INORI -PRAYER-

WOW magazine 118 - Apr. 3rd, 2017

“INORI-PRAYER-” ultra high speed face mapping AyaBambi performance is released

The latest work to utilize real time tracking and face projection mapping using a state of the art 1000 fps projector and ultra high speed sensing, ‘INORI-PRAYER-,’ has been released. This project was born when Nobumichi Asai (WOW) approached collaborators TOKYO (http://www.lab.tokyo.jp/), the dancing duo AyaBambi, and the Ishikawa Watanabe Laboratory at the University of Tokyo.
This project began when songs were created about “life,” a theme proposed by Tanigawa (TOKYO), who acted as this project’s director. Creative and technical director Asai (WOW) and CG director Shingo Abe (WOW) completed visual production and programming based on inspiration they obtained from the songs. Aya Sato added the choreography, and TOKYO completed the project by making it into a video.

“Radioactive” is the inspiration that Asai felt from music. “Radioactive” wields destructive power, and from that brings “death”, “suffering”, and “sadness”. And then, the “opportunity” to overcome those things. Accompanied by the overwhelming performance of AyaBambi, a visual synchronization of black tears, skulls, faces being severed, Noh Masks of agony and the Heart Sutra have sublimated into a single piece of work.
The face mapping system made it possible to follow intense performances, which was impossible until now, thanks to the use of the state of the art 1000 fps projector DynaFlash※1 and ultra high speed sensing. The initial dilemma of speeding up the tracking to the detriment of performance latitude was resolved by the WOW team, Professor Watanabe, and Tomoaki Teshima (EXVISION), who trimmed several milliseconds during a trial and error period that lasted approximately three months, enabling the completion of this system※2. The projected image looks like it is integrated into part of the skin, and the expressions on a subject’s face, when it is distorted or transformed, are exponentially enhanced.

*1: Jointly developed by the Ishikawa Watanabe Laboratory at the University of Tokyo and Tokyo Electron Device, and commercialized by Tokyo Electron Device.
*2: Dynamic projection mapping technology, developed by the Ishikawa Watanabe Laboratory at the University of Tokyo, was used for hand tracking and projection mapping. Face mapping technology, developed by WOW Inc., was used for facial tracking.


AyaBambi
TOKYO
Ishikawa Watanabe Laboratory at the University of Tokyo
Staff Credit
Creative Director / Technical Director:Nobumichi Asai[WOW]
CG Director:Shingo Abe[WOW]
Programmer:Atsushi Yoshimura[WOW]
Assistant Producer:Ayaka Motoyoshi[WOW]

Director / Editor:Eiji Tanigawa[TOKYO]
Director of Photography:Senzo Ueno[TOKYO]
Producer:Toshiyuki Takei, Shinya Masuda[TOKYO]
Production Manager:Minami Chiwaki, Yuma Yoshimura, Kohei Takayama[TOKYO]
Making Director:Suzuko Ohgaki[TOKYO]

Choreographer:Aya Sato
Cast:AyaBambi
Management:Oi-chan

Shootings
Gaffer:Tomohiro Takahashi
Light Assistant:Hisashi Morikawa, Mie Inaba, Akihiko Imai
Camera 1st Assistant:Takashi Ideguchi
Camera 2nd Assistant:Shibuya Hiromi, Fujii Ryosuke
Music:Setsu Fukushima, Ryosuke Taniguchi[Ongakushitsu Inc.]
Music Composer:Yosuke Nagao

Colorist:Yasuo Fukuda
Online Editor:Ryota Abe

PR
Mizuki Kawano [School]
Tomoyuki Sawada [Kartz Media Works]
Natsuki Taguchi [Kartz Media Works]

Special Thanks
Yoshihiro Watanabe[Ishikawa Watanabe Laboratory,University of Tokyo]
Masatoshi Ishikawa[Ishikawa Watanabe Laboratory,University of Tokyo]
Tomoaki Teshima[Exvision]

TOKYO ELECTRON DEVICE LIMITED
Takeshi Yuasa, Kiwamu Sumino, Hiroshi Watase, Toru Yamashita
Atsuko Kushima, Tomoaki Kiguchi

WOW magazine