One thing about being older is the fact that I've lived through many transitions and evolutions.
Way back in 1976 I bought an super 8mm camera and set out to make movies of my friends surfing. It was a real pain hand splicing the film together and trying to get something worth looking at AND there was no sound. At that time I never dreamed of the digital equipment like I have today that's affordable and better than the Hollywood movie studios were using back in 1976. Look where we are today.
When I first got on the internet I joined a photography forum and the hot topic was film vs digital. There were so many " expert " photographers that kept saying there is no way the digital camera will reach the quality of film. Look where we are today.
Back to the late seventies again and I remember waiting a half hour in a bar to sit down and play this game called pong. Never did I imagine several years later that I could play an epic video game like Modern Warfare in my living room against others online around the world.
What I've learned over the years is never say never and wait patiently for it to happen because so far it has..
CG is evolving at a rapid pace and I have no doubts that the day will come when an actor's image is replaced by CG. A movie like Shriek is a primitive example and Avatar takes another important step in the progression.
I imagine someday a developer will have a library of expressions and mannerisms that they can add to their CG character and that will eliminate the need for actors except for adding to the library.
As far as the surfers having to relate to a real person, two things will probably come into play. The developers will probably keep it a secret whether they are real or fake much like the 30 year old solo girls that pretend to be 19 or the surfers will accept the CG character and then search for their favorite one.
I imagine the day will come when it will all become interactive and the viewer will be able to physically step into a CG environment whether it be a game, adult or social interactive based.
We've come a long way in the last thirty years and going digital was like putting the gas pedal to the floorboard. I'd say the next ten to fifteen years is going to be mind blowing with things like this as well as in the medical field.
Life on other planets, time travel and whatever else may be in our future excites me and I hope I live long enough to see it happen. It's been a fun ride so far
