1 00:00:02,328 --> 00:00:05,745 (tribal chanting music) 2 00:00:10,181 --> 00:00:14,681 How and when did our human species begin? 3 00:00:15,939 --> 00:00:18,380 The NHK special Out Of The Cradle was planned 4 00:00:18,380 --> 00:00:21,003 to explore the simple yet profound question. 5 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:25,180 But the production faced a huge problem. 6 00:00:25,180 --> 00:00:27,490 How could humanity's ancient ancestors 7 00:00:27,490 --> 00:00:29,280 and their long-lost worlds 8 00:00:29,280 --> 00:00:31,533 be brought back to life on screen? 9 00:00:36,450 --> 00:00:38,650 Surmounting this daunting challenge required 10 00:00:38,650 --> 00:00:41,103 the latest in research and computer graphics. 11 00:00:42,399 --> 00:00:45,732 (tribal chanting music) 12 00:00:49,530 --> 00:00:52,440 Ultra-high resolution CGI to recreate 13 00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:55,983 our distant evolutionary ancestors with amazing realism. 14 00:00:57,020 --> 00:00:58,890 Creating these images of stunning quality 15 00:00:58,890 --> 00:01:01,540 was the result of a new kind of collaboration 16 00:01:01,540 --> 00:01:03,850 between a world-renowned video game developer 17 00:01:03,850 --> 00:01:05,083 and expert scholars. 18 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:13,490 The quality of CGI for this program 19 00:01:13,490 --> 00:01:15,150 was quite exceptional. 20 00:01:15,150 --> 00:01:17,053 I think it's the first of its kind. 21 00:01:19,050 --> 00:01:20,420 This ambitious project 22 00:01:20,420 --> 00:01:23,210 exploring the millions of years of human evolution 23 00:01:23,210 --> 00:01:24,860 has been two years in the making. 24 00:01:25,930 --> 00:01:27,760 Get ready for a behind-the-scenes look 25 00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:30,870 at the amazing process that has made this exciting journey 26 00:01:30,870 --> 00:01:33,053 back through human evolution possible. 27 00:01:41,966 --> 00:01:44,966 (suspenseful music) 28 00:01:54,930 --> 00:01:58,083 This is a scene from the NHK special Out Of The Cradle. 29 00:01:59,030 --> 00:02:01,543 You can almost the animal's warm breath. 30 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:07,640 We are seeing an ancient Earth, 31 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:09,990 millions of years before cameras were invented. 32 00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:19,040 (grunts) 33 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:22,450 The grass, the ground, the sun, the trees, 34 00:02:22,450 --> 00:02:24,650 everything, including this hominid, 35 00:02:24,650 --> 00:02:26,163 was rendered by computers. 36 00:02:32,176 --> 00:02:33,050 (upbeat orchestral music) 37 00:02:33,050 --> 00:02:35,640 This breathtaking virtual world was created 38 00:02:35,640 --> 00:02:38,113 by a leading Japanese video game company. 39 00:02:41,630 --> 00:02:45,270 Its hits include enduring series like Final Fantasy 40 00:02:45,270 --> 00:02:46,293 and Dragon Quest. 41 00:02:48,100 --> 00:02:50,580 Now the state of the art technology they have honed 42 00:02:50,580 --> 00:02:53,200 for producing games is being used to create 43 00:02:53,200 --> 00:02:54,923 the lost worlds of early hominids. 44 00:02:57,417 --> 00:03:01,830 (speaking in foreign language) 45 00:03:01,830 --> 00:03:04,970 Game creator Hajime Tabata is leading the team 46 00:03:04,970 --> 00:03:07,910 who are conjuring up this prehistoric Earth. 47 00:03:07,910 --> 00:03:09,940 (speaking in foreign language) 48 00:03:09,940 --> 00:03:11,610 We do have comprehensive digital 49 00:03:11,610 --> 00:03:14,660 movie making technology and expertise, 50 00:03:14,660 --> 00:03:16,670 but we've had no opportunity to use it 51 00:03:16,670 --> 00:03:20,730 for any other application except for making video games. 52 00:03:20,730 --> 00:03:23,290 We knew there would probably be many hurdles 53 00:03:23,290 --> 00:03:25,190 to overcome along the way, 54 00:03:25,190 --> 00:03:27,960 but our team was eager to tackle them. 55 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:30,694 So we accepted the offer right away. 56 00:03:30,694 --> 00:03:33,611 (percussive music) 57 00:03:37,620 --> 00:03:39,490 Creating a computer-generated movie 58 00:03:39,490 --> 00:03:40,793 begins with storyboarding. 59 00:03:42,010 --> 00:03:44,230 Storyboards are made up of sketches. 60 00:03:44,230 --> 00:03:46,630 You could call them the blueprint for the movie. 61 00:03:48,656 --> 00:03:52,730 (tribal chanting music) 62 00:03:52,730 --> 00:03:55,200 The test of skill for a CGI production crew 63 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:57,690 is how well they can translate the storyboards 64 00:03:57,690 --> 00:03:59,053 into a compelling film. 65 00:04:05,750 --> 00:04:08,160 Based on these storyboards, they must first gather 66 00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:10,500 reference materials about prehistoric Earth 67 00:04:10,500 --> 00:04:11,743 and its inhabitants. 68 00:04:14,850 --> 00:04:17,700 Hominids, animals, and everything else in the environment 69 00:04:17,700 --> 00:04:19,760 must be digitally modeled. 70 00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:21,160 So they assemble and create 71 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:23,073 a huge range of reference material. 72 00:04:31,210 --> 00:04:32,580 These materials are then condensed 73 00:04:32,580 --> 00:04:34,643 into concept art like this. 74 00:04:36,640 --> 00:04:38,740 Concept art provides a visual representation 75 00:04:38,740 --> 00:04:41,880 of key ideas and moods for the project. 76 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:42,840 All of the creators work 77 00:04:42,840 --> 00:04:44,733 from these master design references. 78 00:04:46,670 --> 00:04:49,680 They are critical in providing a shared visual vocabulary 79 00:04:49,680 --> 00:04:51,480 for everyone working on the project. 80 00:04:55,170 --> 00:04:58,050 Canadian illustrator Naomi Savoie is in charge 81 00:04:58,050 --> 00:05:00,100 of the concept art for Out Of The Cradle. 82 00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:04,350 Since we're making this time 83 00:05:04,350 --> 00:05:07,180 more of an educational-based program, 84 00:05:07,180 --> 00:05:08,430 we really had to work closely 85 00:05:08,430 --> 00:05:11,050 with anthropologists and experts 86 00:05:11,050 --> 00:05:13,200 just to ensure, really, that the things we were making 87 00:05:13,200 --> 00:05:16,450 in the program was actually accurate. 88 00:05:16,450 --> 00:05:19,020 So we had several visits where experts would actually come 89 00:05:19,020 --> 00:05:21,210 in the office and teach us about all sorts of things 90 00:05:21,210 --> 00:05:24,370 regarding to that period of time, 91 00:05:24,370 --> 00:05:27,340 and we had regular checkups and feedbacks and conversations 92 00:05:27,340 --> 00:05:29,960 to make sure that everything was correct. 