Latest news with #DigitalDomain
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Digital Domain Supports with DMD Teen 'Tszkin' by Creating a Personalized AI Virtual Human to Help Achieve His Dreams
Leveraging advanced technology to create a virtual human, Overcoming limitations, and Transforming constraints into possibilities HONG KONG, July 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The applications of AI virtual human technology are rapidly expanding, demonstrating its value in social good and human-centered care, especially in providing emotional companionship and supporting the continuation of dreams and legacies. Digital Domain Holdings Limited (the "Company"; stock code: 547) is supporting Tszkin Chen, a 16-year-old teen living with a rare disease, in creating his personalized AI virtual human. By leveraging decades of Visual Effects (VFX) expertise with advanced technology, Digital Domain has recreated Tszkin's appearance and voice, supporting his dreams to inspire others and amplifying his impact to give back to society through a virtual presence. Sharing His Life Journey Through Another Self to Inspire Others Tszkin was diagnosed at the age of one and a half with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), a rare disease, and he has relied on a wheelchair for mobility since age 9. Now at 16, he continues to face life with courage, supported by the constant care of his mother, Ms. Michelle Li, and his friends. He has not only pushed his own limits by completing various challenges on land, in the sea, and in the air, but has also taken part in numerous activities. Through his YouTube channel, "snail tszkin," and social media platforms, he dedicates himself to sharing his life experiences with the rare disease community and spreading positivity to inspire others within his limited lifetime. Both the technology and applications of AI virtual humans were new to Tszkin and his mother at first. Through the support and referral of Dr. Eve Wong, the social worker in charge of the "Dreams*2Gather" programme, Tszkin and his mother came across the concept of AI virtual humans and hoped to explore its possibilities to carry on his will and dreams. To support their aspiration, Digital Domain is creating a personalized AI virtual human to empower Tszkin to share his life journey, raise awareness of rare diseases, and inspire others facing similar challenges. "The advancement of AI virtual human technology today not only enables the creation of another me, but also helps turn limitations into possibilities and let me pursue even more of my dreams," said Tszkin. "I imagine being able to talk to a version of myself that can walk and run, and take 'him' to different places to share my story and present him as a role model to bring encouragement and hope to more people. One day, my AI virtual human could even carry on my beliefs, and continue doing meaningful things to give back to society." Leveraging VFX Experience and AI Technology to Recreate a Lifelike Appearance With over 30 years of experience in VFX, Digital Domain has combined its expertise in creating photorealistic human faces with advanced 3D scanning technology. This enables the precise capture and recreation of Tszkin's facial features and expressions. Additionally, Digital Domain incorporates an AI brain, along with voice cloning and speech synthesis technologies, to develop the AI virtual human of Tszkin, which is powered by Momentum Cloud, Digital Domain's real-time control system for virtual humans. The production team photographed Tszkin from multiple angles to capture facial features, expressions, and every detail. Experiencing the process for the first time, both Tszkin and his mother were amazed by the complexity involved in creating a virtual human. The more detailed the steps, the more lifelike the result. Ms. Michelle Li recalled her emotional reaction when she first saw the 3D model of Tszkin's virtual human. "The AI virtual human of Tszkin felt so real, it was like seeing a dream come to life. It looked exactly like the Tszkin I see in my eyes," she said. "We are thrilled to have the opportunity to explore this new technology. Tszkin and I hope that the AI virtual human can help present life education and related information in a more approachable way, while also offering emotional and spiritual support to people living with rare diseases or disabilities. As new technologies become part of everyday life, AI virtual humans could help people better understand them sooner. We believe that society can benefit from companion-like figures like this, which offer positive information and inspiration." From Cared-for to Caregiver: AI Virtual Human Opens New Possibilities Beyond technological advancement, AI virtual humans can preserve precious memories and emotional bonds. With familiar faces and voices, they have the potential to bring comfort and companionship, helping friends and family keep their memory alive in a meaningful way. Ms. Michelle Li believes that being able to say goodbye or have conversations with deceased loved ones through an AI virtual human offers positive emotional benefits. "Expressing and releasing emotions through an AI virtual human can be somewhat healing. Some might think it prolongs the grieving process, but ultimately, it depends on how we choose to understand and engage with the technology," she explained. Tszkin, who uses the AI virtual human to help express his beliefs and continue pursuing his dreams, also thinks it can provide emotional comfort to his mother. "My mom has worked so hard to care for me over the years. Now, through the AI virtual human, I can shift from being the one cared for to being a caregiver who supports and accompanies my mom. Being able to give back in this way means a lot to me." He mentioned that Dr. Eve Wong was introduced to AI technology in their previous projects, which led her to think more deeply about how AI could help achieve more, such as turning a finite life into something with infinite meaning and helping more people. "This inspired my mom and me to explore the idea of creating an AI virtual human, and we are truly grateful to Dr. Wong and Digital Domain for their support in making this dream come true," he said. Mr. William Wong, Chief Executive Officer of Digital Domain, stated: "Through advanced AI and virtual human technology, we hope to help more life stories continue and be told in different forms. Creating this personalized