Digital Face Mapping via Tron Legacy

One of the biggest holiday movies appears to be the upcoming Tron sequel from Disney titled Tron Legacy. The original film has developed a cult following since its premiere in 1982 at a time when computer-generated graphics were starting to appear in feature films. Now, the sequel is generating buzz among fans for the digital face mapping techniques that allow for a present day Jeff Bridges to face off against a younger version of himself. For years, Hollywood has debated when such a technology would hit the mainstream because it could lead to a revival of appearances from actors who have passed away long ago. Can you imagine Humphrey Bogart or Ingrid Bergman in the latest film by Inception director Christopher Nolan? There are even rumors that George Lucas is looking to purchase on-screen rights for deceased actors. You have to wonder how all this amazing visual technology could be used in street dance culture if we had access to it.

Would we see Greg Campbellock Jr appear in again in videos and films in the future? Many of us mourned his passing earlier this year and the lockin' world lost a great teacher who was well-known for investing in a younger generation of students. Would we see Skeeter Rabbit of the Electric Boogaloos doing a new routine in a film with current EB members like Popin Pete and Mr Wiggles? How would this be achieved? If we look at how they're doing it in Tron Legacy, it involves mapping the face of one actor on a body double and weaving the two together seamlessly in the computer. This setup presents a much harder challenge for dancing where we don't have archives of motion capture data from lost legends. And to imagine a body double capturing the same feel and technique of a dance master presents another obstacle. It's rare to find two dancers that perform exactly the same way with all the same nuances.

The possibilities are enticing though. Street dancing has never been considered a viable field for experimentation with visual technology. The closest example may be the use of 3D camera work in Step Up 3D, but frankly that didn't enhance the performance of the dancing at all. It only made it feel more "in your face." For general audiences, we're not sure if they found that more engaging or more annoying. The box office receipts for Step Up 3D indicate that 3D camera work didn't necessarily translate to larger audiences than the first two films in this series. But dancing is such a beautiful art form of movement that it's hard to ignore. Perhaps one day we will see a filmmaker brave enough to embrace digital face mapping techniques or more clever 3D camera work or the latest visual technology to enhance our experience of watching dance on film. Why not dream big?