93 00:05:29,960 --> 00:05:32,140 As well, we actually did some extra activities, 94 00:05:32,140 --> 00:05:35,710 where we were making stones and tools from scratch 95 00:05:35,710 --> 00:05:37,310 to see actually how it would feel like 96 00:05:37,310 --> 00:05:39,441 to make these things back then, 97 00:05:39,441 --> 00:05:40,800 and learn the proper way to make it. 98 00:05:40,800 --> 00:05:42,883 So that was also pretty interesting. 99 00:05:45,350 --> 00:05:47,520 The CGI in the series is created 100 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:50,240 on the principle of reconstructing the distant past 101 00:05:50,240 --> 00:05:51,633 as faithfully as possible. 102 00:05:54,520 --> 00:05:57,740 So the advice of academic experts from various fields 103 00:05:57,740 --> 00:05:59,063 is a vital component. 104 00:06:01,092 --> 00:06:03,675 (upbeat music) 105 00:06:05,602 --> 00:06:08,780 Anthropologist Hisao Baba provides overall supervision 106 00:06:10,023 --> 00:06:11,790 (speaking in foreign language) 107 00:06:11,790 --> 00:06:14,650 As researchers, we should normally only refer 108 00:06:14,650 --> 00:06:17,163 to the things that we are completely sure about, 109 00:06:18,037 --> 00:06:22,030 but when it comes to making CGI, we have to take some risks, 110 00:06:22,030 --> 00:06:23,753 although we do sometimes hesitate. 111 00:06:24,860 --> 00:06:27,140 But by going out on a limb a little, 112 00:06:27,140 --> 00:06:28,640 we can show things in a way 113 00:06:28,640 --> 00:06:32,360 that's more readily understandable to a general audience, 114 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:34,910 and then the final product provides a basis 115 00:06:34,910 --> 00:06:37,863 for exchange of views among many researchers. 116 00:06:41,860 --> 00:06:44,060 The gaming company gave us special permission 117 00:06:44,060 --> 00:06:46,313 to film the team as they create the CGI. 118 00:06:49,340 --> 00:06:50,573 This is their office. 119 00:06:51,525 --> 00:06:55,025 (upbeat orchestral music) 120 00:07:01,340 --> 00:07:03,960 The team that created the CGI for Out Of The Cradle 121 00:07:03,960 --> 00:07:06,640 is the same team in charge of the famous game series 122 00:07:06,640 --> 00:07:07,743 Final Fantasy. 123 00:07:08,650 --> 00:07:11,890 These creative talents have taken on a big challenge, 124 00:07:11,890 --> 00:07:15,443 to reconstruct a world none of us have ever actually seen. 125 00:07:19,010 --> 00:07:20,940 Let's follow the workflow used to create 126 00:07:20,940 --> 00:07:22,423 a computer-generated movie. 127 00:07:26,170 --> 00:07:28,070 Using the storyboard as a blueprint, 128 00:07:28,070 --> 00:07:31,690 a crude version of the animation known as a previsualization 129 00:07:31,690 --> 00:07:33,210 is created. 130 00:07:33,210 --> 00:07:35,550 This previz, as it's also called, 131 00:07:35,550 --> 00:07:37,463 acts as a sort of visual script. 132 00:07:38,330 --> 00:07:41,190 After that comes the process of making the digital models, 133 00:07:41,190 --> 00:07:42,253 known as assets. 134 00:07:43,660 --> 00:07:46,080 Then comes this animation process, 135 00:07:46,080 --> 00:07:48,080 where movies are made from these assets. 136 00:07:49,040 --> 00:07:52,393 The final step in the process is placing them into a scene. 137 00:07:53,740 --> 00:07:55,640 Let's take a look at how these processes 138 00:07:55,640 --> 00:07:57,940 have unfolded in the creation of the CGI 139 00:07:57,940 --> 00:07:59,053 for Out Of The Cradle. 140 00:08:00,410 --> 00:08:03,230 Our first character is a very early hominid species 141 00:08:03,230 --> 00:08:06,240 called ardipithecus ramidus. 142 00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:08,230 It is thought to have walked on two legs 143 00:08:08,230 --> 00:08:11,063 and lived approximately 4.4 million years ago. 144 00:08:16,090 --> 00:08:18,470 This CGI version of ardipithecus ramidus 145 00:08:18,470 --> 00:08:20,290 is amazingly lifelike. 146 00:08:20,290 --> 00:08:21,923 Look at how naturally it moves. 147 00:08:23,290 --> 00:08:24,830 The skin and hair textures, 148 00:08:24,830 --> 00:08:26,690 as well as the facial expressions, 149 00:08:26,690 --> 00:08:29,063 are packed with ultra-realistic detail. 150 00:08:30,810 --> 00:08:33,210 It's surprising how a computer-generated image 151 00:08:33,210 --> 00:08:34,690 can be so expressive, 152 00:08:34,690 --> 00:08:37,017 but it feels as if though we saw it 153 00:08:37,017 --> 00:08:38,043 in a live action film. 154 00:08:40,640 --> 00:08:43,350 These are fossil bones from ardipithecus ramidus, 155 00:08:43,350 --> 00:08:47,223 discovered in Ethiopia between 1994 and 1995. 156 00:08:48,940 --> 00:08:50,410 Numerous reference sources, 157 00:08:50,410 --> 00:08:53,260 including the analytical data from these bones, 158 00:08:53,260 --> 00:08:54,300 were used to resurrect 159 00:08:54,300 --> 00:08:57,220 a 4.4-million-year-old hominid individual 160 00:08:57,220 --> 00:08:58,970 in virtual form. 161 00:08:58,970 --> 00:09:00,860 To reconstruct the ramidus male, 162 00:09:00,860 --> 00:09:02,883 they first created his basic body. 163 00:09:04,190 --> 00:09:07,090 Character modeler Kazuaki Iwasawa 164 00:09:07,090 --> 00:09:08,693 was in charge of this step. 165 00:09:12,243 --> 00:09:14,230 (speaking in foreign language) 166 00:09:14,230 --> 00:09:15,530 The process is like building 167 00:09:15,530 --> 00:09:18,013 a model from clay, but on a computer. 168 00:09:20,110 --> 00:09:23,210 This process is called digital modeling. 169 00:09:23,210 --> 00:09:25,480 The design factors in height, arm length, 170 00:09:25,480 --> 00:09:27,780 and other basic body measures of ramidus 171 00:09:27,780 --> 00:09:28,963 are determined here. 172 00:09:30,510 --> 00:09:32,460 The modeling for the Out Of The Cradle series 173 00:09:32,460 --> 00:09:34,053 was exceptionally challenging. 174 00:09:35,022 --> 00:09:36,909 (speaking in foreign language) 175 00:09:36,909 --> 00:09:39,990 I had no idea what this ramidus looked like, 176 00:09:39,990 --> 00:09:43,030 so I had to ask the expert researchers a lot of questions 177 00:09:43,030 --> 00:09:46,320 about its characteristic ecology, muscles, 178 00:09:46,320 --> 00:09:47,993 skeleton, and so on. 179 00:09:51,440 --> 00:09:53,790 And based on that, I kept tweaking the outline. 180 00:09:55,690 --> 00:09:58,393 I repeated that process again and again. 181 00:10:02,220 --> 00:10:04,240 Iwasawa built the digital model 182 00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:06,490 in close consultation with experts. 183 00:10:06,490 --> 00:10:08,890 His first attempts were met with harsh critique. 184 00:10:13,350 --> 00:10:15,900 Advisory hearings with experts were used to evaluate 185 00:10:15,900 --> 00:10:18,863 the digital creation of ardipithecus ramidus. 