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The pirates exploration of secrets is now a kind of popular culture, which has attracted the attention of archaeologists and maritime historian in the field of science, and becomes a hot theme for art reproduction and recreation experience. The story of the biggest exploration value and legendary is “Pirates of the Caribbean”. The limitation of science adventure gives the folk tales and writers great imagination, which also attracted the popular interests and curiosities of people. At the beginning of the building of Disney theme park, the Disney company noticed this psychology of the mass, and built a huge amusement project of Pirates of the Caribbean. In this project, the tourists take the SPC powerboat floating on the water, and enjoy the sight of the pirates legend throughout the journey. As the project is very hot, so the Disney had the originality to shoot a film on it. Until 2003, as the motion picture special effects reaching perfection, the artists dream was realized. The movie “Pirates of the Caribbean” was directed by Gore Verbinski, elaborated by the American top special effects company ILM, launched by the Disney and released at the same time globally. It has become a series of fantasies of adventure suitable for people of all ages, which constantly refreshes the box office.

The science contents

about the exploring the secrets

The classic pirate image was portrayed remarkably true to life through visual modeling: timber toe, eyeshade, pet parrot on the shoulder, drinking rum wantonly, singing loudly, sleeping easily in the hammock, drifting on the sea unscrupulously, the life of pirates are full of romantic imagination. The thrilling adventure on the sea, life-and –death struggle, complex character relation and the chivalrous stories make audiences know about the maritime history and the ocean exploration knowledge. In order to reappear the ancient style and restore the arc of history, the series movies of “Pirates of the Caribbean” put into a lot of manpower and technology costs, the costs of the series movies climbed higher and higher, each of the cost had exceeded the average cost of the Hollywood films. The third movies cost reached up to 300 million dollars. The large cost were used on improving the science and technology, and pursuing the perfect visual effect. At last, the four movies earned a box office of nearly 4 billion dollars, which had also increased the number of tourists to Disney, as well as the gate receipts of the theme park, cultivated a lot of faithful fans and dreamers for traveling. The movies realized diversification of production.

The technology to

explore secrets

Thousands of special effects shots were added into the movie “Pirates of Caribbean 2. Soul coffins”, the shots were all from ILM. By the 3D modeling digital technology, ILM created the jail for Turkeys indigenous people, changed Dominica——so called “pearl of Caribbean”——into a cannibals populated island. The black pearl of captain Jack is sometimes a real ship, sometimes a miniature made by ILM, sometimes a realistic ship made through virtual production by CG. including the fierce looking CG sailors on the ship, undying CG Davy Jones, etc, 18 CG figures, 32 demons, the kraken, CG pirate ship, CG doubles of the three protagonists and a CG monkey had been made out. On the “Flying Dutchman”, all the sailors except Bill Turner are all CG figures. To enriching the CG figures dressing, the modeler designed a lot of models like barnacle, mussel and coral for their facial expressions.

The use of science

and technology for

exploring secrets

the makers improved the rigid dynamic system, made the tantacles of Davy Jones, developed the control system to deal with the tantacles. They simulated the CG seawater, dealt with the dressing of the figures, digital substitues and the sailors, simulated ropes, whips and the swinging lobster legs on Marcus back, made some debris left after the Kraken attacking. The mathematical expression and the key frame movement were used on the motor simulation of the joints of columnar feelers, making the 46 feelers of Davy Jones move freely. Under the directors ceaselessly supervision and direction, sometimes the artists had to drew more than 100 pictures and overlaid them to make the terrible shoots, such as the attack of sea monsters. The scene of sea monsters attacking, the makers made out the CG seawater, splashes, CG figures, CG masts, CG wreckages and other effect layers, they used the blue screen special effects to fuse the actors, ships, wreckages, smoke and sea water together. Among the 1100 special effect shots, many are fused by real views and CG background.