How Digital Domain rebuilt Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in VR

How Digital Domain Rebuilt Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for VR

We looked into The March because it is one of the most careful uses of digital human technology we know of. TIME Studios and Digital Domain recreated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his “I Have a Dream” speech in VR. Martin Luther King Jr. in VR is a rare case of this technology used on a historical figure. Here is how it was made.

It opened on 28 February 2020 at the DuSable Museum of African American History in Chicago. The co-creators were Mia Tramz of TIME and Alton Glass. Viola Davis was the executive producer and narrator.

1. How long did it take?

The whole project ran about three years. Digital Domain joined after the first year. Its own production took about 10 months. TIME also worked with historians and people who were at the 1963 march.

2. Who performed the speech?

Stephon Ferguson, the King estate’s official orator, performed it. He was captured on Digital Domain’s stage. His face carried about 190 marker dots and a head-mounted camera recorded at 60 frames per second. A full-body suit captured his movement.

3. How was the face built?

A stand-in actor was scanned in a Light Stage at the University of Southern California’s Institute for Creative Technologies. That gave the team skin detail and lighting data.

Then Digital Domain used its Masquerade system. It combines performance capture, machine learning and custom software. The machine learning compared the scans against historical reference, such as eye position, skull and cheekbone shape, and skin tone. According to fxguide, the base model was about half finished when artists took over. Animators then refined it by hand.

4. How long did the animation take?

TIME reports that seven animators spent nearly three months on King’s movement for the speech.

5. How was the 1963 march rebuilt?

The team gathered original photographs and film. Most of it is black and white, so they looked for colour photographs. They also took scans of the National Mall. The experience runs in a customised Unreal Engine 4 build. You walk along Constitution Avenue toward the Lincoln Memorial. The audio uses real crowd sound from the day.

6. What does the viewer get?

The VR part runs about 10 minutes across seven scenes. It ends with a close-up of the speech. Viewers wore HTC VIVE Focus Plus headsets in a play space of about 10 by 15 ft. The full visit, with the education and reflection parts, lasts closer to 25 to 30 minutes.

What it means for digital humans

Three points stand out:

  1. A real performer drove the face.
  2. Historical reference decided the details, not the artists’ taste.
  3. A project like this needs consent, history and craft working together. The technology was only one part.

The same Masquerade system was used on Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. Seeing it used for a historical figure shows how far it has come.

If you’re planning a project with digital characters or archive-based work, see our work or get in touch. Happy to discuss.

What would you want to see recreated in VR? Let us know.

Sources and references

  1. fxguide: “Accurately recreating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”
  2. TIME: “Martin Luther King Jr. virtual reality” feature (time.com).
  3. PR Newswire: TIME Studios announcement of The March, 20 February 2020.
  4. befores & afters: “A brief history of Digital Domain’s Masquerade”.
  5. Smithsonian Magazine: virtual reality exhibit brings Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech to life.