186 00:10:21,130 --> 00:10:22,430 In order to keep the model 187 00:10:23,314 --> 00:10:24,850 as scientifically accurate as possible, 188 00:10:24,850 --> 00:10:27,370 experts were asked to check the quality of the CGI 189 00:10:27,370 --> 00:10:28,913 at each production stage. 190 00:10:31,232 --> 00:10:32,500 (speaking in foreign language) 191 00:10:32,500 --> 00:10:34,160 Hisao Baba is an anthropologist 192 00:10:34,160 --> 00:10:37,763 assigned as the overall supervisor for the series' CGI. 193 00:10:40,960 --> 00:10:42,880 Today, he is assessing the proportions 194 00:10:42,880 --> 00:10:45,853 of the latest iteration of ardipithecus ramidus. 195 00:10:47,473 --> 00:10:51,390 (speaking in foreign language) 196 00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:55,040 It looks like the hands 197 00:10:55,040 --> 00:10:57,373 are a bit too large in this area. 198 00:10:58,360 --> 00:11:00,183 They look much bigger than the feet. 199 00:11:01,310 --> 00:11:04,263 Don't the hands seem about twice as big as the feet? 200 00:11:06,310 --> 00:11:07,143 Why is that? 201 00:11:08,301 --> 00:11:10,023 Or is that just because of the lighting? 202 00:11:12,400 --> 00:11:14,570 Baba is unhappy at the hands' proportion 203 00:11:14,570 --> 00:11:15,653 relative to the feet. 204 00:11:21,997 --> 00:11:24,670 (speaking in foreign language) 205 00:11:24,670 --> 00:11:26,220 Regardless of the data, 206 00:11:26,220 --> 00:11:29,083 I think we should avoid giving an unnatural impression. 207 00:11:30,030 --> 00:11:32,430 Baba scrutinizes the model closely, 208 00:11:33,810 --> 00:11:35,910 right down to the size of the fingernails. 209 00:11:37,645 --> 00:11:40,228 (upbeat music) 210 00:11:46,680 --> 00:11:48,930 The model had to undergo numerous checks like this 211 00:11:48,930 --> 00:11:50,703 before receiving final approval. 212 00:11:55,459 --> 00:11:57,490 (speaking in foreign language) 213 00:11:57,490 --> 00:11:59,260 The way the fingers attach, 214 00:11:59,260 --> 00:12:03,660 the proportions of the segments, all those little details, 215 00:12:03,660 --> 00:12:05,780 I worked back and forth with the experts, 216 00:12:05,780 --> 00:12:09,003 refining it bit by bit, to arrive at the final form. 217 00:12:14,430 --> 00:12:15,680 These fine-tuning rounds 218 00:12:15,680 --> 00:12:17,820 have taken five months. 219 00:12:17,820 --> 00:12:20,193 Now the ramidus body model is finished. 220 00:12:21,890 --> 00:12:23,870 It's still just a featureless surface, 221 00:12:23,870 --> 00:12:25,513 but the shape is perfect. 222 00:12:29,570 --> 00:12:32,170 It's time for the next step in the process to begin. 223 00:12:36,750 --> 00:12:38,720 Ramidus was an erect, bipedal primate 224 00:12:38,720 --> 00:12:40,943 that lived 4.4 million years ago. 225 00:12:42,760 --> 00:12:44,920 Its gait was slightly different from modern apes 226 00:12:44,920 --> 00:12:46,083 and modern humans. 227 00:12:47,530 --> 00:12:48,963 How can that be recreated? 228 00:13:02,290 --> 00:13:04,383 Next comes a process called setup. 229 00:13:09,843 --> 00:13:11,882 (speaking in foreign language) 230 00:13:11,882 --> 00:13:13,390 Though the character model is completed, 231 00:13:13,390 --> 00:13:15,420 it is still static like this, 232 00:13:15,420 --> 00:13:17,583 so we need a few tricks to get it to move. 233 00:13:19,800 --> 00:13:22,403 He adds bones and joints to the digital body. 234 00:13:23,870 --> 00:13:26,123 These give the model its range of motion. 235 00:13:33,300 --> 00:13:35,403 But that bending looks pretty unnatural. 236 00:13:39,352 --> 00:13:41,140 Basically, after the first processing, 237 00:13:41,140 --> 00:13:43,110 when the joints flex like this, 238 00:13:43,110 --> 00:13:45,290 some parts still stretch out too thin 239 00:13:45,290 --> 00:13:46,803 or shrink too short. 240 00:13:49,050 --> 00:13:51,660 So we correct them all, but it's a tricky job 241 00:13:51,660 --> 00:13:55,823 to fix the body parts in motion into smooth, natural shapes. 242 00:13:58,450 --> 00:14:00,863 Here is the leg after some corrections. 243 00:14:01,850 --> 00:14:03,483 Now the flesh looks natural. 244 00:14:04,670 --> 00:14:06,870 This process demands a keen understanding 245 00:14:06,870 --> 00:14:08,253 of human body anatomy. 246 00:14:13,395 --> 00:14:14,805 (speaking in foreign language) 247 00:14:14,805 --> 00:14:15,750 If the bones move like this, 248 00:14:15,750 --> 00:14:18,750 then what should the shapes of the bending parts look like? 249 00:14:18,750 --> 00:14:20,183 That's my daily struggle. 250 00:14:24,160 --> 00:14:26,420 Now, thanks to a skeleton with joints, 251 00:14:26,420 --> 00:14:29,150 the ramidus model is able to move. 252 00:14:29,150 --> 00:14:31,760 The next challenge is its bipedal walking, 253 00:14:31,760 --> 00:14:33,643 the species' most important trait. 254 00:14:39,880 --> 00:14:42,420 Motion capture techniques are used to digitally simulate 255 00:14:42,420 --> 00:14:44,420 the gait of ramidus. 256 00:14:44,420 --> 00:14:46,890 A live human actor's movements are recorded 257 00:14:46,890 --> 00:14:49,663 and that data is used to animate the digital character. 258 00:14:53,160 --> 00:14:55,490 The actor's movements are captured with an array 259 00:14:55,490 --> 00:14:57,893 of over 100 specialized cameras. 260 00:15:02,180 --> 00:15:04,180 To ensure accuracy of the movements, 261 00:15:04,180 --> 00:15:07,780 supervising anthropologist Hisao Baba also attends 262 00:15:07,780 --> 00:15:09,130 the motion capture session. 263 00:15:10,190 --> 00:15:12,190 He provides instructions on how to walk. 264 00:15:14,070 --> 00:15:15,140 The force of the feet 265 00:15:15,140 --> 00:15:18,690 pushing the earth backward should not be very strong. 266 00:15:18,690 --> 00:15:21,663 It's somewhat like an elderly person's walking style, 267 00:15:21,663 --> 00:15:23,620 say, an 80-year-old. 268 00:15:23,620 --> 00:15:24,670 Think of it that way. 269 00:15:26,650 --> 00:15:28,732 Not much backward force, 270 00:15:28,732 --> 00:15:29,983 so should I move like this? 271 00:15:31,503 --> 00:15:32,336 That's it. 272 00:15:32,336 --> 00:15:33,169 That's about right. 273 00:15:37,580 --> 00:15:38,413 Let's try it. 274 00:15:41,470 --> 00:15:42,543 Rolling. 275 00:15:45,042 --> 00:15:47,290 (gentle music) 276 00:15:47,290 --> 00:15:49,430 A motion capture system makes it possible 277 00:15:49,430 --> 00:15:52,660 to assess in real time the subtleties of how the movement 278 00:15:52,660 --> 00:15:54,423 translates to the digital model. 279 00:15:58,090 --> 00:16:00,640 The legs are a little too far apart. 280 00:16:01,670 --> 00:16:03,420 Can you bring them closer together? 281 00:16:05,780 --> 00:16:07,230 Okay, rolling. 282 00:16:09,180 --> 00:16:11,620 The movements are recorded over and over, 283 00:16:11,620 --> 00:16:13,893 with fine adjustments made each time. 284 00:16:18,250 --> 00:16:19,700 Okay, rolling. 