Histories and Counter-Histories of CGI in Movies
The history of computer-generated imagery (CGI) in movies is often presented as a hero’s journey. Starting in the 1980s, a scrappy group of computer scientists went up against the large and powerful—but inert—Hollywood studio empire and forever changed how movies are made. Our guest, Professor Theodore Kim, will present that history with a counter-history that reads like this: Starting in the 1980s, a scrappy group of computer scientists ensured that historical biases embedded in film and photography technology—favoring the young, with white skin and straight, blond hair—would be carried over from the analog era into the digital.
Kim will conclude with efforts to confront and counter these racially charged biases after the murder of George Floyd. This is a multi-year, multi-institution effort spanning the sciences, arts and humanities, and includes his group at Yale.
Prof. Kim researches topics in physics-based simulation, including fire, water, and humans. His work, which has appeared in over two dozen movies, has received a 2012 SciTech Oscar. Many of the results can be seen on YouTube. Previously, he was a Senior Research Scientist at Pixar Research, where he received screen credits in Cars 3, Coco, The Incredibles 2, and Toy Story 4. His first (uncredited) work appeared on screen in the Sorting Hat in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
He received a B.S. in Computer Science in 2001 from Cornell and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from UNC Chapel Hill in 2006 under the supervision of Ming Lin. He was a postdoctoral fellow at IBM TJ Watson Research Center in 2007, and a postdoctoral associate at Cornell University from 2008–2009 under the supervision of Doug James. From 2011–2015, he was a faculty member at UCSB in the Media Arts and Technology Program and the Department of Computer Science. While there, he received the UCSB Harold J. Plous Award (Junior Faculty of the Year). From 2009–2011, he was an assistant professor in CS at the University of Saskatchewan. He interned for Rhythm and Hues Studios in 2000 and 2001.