AI virtual human for Tszkin is more than just a technological breakthrough, it embodies the principle that technology should serve humanity, reflecting the warmth and care of a human-centered approach. We are truly honored to be part of this journey, supporting Tszkin as he continues to create endless possibilities for his dreams and also advances the positive and diverse uses of technology for social good." About Digital Domain Digital Domain is a pioneer in creating transportive experiences. After more than three decades of evolution, the company has transitioned from its Hollywood origins to achieve global expansion in areas such as Visual Effects (VFX), AI Virtual Humans, and Visualization technologies. Digital Domain boasts a rich legacy, having contributed to hundreds of films and television series, thousands of commercials, game graphics, and experimental immersive experiences. Some of its most notable accomplishments include winning Academy Awards for "Best Visual Effects" for films like Titanic, What Dreams May Come, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, as well as contributing to blockbuster classics such as The Avengers series, and the fourth season of the popular series Stranger Things. Digital Domain has charted a pioneering course into the realms of AI and virtual reality since 2016, revolutionizing the creation of emotionally expressive and photorealistic virtual humans in real-time. The company's AI Virtual Human technology is widely applicable across diverse sectors such as healthcare, elderly service, training and education, concierge service, BFSI, the public sector, entertainment etc. It enhances service efficiency, user experience, and business value. Since establishing the R&D Center at Hong Kong Science Park in Q4 2024, Digital Domain has been actively collaborating with industry partners, universities, and research institutions to explore opportunities in AI development and digital transformation. Digital Domain is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (Stock code: 547) and is headquartered in Hong Kong. The company operates in multiple cities, including Los Angeles, Vancouver, Montreal, Beijing, Shanghai, Hyderabad, and more. For more information, visit the official website – View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Digital Domain Sign in to access your portfolio
The Standard
6 days ago
- Business
- The Standard
Digital Domain joins forces with higher education institutions to accelerate technological innovation and talent development
Digital Domain is a powerful technology house in artificial intelligence and virtual human technology for Hollywood blockbusters such as Titanic and the Avengers series
The Standard
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Standard
Digital Domain launches HANBAO, an AI-powered video solution for creators to make high-quality online short videos with ease
Digital Domain partnered with Uniwaves to create a cinematic masterpiece for global IC design leader MediaTek.
Digital Trends
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
Exclusive: Check out the early-stage CGI used in Captain America: Brave New World
The visual effects company Digital Domain has shared an exclusive clip with Digital Trends showcasing the work that went into making one of the most pivotal scenes in Captain America: Brave New World. At over eight minutes long, the scene shows Captain America (Anthony Mackie) and the Falcon (Danny Ramirez) intercepting a dogfight over the Pacific Ocean between US and Japanese forces that could lead to a full-blown war. But what really makes the scene unique is that it's almost entirely CGI. 'There was a lot of footage where they captured Anthony Mackie on all these wires. But by the time it was over, it was all CG,' previsualization supervisor Cameron Ward told Digital Trends. In the previsualization (previs) clip, we get a good glimpse at the early-stage CGI they used to build the scene completely from scratch, including the massive open-ocean setting. Ward said the biggest challenge in the scene wasn't creating such a large space. It was the speed at which all the characters and objects were traveling. 'The biggest challenge with this scene was the speed at which everything was moving,' Ward said. 'We had 600-mile-per-hour missiles flying through the air above an open ocean that we had to build from scratch. You have to set up your camera in a way that feels like Cap just flew by at 600 miles an hour chasing after them. So we had to ask ourselves, how do we visualize that?' Creating the characters wasn't the only challenge Creating the clouds was also a surprisingly hefty task for the team. Digital Domain created its own proprietary cloud shader tool to help produce the right sizes, shading, textures, shadows, and various levels of opacity that we see in real clouds. The team even layered four to six cloud renderings on top of each other to give each cloud a varying level of brightness and depth, as we see in real clouds. Light and shadow were another huge focus for Digital Domain. Taking place over a reflective surface like water meant the team needed to accurately recreate the way sunlight reflects on the ocean. They also needed to create shadows to help give the scene a photorealistic look, so the team made sure to pay attention to every frame that involved a jet or character soaring through the air so they could create a shadow that would be cast on the ocean below. Before Captain America, Ward had worked on tons of huge projects, like The Last of Us, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Thunderbolts*. But he says Brave New World was his biggest venture yet and said that Digital Domain worked on the movie for an entire year. 'I've been with DD for five years,' he said, 'and this is the biggest, longest sequence I've ever worked on. It actually became much more CG than intended as the project went on, after they realized some of the plates didn't work because of things like reflections in the shot.' Now you can watch Captain America: Brave New World at home. The Marvel film arrives on DVD and Blu-ray on May 13. Disney+ subscribers can stream the film on the service starting May 28.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
VFX Leaders Weigh Potential of Forming a Global Trade Association and Gauge Impact of AI on the Workforce