285 00:16:22,420 --> 00:16:23,543 Okay, rolling. 286 00:16:27,560 --> 00:16:29,105 There shouldn't be 287 00:16:29,105 --> 00:16:30,800 alternating swinging of the arms. 288 00:16:30,800 --> 00:16:33,360 Their arms would dangle, like this, 289 00:16:33,360 --> 00:16:35,950 just the part from the elbows down. 290 00:16:35,950 --> 00:16:37,400 Okay, rolling. 291 00:16:40,310 --> 00:16:42,273 It's not easy mimicking 292 00:16:42,273 --> 00:16:45,510 an ancient walking motion that no one has ever seen. 293 00:16:45,510 --> 00:16:47,393 An hour goes by in a flash. 294 00:16:56,480 --> 00:16:57,950 (speaking in foreign language) 295 00:16:57,950 --> 00:17:00,270 The way the arms swing is not quite even, 296 00:17:00,270 --> 00:17:02,423 but that may actually add some personality. 297 00:17:03,400 --> 00:17:06,240 The left arm seems to swing a little longer, 298 00:17:06,240 --> 00:17:08,623 but slight inconsistencies may be better. 299 00:17:11,560 --> 00:17:13,210 The motion capture data is fed 300 00:17:13,210 --> 00:17:14,523 into the digital model. 301 00:17:16,020 --> 00:17:19,520 (gentle orchestral music) 302 00:17:25,260 --> 00:17:28,180 The result is a stripped down digital animation. 303 00:17:28,180 --> 00:17:30,693 This is a previsualization, or previz. 304 00:17:34,533 --> 00:17:37,530 4.4 million years after it last walked Earth in the flesh, 305 00:17:37,530 --> 00:17:39,840 ardipithecus ramidus starts walking again 306 00:17:40,831 --> 00:17:42,580 on a computer screen. 307 00:17:42,580 --> 00:17:45,290 Its movements are so convincing already, 308 00:17:45,290 --> 00:17:47,842 but there's still more work to be done. 309 00:17:47,842 --> 00:17:49,090 (speaking in foreign language) 310 00:17:49,090 --> 00:17:50,660 Even though we can get the movement 311 00:17:50,660 --> 00:17:54,130 from the motion capture, it's not perfect yet. 312 00:17:54,130 --> 00:17:57,130 There are little glitches in how the cameras pick things up 313 00:17:59,480 --> 00:18:01,030 and it doesn't capture fingers. 314 00:18:02,470 --> 00:18:04,780 See how the pointer finger is off, 315 00:18:04,780 --> 00:18:06,980 how it doesn't make contact with the ground? 316 00:18:11,160 --> 00:18:12,720 Motion capture will always leave 317 00:18:12,720 --> 00:18:14,830 some unnatural glitches in the movement. 318 00:18:14,830 --> 00:18:18,167 Those have to be corrected manually, one by one. 319 00:18:19,330 --> 00:18:21,360 Kawamura has a technique to make the movement 320 00:18:21,360 --> 00:18:22,503 look more believable. 321 00:18:28,699 --> 00:18:31,000 (speaking in foreign language) 322 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:33,250 In the case of computer-generated images, 323 00:18:33,250 --> 00:18:35,970 if, for example, the fingers touch down rigidly, 324 00:18:35,970 --> 00:18:37,620 it will just look fake. 325 00:18:37,620 --> 00:18:40,020 Actually, a little bit of flattening motion 326 00:18:40,020 --> 00:18:42,300 or some more tensions in the pushing motion 327 00:18:42,300 --> 00:18:44,163 are absolutely necessary. 328 00:18:45,300 --> 00:18:46,810 If you don't add those little details 329 00:18:46,810 --> 00:18:48,320 to the character's movements, 330 00:18:48,320 --> 00:18:50,503 the finished animation will lack realism, 331 00:18:52,690 --> 00:18:56,723 looking wooden and fake, that is, very much like CGI. 332 00:19:00,910 --> 00:19:03,457 Kawamura filmed his own hand movements 333 00:19:03,457 --> 00:19:05,890 to carefully observe how the joints and muscles behave, 334 00:19:05,890 --> 00:19:09,123 and then he used that information to improve the animation. 335 00:19:13,913 --> 00:19:14,900 (speaking in foreign language) 336 00:19:14,900 --> 00:19:16,570 There is a lot of trial and error. 337 00:19:16,570 --> 00:19:18,420 Until you actually see it animated, 338 00:19:18,420 --> 00:19:21,420 you can't tell exactly what the range of movement should be, 339 00:19:23,480 --> 00:19:25,663 where to pump it up or tone it down. 340 00:19:27,931 --> 00:19:29,653 Okay, rolling. 341 00:19:31,640 --> 00:19:33,490 In this motion capture session, 342 00:19:33,490 --> 00:19:36,760 they have to record an even more challenging movement, 343 00:19:36,760 --> 00:19:37,593 running. 344 00:19:38,920 --> 00:19:40,890 Here, we really don't get the impression 345 00:19:40,890 --> 00:19:42,430 he's running fast. 346 00:19:42,430 --> 00:19:43,580 It's hard to run fast 347 00:19:43,580 --> 00:19:45,540 when you can't push your legs backward. 348 00:19:45,540 --> 00:19:47,790 Right, it's all in the glutes. 349 00:19:48,740 --> 00:19:50,070 Because ramidus lived at the dawn 350 00:19:50,070 --> 00:19:54,330 of bipedal locomotion, he was probably not a skilled runner. 351 00:19:54,330 --> 00:19:57,293 Therefore, the animation must look appropriately awkward. 352 00:19:59,550 --> 00:20:02,123 As a reference, Baba looks at the way gorillas run. 353 00:20:12,361 --> 00:20:15,230 Here is the final animation of ardipithecus ramidus. 354 00:20:15,230 --> 00:20:17,340 It certainly looks realistic. 355 00:20:17,340 --> 00:20:19,900 Its movement is based on a live human performance, 356 00:20:19,900 --> 00:20:22,900 which has been tweaked manually to become even more natural. 357 00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:30,100 The virtual ramidus is looking more and more 358 00:20:30,100 --> 00:20:31,720 like a real animal. 359 00:20:31,720 --> 00:20:32,783 So what's next? 360 00:20:36,980 --> 00:20:38,980 The smooth skin has been covered in fur, 361 00:20:41,790 --> 00:20:43,820 and another related step will be essential 362 00:20:43,820 --> 00:20:45,863 in making the digital model come alive. 363 00:20:51,950 --> 00:20:53,593 The fur must move naturally. 364 00:20:56,530 --> 00:20:59,033 Shiho Kobayashi takes charge of the task. 365 00:21:01,261 --> 00:21:02,590 (speaking in foreign language) 366 00:21:02,590 --> 00:21:04,940 I'm handling the fur simulation. 367 00:21:06,080 --> 00:21:08,483 It's the process of physical simulation. 368 00:21:09,830 --> 00:21:13,620 We simplify objects, assign them mass, 369 00:21:13,620 --> 00:21:15,223 and add the pull of gravity. 370 00:21:20,410 --> 00:21:23,700 The digitally modeled fur is static at first. 371 00:21:23,700 --> 00:21:26,580 To make it move, parameters like hair weight, 372 00:21:26,580 --> 00:21:28,790 gravity factor, and levels of wind 373 00:21:28,790 --> 00:21:31,050 are fed to a computing system 374 00:21:31,050 --> 00:21:32,973 to calculate how the fur should move. 375 00:21:41,720 --> 00:21:43,570 Kobayashi uses a number of techniques 376 00:21:43,570 --> 00:21:46,463 to make each strand of hair behave in a lifelike way. 377 00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:50,773 The process is long and intricate, 378 00:21:53,380 --> 00:21:54,730 but the results look great. 379 00:21:57,660 --> 00:22:00,950 Today, a year and a half since the beginning of the project, 380 00:22:00,950 --> 00:22:04,703 the making of the ramidus CGI is entering its final stage. 