We all know that visual effects are the stuff of films, enabling harry potter’s transfiguration spells and animating Iron Man’s full-body suit. We’ve come to accept these effects because we separate them from film and live action. But these boundaries are slowly fading. Case in point: Nobumichi Asai, a Japanese digital artist and leader in projection mapping technology, recently created OMOTE, a fascinating video that show what can be done when projection mapping and face tracking technology combine.
Watch as the model’s face shifts, distorts and is animated in front of your eyes simply by projecting a video onto her face. Omote, the title of the project, is a Japanese word that literally means front while its opposite, ura, means back. It has roots in traditional Japanese noh theater where it indicates the mask that performers wear to hide their true face.
Asai is staging a live demonstration of his technology in Tokyo on August 28, 2014. The event is free but space is limited. You need to sign up for the raffle to win a spot.