The Idea of an Essay, Volume 3

Research Writing 203 is significant because it was the first use of a digital human to replace an actor for an entire scene (Bath Timeline 1). Virtual actors are bringing movies to a new level of realism. They accomplish this through different applications ranging from massive crowd scenes to replacing an actor during a stunt. This leads to increased variety in the types of movies that directors can make. Before the use of virtual actors, directors were limited to what could be achieved through the use of only human extras and stunt personnel. Now though, digital actors have removed traditional limitations and have allowed directors to create truly larger-than-life films. Some examples include The Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter films. InThe Lord of the Rings films, there are numerous times in which virtual actors are used to create otherwise impossible shots, such as the epic battle scene at the end of the third movie or any of the nonhuman extras. In the Harry Potter films, the use of digital actors is more subtle, but still present. In those movies, usually when you see an incredibly large crowd or extremely dangerous stunt, virtual actors were involved in making it more realistic than traditionally possible. Those opposed to virtual actors are not impressed by their realism because of the phenomenon called “the uncanny valley,” which has a huge impact on how effective digital humans are. When most people watch a virtual actor that is almost humanlike, there is a sense of revulsion at seeing something that looks human but lacks true humanity. This phenomenon was given the name “the uncanny valley” by robotics professor Masahiro Mori during his study of how humans react to lifelike robots (M. Masahiro 1). This is a problem for virtual actors because it is difficult to sympathize with a virtual actor while constantly feeling disconcerted by their appearance. The best example of the uncanny valley is the movie The Polar Express. This movie was one of the first films to have digital actors that were lifelike enough to trigger a dislike in the audience. Though the movie was well received, moviegoers still felt unsettled watching it (M. Masahiro 1). Despite the fact that some critics think that the uncanny valley is a problem for virtual actors, it is actually a blessing. Since virtual actors elicit this reaction in most humans, it is quite easy to determine if the designer has spent enough time making the digital human realistic enough. Without this phenomenon, the advances in digital actors would be much slower because there would be no