381 00:22:07,730 --> 00:22:10,770 They still have work to do on the face of ramidus. 382 00:22:10,770 --> 00:22:12,520 Perhaps more than anything, 383 00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:15,470 the face is what will breathe life into this digital model. 384 00:22:17,010 --> 00:22:18,340 This tricky final stage 385 00:22:18,340 --> 00:22:20,883 is literally a vital life-giving stroke. 386 00:22:22,851 --> 00:22:25,684 (triumphal music) 387 00:22:30,300 --> 00:22:35,133 Creating the character's face involves multiple processes. 388 00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:40,110 The process is called sculpting. 389 00:22:40,110 --> 00:22:41,880 Now we add the fine wrinkles 390 00:22:41,880 --> 00:22:43,723 and other details onto the skin. 391 00:22:48,150 --> 00:22:49,900 Much like with a real sculpture, 392 00:22:49,900 --> 00:22:53,500 Iwasawa draws in the wrinkles one by one. 393 00:22:53,500 --> 00:22:55,870 Old fashioned artistry unfold at the heart 394 00:22:55,870 --> 00:22:57,853 of cutting edge CGI production. 395 00:22:59,958 --> 00:23:01,000 (speaking in foreign language) 396 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:03,470 I'm taking my inspiration from chimpanzees, 397 00:23:03,470 --> 00:23:06,640 to model the facial wrinkles of ramidus. 398 00:23:06,640 --> 00:23:08,670 The texture and color of the skin 399 00:23:08,670 --> 00:23:10,423 are also modeled after chimps. 400 00:23:15,970 --> 00:23:18,263 Each spot and wrinkle is drawn by hand. 401 00:23:22,530 --> 00:23:25,270 After the sculpting process comes surfacing. 402 00:23:25,270 --> 00:23:28,293 This adds skin color, spots, and other features. 403 00:23:29,350 --> 00:23:31,100 A scientific basis is used 404 00:23:31,100 --> 00:23:32,800 in the design of the skin texture. 405 00:23:39,704 --> 00:23:42,180 (speaking in foreign language) 406 00:23:42,180 --> 00:23:44,370 Since ramidus lived in the forest, 407 00:23:44,370 --> 00:23:47,460 the skin probably wasn't completely dark. 408 00:23:47,460 --> 00:23:48,680 I looked through chimp photos 409 00:23:48,680 --> 00:23:50,493 and saw ones with spotted skin, 410 00:23:51,600 --> 00:23:53,793 so I decided to try that on ramidus. 411 00:23:58,550 --> 00:24:00,653 Now for the finishing touches. 412 00:24:03,624 --> 00:24:04,670 (speaking in foreign language) 413 00:24:04,670 --> 00:24:07,400 Now I'm doing what we call the facial setup, 414 00:24:07,400 --> 00:24:10,720 the process to add facial expressions to the model. 415 00:24:10,720 --> 00:24:13,380 Specifically, I use a trick to get the facial moved 416 00:24:13,380 --> 00:24:16,733 by using a combination of different mimetic muscles. 417 00:24:18,890 --> 00:24:21,200 Mimetic muscles is another name 418 00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:22,360 for the facial muscles. 419 00:24:22,360 --> 00:24:25,080 We modern humans also have mimetic muscles, 420 00:24:25,080 --> 00:24:27,853 and by moving them, we create different expressions. 421 00:24:29,860 --> 00:24:31,850 To create the digital ramidus face, 422 00:24:31,850 --> 00:24:35,240 20 to 30 different facial expressions were set up. 423 00:24:35,240 --> 00:24:38,190 All of them were modeled after human and chimp expressions. 424 00:24:39,170 --> 00:24:41,333 Not even human actors can be so animated. 425 00:24:45,657 --> 00:24:46,960 (speaking in foreign language) 426 00:24:46,960 --> 00:24:49,738 The nose, mouth, and cheeks, 427 00:24:49,738 --> 00:24:52,193 it was painstaking to make those areas expressive. 428 00:24:54,530 --> 00:24:56,543 So what do you think about the outcome? 429 00:24:59,700 --> 00:25:01,850 I wouldn't say it's 100% perfect, 430 00:25:01,850 --> 00:25:04,423 but it's in the 60 to 70% range. 431 00:25:07,170 --> 00:25:09,203 Shouldn't the rate be a bit higher? 432 00:25:10,962 --> 00:25:12,230 (laughs) Maybe. 433 00:25:12,230 --> 00:25:14,080 It'll be up to the viewers to decide. 434 00:25:16,980 --> 00:25:17,890 The digital ramidus 435 00:25:17,890 --> 00:25:20,560 now has a very expressive face. 436 00:25:20,560 --> 00:25:23,200 It can make more than 50 types of facial expressions 437 00:25:23,200 --> 00:25:25,863 through varied combinations of muscular movements. 438 00:25:31,520 --> 00:25:32,470 It's been about nine months 439 00:25:32,470 --> 00:25:34,970 since the work on ramidus started. 440 00:25:34,970 --> 00:25:36,690 Out of a complex series of tasks, 441 00:25:36,690 --> 00:25:38,813 the finalized ramidus has emerged. 442 00:25:41,030 --> 00:25:42,740 At last, we can come face to face 443 00:25:42,740 --> 00:25:44,090 with the primitive ape man. 444 00:25:48,431 --> 00:25:49,660 (percussive music) 445 00:25:49,660 --> 00:25:53,060 We still need to recreate everything in this virtual world. 446 00:25:53,060 --> 00:25:55,040 This shot, for example, requires more 447 00:25:55,040 --> 00:25:56,590 than just making the character. 448 00:25:59,380 --> 00:26:02,090 Look at the background, the whole collection of trees, 449 00:26:02,090 --> 00:26:03,693 shrubs, and grass. 450 00:26:05,460 --> 00:26:07,650 The background design needs to reinvent the Earth 451 00:26:07,650 --> 00:26:09,593 of 4.4 million years ago. 452 00:26:10,440 --> 00:26:13,240 Millions of trees are needed to create this environment. 453 00:26:18,463 --> 00:26:20,290 (speaking in foreign language) 454 00:26:20,290 --> 00:26:21,410 The most difficult part 455 00:26:21,410 --> 00:26:24,010 was figuring out the habitat of ramidus should look. 456 00:26:27,940 --> 00:26:29,410 He conducted in-depth research 457 00:26:29,410 --> 00:26:32,430 on ancient and modern plants from across the globe, 458 00:26:32,430 --> 00:26:34,560 and then created the digital models 459 00:26:34,560 --> 00:26:36,763 of necessary plants one by one. 460 00:26:42,650 --> 00:26:44,830 While I was modeling these plants, 461 00:26:44,830 --> 00:26:47,030 I always felt unsure about everything. 462 00:26:47,030 --> 00:26:49,640 I could not feel relieved until the experts approved 463 00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:50,923 the models I showed them. 464 00:26:56,140 --> 00:26:57,440 It's taken three whole months 465 00:26:57,440 --> 00:26:59,830 to determine the full set of vegetation types 466 00:26:59,830 --> 00:27:01,930 to be included in the virtual environment. 467 00:27:05,610 --> 00:27:07,800 Then the plants need to be placed, 468 00:27:07,800 --> 00:27:10,260 but can you imagine just how much work is required 469 00:27:10,260 --> 00:27:12,213 to fill up even just this one shot? 470 00:27:15,241 --> 00:27:16,260 (speaking in foreign language) 471 00:27:16,260 --> 00:27:17,810 I'm placing so many objects, 472 00:27:17,810 --> 00:27:20,060 but they are all natural things, 473 00:27:20,060 --> 00:27:22,630 so they should vary in shape. 