zer-o-one studios '_' blog

Spacial and Visual Culture
Presentation Review
Research
Intro

When I was handed the topic ‘Secrets of the Human Face’, I was initially a bit weary as it was something I was only vaguely familiar with. However, once I started researching the topic I was actually amazed about the different “sub-topics” involved. The different areas of the topic that I thought were relevant were:

Digital Replication / Representation of the Human Face
Facial Expressions
The Strive for Beauty Perfection

One of the reasons why I found this topic interesting is due to the fact that it is very relevant to regular people that you see in the street every single day. The human face is a fundamental part of the human body, not because of beauty but because of the way that we use our faces to communicate, be it intentionally or on a sub-conscious level.

Digital Replication of the Human Face

Virtual Representation


Click the image to enlarge.

As technology advances so do the virtual graphics. Although useful for several reasons, such as resurrecting characters, vast crowd scenes and more, still…..upon close examination, the difference can be told. One of the main reasons for this at present is because the human skin cannot be replicated properly, as there are too many layers of light being absorbed and reflected. So until a graphics engine can replicate an anatomical model that shows the interaction between bones, cartilage, muscles, nerves, blood vessels, tissue, skin and hair, the difference will still remain visible.

“The research done at MIRALab (University of Geneva) on Facial Animation is aimed at real-time applications (as opposed to pre-calculated animation), which adds the possibility to interact with a virtual human. We have done research in order to interactively (and partly automatically) create and prepare a face model for animation. Moreover, the face model should be portable, so that facial animation can be performed on different platforms such as PC or mobile platform (PDA or pocket phones), and on different data transmission processes (network).
Consequently, the MPEG-4 standard is used for Facial Animation since it allows to precisely animate a complex mesh with a minimum number of parameters (in order to minimize the data transmission process) while still keeping a certain degree of freedom and realism. Many deformation techniques depending on the platform request and capability have been developed at MIRALab to animate the overall mesh using control points: from totally automatic computation of face deformations with only Facial Definition Parameters data, to a very simple computation of deformations based on Facial Animation Tables.”

“Smiles, which have fascinated artists from Leonardo Da Vinci to Francis Bacon, still elude digital artists”


Digital Replication

As with all of the aspects that I covered in this presentation, the initial research I sought was from the magazine ‘Secrets of the Human Face’. One of the points that I found of interest especially, was that of the University College London’s medical imaging group’s physics department’s 3D scanner. This was intended for medical purposes, for the ‘screening’ of patients before and after surgery to see how their body had coped with the treatment applied. However, the scanner is a very intricate, precise piece of machinery, capable of scanning up to 50,000 co-ordinates of the human face to an accuracy of ½ a mm. The maps are made of numbers, making them examinable.


Views of 2 sets of averaged faces: L:cranio-facial microsomia males aged 9-12; R normal controls 9-12.

The next part of this research is relevant to ‘The Strive for Beauty Perfection’.

The next point that I was particularly interested in was a text on a website that I had found. Again, along the same lines:
“3dMD’s soft tissue images are medically-accurate 3D digital representations of the patient at a specific point in time during the period of treatment. The 3dMD image sequence can remain an integral part of the patient’s permanent health record. Clinicians can use 3dMD’s imaging technique on a routine basis as there is no radiation or other side effects usually associated with invasive imaging techniques. Pre- and post-operative soft tissue conditions can be monitored in a variety of patient postures and expressions throughout the treatment cycle. 3dMD’s systems are simple to use by all members of the clinical support team and can be easily integrated into any standard patient documentation protocol. With less than a 2-millisecond capture speed, 3dMD’s systems are effectively instantaneous and especially suited for imaging young restless children. Our leading-edge technology captures the human form in 3-D using a technique known as Digital Surface Photogrammetry (DSP). This unique approach employs projecting a random light pattern on the subject and capturing him/her with precisely synchronized digital cameras set at various angles. By filtering different wavelengths of light, 3-D surface geometry and surface texture are acquired simultaneously, resulting in a very accurate texture map when applied to the surface data. With the capability of 144 digital cameras shuttering simultaneously, our scalable capture systems can overlap the random light pattern to let you digitally capture a full 360° view of the subject in a single shot.”

As I read this snippet I was amazed at the innovation in modern surgery. Again this is something that I had never really thought about or seen before. Although I think that this is still quite specialist and not the norm in surgery.

