Recently, I watched the Indian movie „Padmavaat“. The film, which released in 2018 stirred up multiple controversies among some communities of the Indian public. Directed by acclaimed Indian director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, „Padmavaat“ is set in medieval Rajasthan. It revolves around the story of Queen Padmavati, who marries a noble king and lives a prosperous live. Soon, an ambitious Sultan hears of Padmavati’s beauty and forms an obsessive love for the Queen, sparking a plan to steal her away for himself.1
Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who is known for his elaborate period dramas, had faced multiple instances of backlash from the Rajput community since the production of the film started. The controversy hinged mostly on grievances about the portrayal of Rani Padmavati, which were seen as insulting and misrepresenting. Protests even turned violent, with protesters vandalising sets and even attacking the director himself. After a rescheduling, the movie was finally released on 25 January 2018.
One of the details of the movie which spurred backlash was the performance and costuming featured in the song. “Ghoomar”. Diegetic songs and choreographed dance numbers are a prominent aspect of Indian films and are featured in a large majority of films of all genres. On Twitter, critics argued that the song misrepresented the Rajput queen Padmavati, leading to claims of disrespect. Protests erupted in November 2017, with some asserting that Rajput queens never danced publicly. Women from the Rajput community joined the protests, voicing concerns that the depiction of the queen in revealing attire was inappropriate. They stated that a Rajput queen would neither perform before an audience nor expose her midriff.
The controversy also drew the attention of the Central Board of Film Certification. On 30 December 2017, the board requested edits to scenes showing Padukone’s midriff to present a more modest portrayal of Queen Padmavati. Instead of reshooting, director Sanjay Leela Bhansali used computer-generated imagery to implement the changes. A revised version of „Ghoomar“ was released on 20 January 2018, featuring Padukone’s midriff digitally covered.2
The achievement of this digital clothing insertion is quite remarkable, since the dance number features complicated movements that not only pose an immense challenge for rendering a realistic movement and lighting of the fabric but are further complicated by the tracking the body of the actress Deepika Padukone. The original shot was not captured with tracking in mind, which must have made it extremely challenging for the CGI artists. Unfortunately, I was not able to find details on the process of how the digital clothes where inserted. It would have been a fascinating case study.
Why is this Topic Relevant for my Thesis?
The insertion of digital clothing to meet standards of modesty in different film industries around the world is quite a common practice. A different and more recent example apart from “Padmavaat” is the 2023 Hollywood film “Oppenheimer”, in which a nude scene featuring actress Florence Pugh was altered for some distribution markets by inserting a digital black dress.3
This censorship through digital clothes is one application of “digital fashion” that presents a very concrete real world use case. The implications of using these digital clothing insertions are worth discussing as a separate topic. Several aspects can be discussed, such as the validity of these modesty standards in the first place (which of course is a much larger and much more intricate topic). Alterations that are performed to the original vision of the costume designer by inserting these digital garments for censorship reasons are also an interesting discussion to have. I have not been able to find sources discussing whether the digital clothing designs were discussed with the costume designers of the respective movies. But the issue of whether or not they align with the original vision of the costume designer is questionable to say the least.
Images
Screenshot from the original music video version of the song „Ghoomar“ before digital clothing insertion.Screenshot from the song „Ghoomar“ after digital clothing insertion. A piece of embroidered cloth was inserted on the midriff.
1 “Padmaavat (2018).”
2 “Padmaavat Before and After: Look How They Secretly Covered up Deepika Padukone’s Midriff in Ghoomar.”
3 Rubin, “Florence Pugh’s Nude Scene in ‘Oppenheimer’ Covered Up by CGI Black Dress in India and Middle East.”
Sources
IMDb. “Padmaavat (2018)” January 25, 2018. Accessed January 5, 2025. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5935704/.
Hindustan Times. “Padmaavat Before and After: Look How They Secretly Covered up Deepika Padukone’s Midriff in Ghoomar,” January 20, 2018. https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/ghoomar-before-and-after-look-how-they-secretly-covered-up-deepika-padukone-s-midriff-in-padmaavat-song/story-6wceiAO2DAu3u0GgmJhdAM.html.
Rubin, Rebecca. “Florence Pugh’s Nude Scene in ‘Oppenheimer’ Covered Up by CGI Black Dress in India and Middle East.” Variety, July 24, 2023. https://variety.com/2023/film/news/oppenheimer-florence-pugh-nudity-india-cgi-black-dress-1235678665/.
Einblicke in die Welt der Visual Effects made in Austria
Es war total spannend zu sehen, dass Arbeit aus Österreich für große Hollywood-Produktionen verwendet wird und regen Anklang in der Branche findet. Und noch spannender war es, die Leute, die hinter VAST stecken, persönlich zu treffen und deren Geschichten zu lauschen, persönliche Erfahrungen auszutauschen und Einblicke in eine für mich neue Welt zu erhaschen.