474 00:27:22,630 --> 00:27:26,120 Environments and locations are all differing factors. 475 00:27:26,120 --> 00:27:29,530 For example, in this lot, seen from this angle, 476 00:27:29,530 --> 00:27:32,243 separately created plants are all placed together, 477 00:27:33,470 --> 00:27:35,370 but as similar shapes are bunched, 478 00:27:35,370 --> 00:27:37,660 the shot will look unnatural. 479 00:27:37,660 --> 00:27:40,690 So you must make individual corrections on each shot. 480 00:27:40,690 --> 00:27:41,773 It's a lot of work. 481 00:27:47,220 --> 00:27:49,600 Creating the habitat for ramidus 482 00:27:49,600 --> 00:27:51,723 may have been tougher than creating ramidus itself. 483 00:27:59,270 --> 00:28:00,280 Another technique for making 484 00:28:00,280 --> 00:28:02,933 this prehistoric world look real is the lighting. 485 00:28:08,003 --> 00:28:10,150 (speaking in foreign language) 486 00:28:10,150 --> 00:28:11,370 In the digital world, 487 00:28:11,370 --> 00:28:14,560 there is no sense of light until you put one there. 488 00:28:14,560 --> 00:28:16,243 There's no sky or sun. 489 00:28:18,060 --> 00:28:20,550 This section introduces the sky and the sun 490 00:28:20,550 --> 00:28:23,720 that match the world, setting the angles 491 00:28:23,720 --> 00:28:24,830 to incorporate the light 492 00:28:24,830 --> 00:28:27,573 and thus give finishing touches to the CGI. 493 00:28:29,830 --> 00:28:32,780 In the dark space, a sky and a sun are placed. 494 00:28:34,200 --> 00:28:37,570 By controlling the hue, brightness, and angle of the light, 495 00:28:37,570 --> 00:28:39,743 he optimizes the lighting of the scene. 496 00:28:40,792 --> 00:28:44,690 (gentle piano music) 497 00:28:44,690 --> 00:28:47,190 Finding the best angle for illuminating the characters 498 00:28:47,190 --> 00:28:49,603 is an important job of a lighting specialist. 499 00:28:56,020 --> 00:28:58,220 Without lighting, the completed ramidus model 500 00:28:58,220 --> 00:29:02,393 would look like nothing but a black blob. 501 00:29:12,514 --> 00:29:14,800 In this scene, the lighting helps create the atmosphere 502 00:29:14,800 --> 00:29:16,463 of ramidus' forest home. 503 00:29:22,170 --> 00:29:24,590 The art of lighting is a big part of making ramidus 504 00:29:24,590 --> 00:29:25,423 come to life. 505 00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:29,430 The scene is almost finished 506 00:29:31,130 --> 00:29:33,270 and even these pieces of fruit were the product 507 00:29:33,270 --> 00:29:35,623 of thorough research and painstaking work. 508 00:29:40,645 --> 00:29:43,087 (speaking in foreign language) 509 00:29:43,087 --> 00:29:45,230 This time, I created a type of fruit 510 00:29:45,230 --> 00:29:46,883 called myrianthus. 511 00:29:48,580 --> 00:29:50,280 This is a myrianthus, 512 00:29:50,280 --> 00:29:51,703 or a giant yellow mulberry. 513 00:29:53,380 --> 00:29:54,800 It has a knobbed surface 514 00:29:54,800 --> 00:29:56,803 and is made up of many layers of pulp. 515 00:29:59,393 --> 00:30:00,806 (speaking in foreign language) 516 00:30:00,806 --> 00:30:02,020 It is native to Africa 517 00:30:02,020 --> 00:30:05,190 and is frequently eaten by chimpanzees. 518 00:30:05,190 --> 00:30:07,393 We don't have this type of fruit in Japan. 519 00:30:10,500 --> 00:30:12,200 To create the model of the fruit, 520 00:30:12,200 --> 00:30:14,400 Katsuyama collected a lot of reference data 521 00:30:14,400 --> 00:30:16,200 about myrianthus itself, 522 00:30:16,200 --> 00:30:18,293 but also about other types of fruit. 523 00:30:20,570 --> 00:30:21,970 She gathered not only data, 524 00:30:21,970 --> 00:30:24,990 but also bought various different kinds of fruit, 525 00:30:24,990 --> 00:30:26,300 and carefully studied them 526 00:30:26,300 --> 00:30:29,163 to make the digital myrianthus more realistic. 527 00:30:32,270 --> 00:30:35,193 She seems to be picky about one aspect in particular. 528 00:30:36,660 --> 00:30:39,028 (speaking in foreign language) 529 00:30:39,028 --> 00:30:39,861 I like texture mapping, 530 00:30:39,861 --> 00:30:42,163 so I sort of created my own fruit stand. 531 00:30:43,500 --> 00:30:45,210 I built four different base models 532 00:30:45,210 --> 00:30:47,050 with different patterns 533 00:30:47,050 --> 00:30:49,623 from which I created more variations. 534 00:30:50,690 --> 00:30:52,463 That part was a lot of fun. 535 00:30:55,137 --> 00:30:56,660 Katsuyama also created 536 00:30:56,660 --> 00:30:59,410 a whole series of models representing varied stages 537 00:30:59,410 --> 00:31:02,963 of the fruit's life, from green to ripe to rotten. 538 00:31:09,910 --> 00:31:12,080 She spent two weeks observing the rotting process 539 00:31:12,080 --> 00:31:14,460 of real fruit, prior to her modeling work. 540 00:31:21,010 --> 00:31:23,730 To make the myrianthus look even more real, 541 00:31:23,730 --> 00:31:25,243 one last touch has been added. 542 00:31:26,500 --> 00:31:27,333 Let's rewind. 543 00:31:29,900 --> 00:31:32,909 Can you spot the bugs flying around the fruit? 544 00:31:32,909 --> 00:31:34,170 (bugs buzzing) 545 00:31:34,170 --> 00:31:38,243 That was added by a creator in charge of visual effects. 546 00:31:40,460 --> 00:31:43,893 This is Masanori Yamao, a virtual effects designer. 547 00:31:46,940 --> 00:31:49,340 Here's the bug that should be flying around. 548 00:31:49,340 --> 00:31:52,003 This model already has its wing flapping animation. 549 00:31:54,090 --> 00:31:56,580 Zoomed in, we can see that it's a fly. 550 00:31:56,580 --> 00:31:58,910 That's what's buzzing around the fruit. 551 00:31:58,910 --> 00:32:02,190 Even the detailed work of making this small fly buzz around 552 00:32:02,190 --> 00:32:03,263 has to be created. 553 00:32:06,310 --> 00:32:08,583 He's also particular about something else. 554 00:32:11,391 --> 00:32:14,197 (speaking in foreign language) 555 00:32:14,197 --> 00:32:15,530 Well, on this animation, I debated 556 00:32:15,530 --> 00:32:18,310 whether flies should go near the fruit. 557 00:32:18,310 --> 00:32:19,960 Took me a while to work this out. 558 00:32:25,298 --> 00:32:27,670 I mean, what happens if they go near each other? 559 00:32:27,670 --> 00:32:30,340 Because in real life, when bugs get close together, 560 00:32:30,340 --> 00:32:32,100 they don't just keep flying. 561 00:32:32,100 --> 00:32:35,050 They're actually aware of each other and react accordingly. 562 00:32:37,120 --> 00:32:38,630 These flies are so tiny 563 00:32:38,630 --> 00:32:41,901 that some viewers might not even have noticed them. 564 00:32:41,901 --> 00:32:44,050 But they give a visual clue to the sweet odor 565 00:32:44,050 --> 00:32:46,110 of the myrianthus fruit, 566 00:32:46,110 --> 00:32:48,210 and they even hint at the passing of time 567 00:32:48,210 --> 00:32:49,833 responsible for the fruit life. 568 00:32:52,806 --> 00:32:56,710 (tribal chanting music) 569 00:32:56,710 --> 00:32:59,440 Finally, after so many stages of work, 570 00:32:59,440 --> 00:33:01,670 done by so many creative talents, 571 00:33:01,670 --> 00:33:04,280 the Earth of 4.4 million years ago 572 00:33:04,280 --> 00:33:06,880 that was once home to ardipithecus ramidus 573 00:33:06,880 --> 00:33:08,463 has been digitally reborn. 