We Tested Sci-Fi Movie Tech (feat. MKBHD)
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Published 2023-07-03
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I’ve been obsessed with sci-fi movies since I was a kid. I love being transported to another world. But lately, I’ve been wondering: How do those worlds look so… REAL? The tech behind movies has exploded in complexity and realism, changing how stories come to life on screen.
Luckily, at the same time, those tools are becoming more and more available to more people telling stories. It’s not just blockbusters like Avatar 2 or Avengers or Dune. It’s also smaller budget films like Everything Everywhere All at Once or even… YouTube creators?
In this video, Marques Brownlee and I test out 3 movie-making tools that are changing how movies, shows, and maybe even YouTube videos (??) get made. We’re at ZeroSpace Studios in New York to show you how each of these crazy technologies work - and how you might be able to use them. Along the way, we hit big questions like: What is the future of video? Can actors stop aging? Can WE? Do you care if an actor has a digital double? Should the audience choose where the camera goes? Most of all, what we discover is a new world of video creation, hopefully open to more and more people’s creativity.
Chapters:
00:00 How do movies look so real?
1:18 The future of green screen?
3:31 The problem with green screen
4:33 How was The Mandalorian filmed?
6:11 How to shoot two scenes AT ONCE
8:39 How motion capture works
10:06 Why was Avatar 2 filmed underwater?
11:05 What happens if you can be... anyone?
13:51 What is volumetric video?
15:33 What's the future of video?
Thank you to the entire team who helped make this video possible! They are:
From ZeroSpace:
- Creative Director: Kevin Peter He
- Head of Research: Evan Clark
- Technical Director: Eric Chang
- Producer: Elena Piech
- Mocap Operator: Sammy Sords
- Mocap Asst./ PA: Kimani Reid
- Disguise Asst. / PA: Omar Jones
- 3D Modeler: Maya Lila
- CEO: Jon Kreutzer
- CTO: James Tunick
From 4Wall Entertainment (a joint partnership on the XR/ICVFX Stage):
- VP of Special Projects: Ben Danielowski
- VP of Special Projects: Mathew Leland
- L1: Zach Sager
From Scatter Depthkit (a joint partnership on the volumetric video):
- CEO & Co-Founder of Scatter, creators of Depthkit: James George
- Lead Technical Producer: Cory Allen
From Cause + Christi Immersive XR Design:
- Co-Founder: Austin Caine
- Co-Founder: Christi Fenison
From Scheimpflug:
- Photogrammetry Lead: Joachim Pfefferkorn
You can find me on TikTok here for short, fun tech explainers: www.tiktok.com/@cleoabram
You can find me on Instagram here for more personal stories: www.instagram.com/cleoabram
You can find me on Twitter here for thoughts, threads and curated news: twitter.com/cleoabram
Bio:
Cleo Abram is an Emmy-nominated independent video journalist. On her show, Huge If True, Cleo explores complex technology topics with rigor and optimism, helping her audience understand the world around them and see positive futures they can help build. Before going independent, Cleo was a video producer for Vox. She wrote and directed the Coding and Diamonds episodes of Vox’s Netflix show, Explained. She produced videos for Vox’s popular YouTube channel, was the host and senior producer of Vox’s first ever daily show, Answered, and was co-host and producer of Vox’s YouTube Originals show, Glad You Asked.
Additional reading and watching:
- ZeroSpace Studios: www.zerospace.co/
- Scatter Depthkit Volumetric Video: www.depthkit.tv/
- Cause + Christi: Immersive XR Design: causechristi.com/
- Quantum Computers, explained with MKBHD (our previous collab!): • Quantum Computers, explained with MKBHD
- Avatar Scenes Without CG, The Things: • Avatar Scenes Without CGI
- Why 'The Mandalorian' Uses Virtual Sets Over Green Screen, Insider: • Why 'The Mandalorian' Uses Virtual Se...
- VFX Artists React to Avatar 2 CGi (ft. Weta FX), Corridor Crew: • VFX Artists React to Avatar 2 CGi (ft...
- Did We Just Change Animation Forever? Corridor Crew (I love Corridor Crew): • Did We Just Change Animation Forever?
- Why volumetric video matters, by James George: medium.com/@obviousjim/expressing-our-true-likenes…
Vox: www.vox.com/authors/cleo-abram
IMDb: www.imdb.com/name/nm10108242/
Gear I use:
Camera: Sony A7SIII
Lens: Sony 16–35 mm F2.8 GM and 35mm prime
Audio: Sennheiser SK AVX
Music: Musicbed
—
Welcome to the joke down low:
What do you call security guards at Samsung stores?
Guardians of the Galaxy.
Use the word “galaxy” in a comment to let me know you’re a real one :)
All Comments (21)
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It’s nice of cleo to feature small creators like MKBHD
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Cleo and Marques give off such amazing vibes when they get so excited about tech
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OK that xr screen alternating thing is kinda insane
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Cleo and MKBHD are an iconic duo, indisputably
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Wow! Two great tech influencers collabing?! This just made my day better
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More of this collab, please. You guys look good together!
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Thank you MKBHD for introducing me to Cleo’s channel.
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Using a high frame rate display for different camera angles is beautifully efficient
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As a 3D artist, it's so amazing to see Unreal Engine not just being capable of doing this but actually being used in big productions. Like, this originally solely was a freaking game engine, and now we're at such a photorealistic level that it can be used in movies and shows
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God I love your enthusiasm for tech and science. It's so contagious :D
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I am SO GLAD that Marques led me to your channel. I’m already enjoying your content. You have an amazingly clear voice, both in writing and narrating your work. If you have a team backing you up, they are top notch. I love what I’ve seen so far. Kudos!
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9:47 Did not expect to be able to guess a celebrity impression so easily. I'm dying.
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What a collab. Never seen so many smiles on Marquees’ face. 😇😊
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What a nice duo, I bet collab with this unknown Marques guy is gonna give him millions of subs
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6:11 — the amazing part about this is that when you’re shooting something complex and you’re unsure if it’ll need additional fixes later on, you can capture one camera with a baked in background and one camera with a greenscreen and layer in VFX elements easily. Amazing stuff!
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This is awesome and scary at the same time. Imagine how it's going to affect politics, blackmail, commercials, porn, etc. In a not so distant future, it's going to be so difficult to tell the difference between real and generated.
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Didn’t expect my favorite YouTube crossover to come back so soon!
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My only take from this video: Please keep collaborating. The chemistry between you two is so natural. Also, the content you guys bring out together. First supercomputers and now this XR stage. I'm very much engrossed in the tech world and I keep reading about these things a lot. Only reason I watch you guys is the way you people simplify the information and make it accessible. Both of you are amazing, keep making amazing content.
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I was curious why you two dropped videos around the same time! Seriously love your take on tech & science! Really are all here for such an approach.
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The frame rate switching trick is also used in sports media. To show different stadium ads to different TV audiences around the world, the displays sync with the cameras in the same way.