Die Einladung in das Studio von „VAST“ am Samstag Vormittag war eines meiner Highlights des Wochenendes, da ich selbst gefühlt nie darauf gekommen wäre, dass sich neben der Boulderhalle meines Vertrauens ein Studio befindet, das VFX-Arbeit für die ganze Welt leistet. Solche Blicke hinter die Kulissen finde ich immer sehr wertvoll und davon kann man immer sehr viel mitnehmen. In diesem Fall habe ich gesehen und schnell gespürt, dass ich wahrscheinlich nicht als VFX-Artist für große Produktionen tätig werden möchte.
6 Wochen Arbeit für 10 Sekunden am Screen finde ich dann doch „zach“ wie man so schön sagt. Mir würde da wahrscheinlich recht schnell die Motivation verloren gehen, da ich es aus meiner Tätigkeit als Grafikdesigner gewohnt bin, in kurzer Zeit Output zu liefern, der dann gleich produziert wird.
Aber zu wissen, was man nicht will, kann auch oft hilfreich sein. 🙂
Dafür glaube ich, dass ich nun weiß, was ich mir in den nächsten Wochen und Monaten genauer ansehen möchte und werde. Ich sage nur, dass mir ein Licht aufgegangen ist. 😉
Bis dahin. Danke fürs Lesen und bis zum nächsten Mal.
1. Optimisation of production workflows in Western and Japanese animation: Rotoscoping, Motion Capture and other Hybrid 2D/3D Techniques
This topic deals with the question of how Western and Japanese animators and animation studios try to optimise their production workflows and how they incorporate technologies such as Rotoscoping, Motion Capture as well as other Hybrid 2D and 3D techniques into their pipeline. The aim is to provide accurate insight into different 2D and 3D production workflows and compare them along with the results they achieve. The main interest will therefore be the practical applications of such techniques and the comparison of the different results they achieve within their cultural, narrative and genre-specific context. To summarise, after an in-depth study of the material, which will hopefully show both the advantages and the disadvantages of the different approaches, the next step will be to look for ways to incorporate the learned into my own design. This will be done via different case studies and short projects, such as short animations, character models or even a short movie.
1. Agarwala, A. / Hertzmann, A. / Salesin, D. / Seitz, S.: Keyframe based tracking for rotoscoping and animation . In: “ACM transactions on graphics, 2004, Vol.23 (3)”, ACM, New York 2004 , DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.1145/1015706.101576 2. Bratt, B: Rotoscoping, Routledge, 2021, ISBN: 9780240817040. 3. Davison, A. / Deutscher, J. / Reid, I.D.: Markerless Motion Capture of Complex Full-Body Movement for Character Animation, in: “Computer animation and simulation 2001”, Springer, Vienna 2001, ISBN: 3211837116. 4. Dunlop, R.: Production pipeline fundamentals for film and game. Focal Press, Burlington 2014, ISBN: 1-317-93622-1. 5. Kitagawa, M. / Windsor, B.: MoCap for artists: workflow and techniques for motion capture. Elsevier / Focal Press, Amsterdam / Boston 2008, ISBN: 9786611307301. 6. Menach, A.: Understanding motion capture for computer animation, Morgan Kaufmann, Amsterdam 2011, ISBN: 9780123814968. 7. Lanier, L.: Professional digital compositing: essential tools and techniques. Wiley Pub, Indianapolis 2010, ISBN: 9786612471834. 8. Lin, Z.: Research on film animation design based on inertial motion capture algorithm, in: “Soft computing (Berlin, Germany), 2021, Vol.25 (18)”, Springer, Berlin 2021, DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.1007/s00500-021-06001-y. 9. Miyakoshi, M.: Correcting whole-body motion capture data using rigid body transformation, in: “The European journal of neuroscience, 2021, Vol.54”, Wiley Subscription Services, France 2021, DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.1111/ejn.15531. 10. Roberts, S.: Character Animation Fundamentals: Developing Skills for 2D and 3D Character Animation. Routledge, London 2017, ISBN: 9786613267436. 11. So, Clifford, K.F. / Baciu, G.: Entropy-based motion extraction for motion capture animation, in: “Computer animation and virtual worlds, 2005, Vol.16 (3-4)”, John Wiley & Sons Ltd., Chichester 2005, DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.1002/cav.107´.