574 00:33:09,560 --> 00:33:12,730 Now let's explore this prehistoric world. 575 00:33:28,437 --> 00:33:30,520 (grunts) 576 00:33:45,263 --> 00:33:48,596 (tribal chanting music) 577 00:34:15,674 --> 00:34:16,800 You would never be able to film this today 578 00:34:16,800 --> 00:34:18,640 on any place on Earth. 579 00:34:18,640 --> 00:34:20,573 It was lost a long time ago. 580 00:34:21,410 --> 00:34:23,090 The prehistoric landscape 581 00:34:23,090 --> 00:34:25,610 and the life of our distant human ancestor 582 00:34:25,610 --> 00:34:29,243 has now come to life in a hyper-realistic movie. 583 00:34:37,635 --> 00:34:38,468 (speaking in foreign language) 584 00:34:38,468 --> 00:34:40,790 The quality of CGI for this program 585 00:34:40,790 --> 00:34:42,410 was quite exceptional. 586 00:34:42,410 --> 00:34:45,160 I think it's the first of its kind. 587 00:34:45,160 --> 00:34:47,400 The overall impression is different. 588 00:34:47,400 --> 00:34:50,480 I mean, it doesn't only recreate the body shape, 589 00:34:50,480 --> 00:34:52,480 but also the skin texture, 590 00:34:52,480 --> 00:34:55,010 the way the fur is slightly disarrayed, 591 00:34:55,010 --> 00:34:59,000 and how all these elements change when the character moves, 592 00:34:59,000 --> 00:35:01,530 and also the facial expressions. 593 00:35:01,530 --> 00:35:04,090 The characters can make a puzzled face, 594 00:35:04,090 --> 00:35:05,970 show a sense of danger, 595 00:35:05,970 --> 00:35:08,173 or even make a truly subtle expression. 596 00:35:09,350 --> 00:35:12,360 All those delicate movements are brilliantly recreated 597 00:35:14,337 --> 00:35:16,430 and the integration of the characters with the environment 598 00:35:16,430 --> 00:35:18,660 is also superb. 599 00:35:18,660 --> 00:35:20,840 For example, you can really feel 600 00:35:20,840 --> 00:35:24,240 that the sun is beating down and how hot it is. 601 00:35:24,240 --> 00:35:27,360 You can easily empathize with the characters. 602 00:35:27,360 --> 00:35:28,700 You can feel their relief 603 00:35:28,700 --> 00:35:31,123 when they reach the cool shade of the trees. 604 00:35:31,990 --> 00:35:34,440 I've never seen any computer-generated movie 605 00:35:34,440 --> 00:35:36,763 that can convey this level of reality. 606 00:35:38,029 --> 00:35:40,720 (percussive music) 607 00:35:40,720 --> 00:35:41,680 For this project, 608 00:35:41,680 --> 00:35:45,530 CGI was used to also reconstruct other hominid species 609 00:35:45,530 --> 00:35:47,580 and their habitats from different epochs. 610 00:35:55,140 --> 00:35:57,987 This is Earth of 3.5 million years ago. 611 00:35:57,987 --> 00:36:02,480 900,000 years have passed since the time of ramidus. 612 00:36:02,480 --> 00:36:04,180 The star of this era is a species 613 00:36:04,180 --> 00:36:06,460 that lived in groups in plains. 614 00:36:06,460 --> 00:36:09,110 Its forests had declined due to global aridification. 615 00:36:10,310 --> 00:36:13,750 They are australopithecus afarensis, 616 00:36:13,750 --> 00:36:15,350 a bit of a tongue-twisting name. 617 00:36:16,410 --> 00:36:18,013 Let's take a look at their life. 618 00:36:28,766 --> 00:36:31,150 (crunching) 619 00:36:31,150 --> 00:36:33,733 The group is foraging together. 620 00:36:46,314 --> 00:36:49,564 (elephants trumpeting) 621 00:36:51,630 --> 00:36:52,930 But danger may be lurking. 622 00:36:55,530 --> 00:36:56,783 A predator pounces. 623 00:36:58,410 --> 00:37:00,660 (grunting) 624 00:37:05,038 --> 00:37:08,455 (squealing and grunting) 625 00:37:15,058 --> 00:37:20,000 Yes, in this epoch, hominids were prey to carnivores. 626 00:37:20,000 --> 00:37:23,000 They were largely defenseless against the ferocious enemies. 627 00:37:27,822 --> 00:37:30,572 (dramatic music) 628 00:37:42,306 --> 00:37:44,460 (bug buzzing) 629 00:37:44,460 --> 00:37:47,770 This is Earth, 2.4 million years ago, 630 00:37:47,770 --> 00:37:50,680 when it was inhabited by another hominid species, 631 00:37:50,680 --> 00:37:52,570 homo habilis. 632 00:37:52,570 --> 00:37:55,820 They are considered a very important species. 633 00:37:55,820 --> 00:37:58,740 Homo habilis were the first proto-humans to use tools 634 00:37:59,590 --> 00:38:01,340 and may have even been responsible 635 00:38:01,340 --> 00:38:03,403 for the invention of stone tools. 636 00:38:06,750 --> 00:38:08,900 This group seems to have spotted something. 637 00:38:16,040 --> 00:38:18,290 (grunting) 638 00:38:24,690 --> 00:38:27,123 They've come upon a pack of hyenas feeding. 639 00:38:29,593 --> 00:38:32,176 (bugs buzzing) 640 00:38:33,672 --> 00:38:35,922 (grunting) 641 00:38:36,900 --> 00:38:38,500 Will they try to steal the kill? 642 00:38:40,606 --> 00:38:44,023 (grunting and squealing) 643 00:38:59,430 --> 00:39:03,097 Very bold, but to survive, they have to eat. 644 00:39:15,520 --> 00:39:17,160 Some researchers hypothesize 645 00:39:17,160 --> 00:39:18,730 that the invention of stone tools 646 00:39:18,730 --> 00:39:20,633 may have been a happy accident. 647 00:39:21,600 --> 00:39:23,990 Out Of The Cradle dares to recreate that scene, 648 00:39:23,990 --> 00:39:26,071 based on this hypothesis. 649 00:39:26,071 --> 00:39:28,321 (grunting) 650 00:39:33,787 --> 00:39:36,870 (gentle piano music) 651 00:39:47,528 --> 00:39:49,778 (grunting) 652 00:40:29,503 --> 00:40:32,617 Homo erectus lived 1.8 million years ago. 653 00:40:35,200 --> 00:40:37,427 This species had two key traits. 654 00:40:43,890 --> 00:40:45,850 The first is that they started hunting 655 00:40:45,850 --> 00:40:47,223 other animals as prey. 656 00:40:50,030 --> 00:40:52,770 The second is that their body shapes and movements 657 00:40:52,770 --> 00:40:55,870 had come to resemble our species much more closely 658 00:40:55,870 --> 00:40:57,293 than any earlier ones. 659 00:41:03,360 --> 00:41:05,930 Since they look so much like modern humans, 660 00:41:05,930 --> 00:41:08,320 a combination of live action filming 661 00:41:08,320 --> 00:41:12,053 and digital recreations were used to reconstruct their life. 662 00:41:13,290 --> 00:41:15,653 Location shooting was done in Australia. 663 00:41:18,440 --> 00:41:19,520 Australia was chosen, 664 00:41:19,520 --> 00:41:22,740 as it offers a variety of pristine natural environments, 665 00:41:22,740 --> 00:41:25,483 from desert to forest to coastlines. 666 00:41:28,410 --> 00:41:31,450 This ambitious effort to bring homo erectus back to life 667 00:41:31,450 --> 00:41:33,950 was undertaken by a Japanese production team 668 00:41:33,950 --> 00:41:38,100 working alongside filmmakers from Australia and Hollywood. 669 00:41:38,100 --> 00:41:40,953 Around 100 people in total were involved in the shoot. 