Facial Expressions

The naturalness of the face is all dependant on timing. A smile can only be replicated only if the spontaneity is maintained and the timing of the animation of all the parts of the face is perfect. When researching this area of my given topic I came across a long argued point which involves Charles Darwin. In the 1830’s Darwin documented that he could easily understand the facial expressions of everyone that he met on his travels, disregarding race or age. He published a book in 1872 entitled, “The Expression of Emotion in a Man and Animals”. In this book Darwin had argued that facial expression were universal, disregarding race, age or gender. However since Darwin, cultural relativists have argued the opposite, until recently that is.

Due to a recent study new evidence has been brought to light. Cards with different facial expressions were shown to a preliterate society with an event explained. These people instinctively chose the correct expression relating to the event in question.

In another study however regarding the west and the east, something novel was again found. In social situations, people manage their expressions, and in public “display rules” are socially learnt and culturally variable. Display rules, once learned, are used exaggerate, diminish or inhibit express specific cultural contexts.

Japanese students in Tokyo and American students in Berkeley, California, were filmed watching clips of unpleasant films. They were unaware of the hidden camera, and as expected displayed virtually identical expressions regardless of culture. Then halfway through the experiment a scientist in a white coat entered the room, sitting with the student while they continued to watch the film. During this stage, in the presence of this authority figure the Japanese masked negative and positive expressions, with just the odd signs of their real reactions to the film sometimes being leaked out. The American students, on the other hand, did not mask their expressions. Thus, in private the expressions were universal, in public culturally different.

Another more recent line of study has identified micro expressions — typically very intense expressions that last for only about 1/10th, of a second, sometimes even less. Micro expressions tend to occur when emotion is concealed, either unwittingly by repression, or deliberately by suppression. Most people do not recognise them, although those who are very good at identifying lies are particularly good at this. I have developed a CD that teaches people in under an hour to better recognise micro expressions.




Vanity over health?

Continuing from earlier…when the maps from the University College London’s medical imaging group’s physics department’s scanner were analyzed they found that men’s and women’s faces from the street look far more similar and average than that of those who are famous and/or models. Apparently what makes a model look so feminine is her smaller lower jaw. However, this is at the expense of their teeth having less space. When offered corrective surgery most of the patients refused. Vanity over health? As for many peoples’ faces, including my own, they probably wouldn’t have them changed because they don’t want their personality or worth being determined by their face.

The Public Eye
Long gone are the days when a person did just as they wanted to. I am not talking about peer pressure or influence. I am speaking of the immersion of western society in the idea of celebrity.
What is a celebrity? At first images of movie and music stars pop into my head. Yet politicians, television news anchors, clothing designers, talk show guests and even magazines have taken on the role of celebrity. In the past 100 years celebrity has replaced religion as the real mover and shaker of this planet.
Celebrity dictates appropriate hair colour, body shape, dress cut and behaviour for both men and women, young and old. It is human nature to gravitate to and strive for what you find attractive. People have a natural yearning to try and reinvent themselves.
It would be a hard task to try and find someone who isn't jealous of another person, even if it's simply over the fact that they have nicer tulips than they do.
Celebrities' influence is neither a positive or negative thing in my mind. Often it simply provides inspiration to strive for what you want. If you see another person living your dream, I believe the fear is removed and you are more likely to follow it because the path has already been trailblazed. In a nutshell the fear of the unknown has been removed. This is a positive aspect of the submersion of life in the ideals of being a celebrity.
Celebrities do not simply exist. They are created. The real brains behind the appeal that draws us all in, are the fashion designers, hair and makeup artists, publicists, producers and media behind the pretty faces.
Few people are lucky enough to be able to sit on the bleachers above the red carpet and watch the celebrities with their own eyes. For everyone else we get our taste of the glamour through glossy magazine pages, television interviews and official web sites.
The real secret to celebrities is not about clothing or hair though; it is about how they carry themselves. I believe that this is what most people envy. It is how they are portrayed that draws the masses, not what they actually do. Through makeup, airbrushing, editing, and real marketing smarts that an everyday Joe turns into the object of the green-eyed monster.
The real secret to celebrities is not about clothing or hair though; it is about how they carry themselves. I believe that this is what most people envy. It is how they are portrayed that draws the masses, not what they actually do. Through makeup, airbrushing, editing, and real marketing smarts that an everyday Joe turns into the object of the green-eyed monster.
Bibliography

Secrets of The Face – Magazine
http://www.sculptor.org/3D/Scanning/imaging.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/onelife/personal/body_image/media.shtml
http://www.snn-rdr.ca/snn/june2001/celebrities.html
http://www.mpi-sb.mpg.de/resources/FAM/
http://personal.miralab.unige.ch:1312/s.garchery/facialanim.html
http://www.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/research/mgi/vis-lasr.htm

posted by D3v @ 9:35 PM