MOVIE special effects have been blurring the line between the virtual and the real for decades. Today, audiences routinely see things that would be impossible to create without computers 鈥� with one important exception. If you want lifelike characters you still need to use real actors.
Now advances in special effects mean that it will soon be impossible to tell the difference between real actors and their digital doubles (see 鈥淒igital actors set to break into the big time鈥�). We could even see entirely virtual actors winning Oscars.
Purists won鈥檛 like the idea. But as with all cinematic technology, it is a means to an end. Special effects alone don鈥檛 make a great movie: virtues such as gripping scriptwriting and storytelling will still carry the day. To film-makers the virtual actor will open up new possibilities for delivering their art. Now that鈥檚 entertainment.
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