Asserting that visual effects companies are 'still abused' and 'taken advantage of,' industry luminary Scott Ross, whose four decades in the industry included co-founding Digital Domain and serving as an exec at George Lucas' companies including Industrial Light & Magic warned, 'if it's not changed, we'll continue to see companies go out of business and creative, wonderful people be unemployed.' Ross was direct as he shared his views on the potential of forming a global trade association (a subject that isn't a new one but has been back on the minds of many in today's volatile business climate and in the wake of the collapse of Technicolor), as well as the 'elephant in the room,' AI, during a panel at the FMX (Film & Media Exchange) confab, which wrapped this weekend in Stuttgart, Germany. He started the panel, moderated by veteran entertainment and tech exec Dave Gouge, by admitting to the audience 'you're not going to like me because I'm actually going to tell the truth.' More from Variety Producer Chris DeFaria on Creator Economy and Strategy Behind Startup Chronicle Studios: 'We're Trying to Invert the Development Process' Technicolor Bankruptcy: Framestore Adds MPC Supervisors; Mikros India Talent Joins Cinesite's Assemblage Technicolor Bankruptcy: Thinkingbox's The Heist Hires Band of Creatives from The Mill and Expands Services The largely non-union VFX industry has the Visual Effects Society, an honorary society, but not a trade association and amid the VFX industries struggles, it's a model that has been reexamined. 'I was always a proponent of trade associations,' Ross said, though he added that he is unsure if today there is a clear path. 'One of the problems that I saw with the people running the VFX companies is fear sort of stopped them from going to the clients and saying, 'we're mad as hell and we're not gonna to take it anymore.' So I thought a trade association, if we signed up most of the majors, could provide the ability to be able to have leverage' in changing what many view as a broken business model. 'My concern is that a lot of the majors are owned by the studios,' he continued, citing as examples that Netflix bought Scanline and Disney owns ILM. 'If they own the [VFX companies], it's in the studio's interest not to change the business model. … The ability to have leverage that I thought years ago might have gone away, and so I don't know if a trade association would work at this point, but I think it would be a shot worth taking.' Similar to Ross' point, panelist David Li, CEO of Dream Machine FX, a collective for VFX brands Important Looking Pirates, Fin, Zero VFX, Mavericks VFX, and ARC Creative (which it launched in February with a group of talent formerly of Technicolor's The Mill) noted, 'every industry in the world has [a trade association]. I think there's a substantial opportunity for advocacy and collaboration. 'What I will say is that it feels like different studios play by different rules in the visual effects industry, that is probably the bigger driver of the absence of one,' he added, saying that should the industry come together to drive change, 'everyone needs to self-enforce that.' Li (who reported during the panel that Dream Machine has been 'profitable every single year') concluded the trade association discussion with a pledge. 'I do think it is the right thing to do,' he said. 'If you started a trade association, we would certainly join, Dream Machine, I would commit that to everyone here. And I think you're right, shared advocacy I think would be very beneficial.' During the last couple years, some VFX practitioners have taken steps to join labor union IATSE, including in-house VFX workers at Marvel and Walt Disney Pictures. But Ross warned that to achieve the benefits of unionization, it would need to be an international union. He related that IATSE covers Canada and the U.S. and estimated that it costs about 20% more to run a union company. 'And so if my pricing increases by 20% [and there's] a non-union shop, and they're located in London or located in India, I'm hurting myself.' Ross also spoke frankly about his concerns surrounding the notion of AI as a tool for creatives. 'Having run large visual effects companies, the majority of the staff of the visual effects workers were actually not core creative people. There was a group of people, let's say 15 or 20% of a staff of 500 or 1000 that actually were … creative, but tertiary creative and secondary creative at best.' He added that 'they were taking direction from a core creative person, the director, and a secondary creative person' such as a visual effects supervisor, art director or animation director. 'But I think a lot of the community takes this whole 'I'm an artist' thing to a level that we're fooling ourselves,' he warned. 'Many people within a visual effects company are actually putting tires and brakes and fenders on a car. They are not designing cars. And having to try to transition my life from being a person who ran a visual effects company or two to being a producer and coming up with creative and writing screenplays and developing screenplays, it's a quantum leap. 'At the end of the day, at least the clients that I work with, they wanted quality [VFX] work. The best there was. They wanted it on time, and they wanted it cheap,' Ross continued. 'When AI winds up becoming a really substantive force, I wonder about what that will do to the visual effects workforce.' Li was more optimistic, suggesting that creativity is becoming all the more important. 'We've done a lot of research into AI, and what we've found is that if 100 is the percentage it needs to be, in terms of, you know, quality, to go from zero to 50, it takes, like, nothing. … And to go from 80 to 85 it takes, you know, 300 [people] and 300 graphics cards, and every step of the way just becomes incrementally harder.' Li predicted opportunities, 'but I think that will only enhance those in this industry who truly have a great deal of creativity, artistry and a very special eye.' 'I agree with him,' Ross replied, stating that creative people 'will be more in demand than ever. However, that's a very small portion of what the overall manufacturing process is for visual effects.' Ross concluded this thought be reminding the audience that AI is developing at a rapid pace, 'it's clunky and it has problems today, but it also is the fastest learning mother that is out there. And so what we're looking at today will be different in three months, in a year, in three years.' 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