2. Gamification and Exploration in a VR environment
The goal of this topic would be to explore the different possibilities to work, play and design within a VR environment. With a very experimental approach, the final outcome of this topic can not yet be defined, but would very likely be some form of VR environment that allows for a playful and creative exploration of different applications and possibilities that such a digital space provides. Since VR can be seen as a completely different entity from our real world allowing for the addition of a second reality right within our lived-in one, with different rules, options and limitations, the current possibilities seem almost endless and are only restricted by our imagination as designers. As such and to set a boundary for the planned thesis, the exploration of two very particular topics is of special interest to me. These are:
2.1 An integrated approach to an interactive digital VR museum Based on the current research project I am working on at the Graz University of Technology, funded by the FWF, the possibility of building a completely interactive, decentralised virtual museum within Virtual Reality could be researched. Possible topics to look into include but are not limited to: user interaction and how to increase engagements, tools to allow exploration, interfaces and information design, accessibility, visual narration and perception of space and many, many more. As such, more in-depth research of this topic could prove to be worthwhile.
2.2 Gaming and designing in / for VR Another topic that seems quite promising is inquiring how gaming and exploration can even work in a virtual reality environment, both from a design standpoint and from the view of a user. To explore the different possible playful experiences that can be created and how to create them would be the main focus of this research. By looking into existing examples, such as VR games and the user-driven and collaboratively designed environment of VR chat, a deeper understanding of the topic could be achieved, which then in turn would be used to inform the design decisions shaping the new environment created as part of this research.
All in all, this topic is sure to be the most ambiguous and open among the presented, but also the one with the most potential for playful exploration and development. As such, VR and the inquiry of possible applications, is currently my favourite.
1. Jerald, J.: The VR book: human-centered design for virtual reality, Association for Computing Machinery (pub.), Morgan & Claypool, San Rafael 2016, ISBN: 9781970001129. 2. Sherman, W.R. / Craig, A.B.: Understanding Virtual Reality: Interface, Application, and Design, Elsevier Science, Burlington 2002, ISBN: 9780080520094. 3. Caarrozzino, M. / Bergamasco, M.: Beyond virtual museums: Experiencing immersive virtual reality in real museums, in: “Journal of cultural heritage, 2010, Vol.11 (4)”, Elsevier SAS, 2010, DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2010.04.001. 4. Lengua, D. / Lengua, M.: Moving Towards Digital Lands: on Processes of Interaction in Museum’s Virtual Spaces, in: “Meta space”, DISTANZ Verlag, Berlin 2022. 5. Plowman, J.: Unreal engine virtual reality quick start guide: design and develop immersive virtual reality experiences with unreal engine 4, Packt Publishing Ltd, Birmingham / Mumbai 2019, ISBN: 1-78961-504-6. 6. Mitsea, E. / Drigas, A. / Skianis, C.: VR Gaming for Meta-Skills Training in Special Education: The Role of Metacognition, Motivations, and Emotional Intelligence, in: “Education sciences, 2023, Vol.13 (7)”, MDPI AG, Basel 2023, DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.3390/educsci13070639. 7. Evans, L. / Rzeszewski, M.: Hermeneutic Relations in VR: Immersion, Embodiment, Presence and HCI in VR Gaming, in: “HCI in Games”, Springer International Publishing, Cham 2020, DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50164-8_2. 8. Yildirim, C.: Cybersickness during VR gaming undermines game enjoyment: A mediation model, in: “Displays, 2019, Vol.59”, Elsevier B.V, 2019, DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.1016/j.displa.2019.07.002.
3. 3D character modelling and narration in Virtual YouTubing / the V-Tuber-community: How to make your character engaging via VFX and animations to underline your narration
Virtual YouTubing (V-tubing) has evolved over the recent years from a small niche community into an active and dynamic format of online content creation, where content creators interact with their audiences through animated 3D avatars. This topic delves into V-Tubing as a form of content creation, focusing on its combination of 3D character modelling and rigging and the narration and storytelling behind the characters of different creators. The main inquiry will be, how content creators use visual effects (VFX) and animations to create engaging characters that line up with their created narratives.
V-tubers, in this context, balance different skillsets, between technology and its capabilities to entertain and the storytelling aspect of their character. It is not surprising then, that some creators instead already opt to outsource one or the other, sometimes even both, to a digital artist, since the skillset required is expansive and the quality of many models in the competition is on the rise. Nonetheless, there is also still those that do everything themselves. The research aims explores the intricacies of character creation, using 2D character designs in combination with 3D modelling and rigging to craft distinct personas and then employing advanced animations and VFX to enhance their narrative expressiveness. By doing so, a deeper understanding of the complexity these creators are faced with, can be achieved.
The proposed research will then go on to explore the possibilities of viewers developing emotional attachment towards these digital personas, examining how the interplay of animations and VFX may enrich the viewer experience and engage the viewer. It will include studies into collaborations and manners of fan engagement – for example, fan art – that acts as the foundation of this community.
Finally, this topic aims to create one such V-Tuber model from scratch, going through all the most common steps from first draft to finished character. By doing so and by documenting the process, it will hopefully act as an investigation into the role of technology in facilitating the creation of these characters, including the software and hardware used to bring V-Tubers to life.
