disney Studios' original animation building in Burbank, California.
I WONDER: How will the integration of virtual reality technology into animation change the way stories are told and experienced by audiences?
I WONDER: How will the integration of virtual reality technology into animation change the way stories are told and experienced by audiences?
Rephrase this sentence in 9th grade
How will the incorporation of virtual reality technology in animation revolutionize storytelling methods and enhance audience experiences?
I WONDER: How will the integration of virtual reality technology into animation change the way stories are told and experienced by audiences?
Rephrase this in prek