Once used only for effects that were practically impossible to recreate with props and creative costumes, CGI now permeates mainstream cinema. But it has caused films to look unreal — shadows don’t look correct, colours are washed out, and everything looks weightless. Erik Hoel proposes that CGI has taken over not because of cost-cutting, but because directors and producers are lazy. They don’t want to spend the time creating elaborate props and costumes and filming on-site, so they resort to creating worlds in CGI. Read full article here
Research
Researcher uses AI to make texts that are thousands of years old readable
The Gilgamesh Epic, the oldest work of world literature, has been brought back to life by LMU researchers in the Electronic Babylonian Literature project. Using their new Fragmentarium tool, they have discovered hundreds of manuscripts, including the most recent tablet of the Gilgamesh Epic which dates from 130 BC – thousands of years after the earliest known version. This shows how highly valued the Epic was, even at a late period. With the public release of the Fragmentarium, anyone can now explore the thousands of cuneiform fragments and explore the ancient Babylonian literature. Read full article here