670 00:41:47,360 --> 00:41:50,373 This man is playing homo erectus, our main character. 671 00:41:54,230 --> 00:41:56,630 He is made up with prosthetics before the shoot. 672 00:42:00,410 --> 00:42:03,360 Let's take a peek at how the special effect makeup is done. 673 00:42:06,780 --> 00:42:08,860 A prosthetic makeup artist from Hollywood 674 00:42:08,860 --> 00:42:11,770 will give the actor a face that turns the clock back 675 00:42:11,770 --> 00:42:13,693 1.8 million years. 676 00:42:19,290 --> 00:42:21,840 A special mask restores the raised cheekbones 677 00:42:21,840 --> 00:42:25,123 and the brow ridge that are characteristic to homo erectus. 678 00:42:27,520 --> 00:42:30,230 The makeup artist took a cast of the actor's face 679 00:42:30,230 --> 00:42:33,300 and, under the guidance of anthropologist Hisao Baba, 680 00:42:33,300 --> 00:42:35,043 built a mask with these features. 681 00:42:39,950 --> 00:42:41,990 After two hours on the makeup chair, 682 00:42:41,990 --> 00:42:44,670 his modern human face travels back in time 683 00:42:44,670 --> 00:42:48,173 to create a 1.8 million year old homo species. 684 00:42:49,180 --> 00:42:52,253 The actor's face is now that of homo erectus. 685 00:42:53,580 --> 00:42:55,360 He's also wearing a green cap 686 00:42:55,360 --> 00:42:58,100 so that they can add digital hair later on. 687 00:42:58,100 --> 00:43:00,173 Essentially, it's a high tech wig. 688 00:43:14,671 --> 00:43:17,171 And three, two, one, action! 689 00:43:20,420 --> 00:43:23,100 It's finally time to roll the cameras. 690 00:43:23,100 --> 00:43:25,643 First up is a scene of homo erectus hunting. 691 00:43:34,237 --> 00:43:37,000 And action! 692 00:43:37,000 --> 00:43:39,700 The prey is a species that no longer exists, 693 00:43:39,700 --> 00:43:42,160 so it will have to be added digitally. 694 00:43:42,160 --> 00:43:45,393 For shooting purposes, he stabs his spear into a prop. 695 00:43:47,880 --> 00:43:50,463 (upbeat music) 696 00:44:00,550 --> 00:44:02,800 When the live action footage shot in Australia 697 00:44:02,800 --> 00:44:05,790 is combined with a digital model created in Japan, 698 00:44:05,790 --> 00:44:07,293 it looks something like this. 699 00:44:12,170 --> 00:44:15,520 For Mark Risso-Gill, the producer of the Australian shoot, 700 00:44:15,520 --> 00:44:17,313 this was a brand new experience. 701 00:44:18,160 --> 00:44:22,013 New people, new experiences, new locations. 702 00:44:22,950 --> 00:44:27,280 This is very rewarding for me as a producer. 703 00:44:27,280 --> 00:44:29,493 So, yeah, it was a great opportunity. 704 00:44:31,620 --> 00:44:33,430 During their month on location, 705 00:44:33,430 --> 00:44:36,163 they shot a variety of scenes with homo erectus. 706 00:44:37,360 --> 00:44:39,300 All right, Cory, and we also probably-- 707 00:44:39,300 --> 00:44:40,840 Cinematographer Adam Clark 708 00:44:40,840 --> 00:44:43,207 explains the shoot's difficulty. 709 00:44:44,640 --> 00:44:48,080 There have been a lot of VFX elements 710 00:44:48,080 --> 00:44:52,823 and, of course, as going into real locations and shooting, 711 00:44:54,820 --> 00:44:57,670 but also having to bear in mind the visual effects, 712 00:44:57,670 --> 00:45:02,103 the prosthetics, the post-production side of it, 713 00:45:05,000 --> 00:45:07,496 that has challenges of its own right. 714 00:45:07,496 --> 00:45:08,430 We've been to the DIWA fields 715 00:45:08,430 --> 00:45:13,390 and we had to build an 80 by 20 blue screen, 716 00:45:13,390 --> 00:45:17,441 and while there's always pressure to shoot at the time, 717 00:45:17,441 --> 00:45:20,490 there's also the time that you are required 718 00:45:20,490 --> 00:45:23,060 to get all of those elements together and right. 719 00:45:23,060 --> 00:45:25,010 So at the end of the day, somebody said 720 00:45:26,196 --> 00:45:28,442 put the compulsives together, actually, 721 00:45:28,442 --> 00:45:32,101 that has information that they require. 722 00:45:32,101 --> 00:45:33,934 Take one. 723 00:45:34,880 --> 00:45:37,100 In this scene, a group of homo erectus 724 00:45:37,100 --> 00:45:38,733 feast on meet from their prey. 725 00:45:44,241 --> 00:45:46,991 (faint speaking) 726 00:45:48,101 --> 00:45:50,684 (gentle music) 727 00:45:55,600 --> 00:45:56,940 The primal food source for homo erectus 728 00:45:56,940 --> 00:45:59,563 gradually transitioned from plants to meat. 729 00:46:00,470 --> 00:46:02,810 Some experts believe the meat-eating diet 730 00:46:02,810 --> 00:46:05,033 fueled an increase in their brain size. 731 00:46:35,030 --> 00:46:37,740 To reestablish a vivid, prehistoric world, 732 00:46:37,740 --> 00:46:39,250 you need something beyond visuals 733 00:46:39,250 --> 00:46:41,223 of ancients species and their habitats. 734 00:46:43,050 --> 00:46:45,750 The production also needed to create the right sounds. 735 00:46:51,806 --> 00:46:54,437 (speaking in foreign language) 736 00:46:54,437 --> 00:46:56,240 The right sounds include the speech of neanderthals 737 00:46:56,240 --> 00:46:57,373 and homo sapiens. 738 00:47:01,005 --> 00:47:04,922 (speaking in foreign language) 739 00:47:11,010 --> 00:47:13,860 Reconstructing the language of our human ancestors 740 00:47:13,860 --> 00:47:16,173 was one of the project's daring challenges. 741 00:47:17,280 --> 00:47:20,520 (speaking in foreign language) 742 00:47:20,520 --> 00:47:24,020 Good, and we wanna kinda flow to the next gesture. 743 00:47:24,020 --> 00:47:26,368 So these have all been part of a sentence. 744 00:47:26,368 --> 00:47:29,180 (speaking in foreign language) 745 00:47:29,180 --> 00:47:30,790 For advice on the proto-language 746 00:47:30,790 --> 00:47:33,810 used by the characters, the team turned to Andrew Byrd, 747 00:47:33,810 --> 00:47:35,173 a historical linguist. 748 00:47:38,580 --> 00:47:40,420 But how does he reconstruct something 749 00:47:40,420 --> 00:47:41,953 spoken in distant prehistory? 750 00:47:50,150 --> 00:47:54,202 We don't know if the neanderthals had language. 751 00:47:54,202 --> 00:47:58,470 The further along we get within our research, 752 00:47:58,470 --> 00:48:02,270 the more likely it seems that they did have language, 753 00:48:02,270 --> 00:48:04,230 but we do know a couple things. 754 00:48:04,230 --> 00:48:07,940 First off, we know that they were highly intelligent. 755 00:48:07,940 --> 00:48:10,720 Second, we know that their anatomy, 756 00:48:10,720 --> 00:48:13,470 while slightly different from that of homo sapiens, 757 00:48:13,470 --> 00:48:17,210 was almost certainly tolerant, 758 00:48:17,210 --> 00:48:20,700 or almost certainly permitted the production of speech. 759 00:48:20,700 --> 00:48:22,980 Now that speech may have sounded different 760 00:48:22,980 --> 00:48:26,490 from that of our own, but it would've been something, 761 00:48:26,490 --> 00:48:28,693 I would imagine, fairly similar. 762 00:48:32,150 --> 00:48:34,460 This scene depicts the possible first encounter 763 00:48:34,460 --> 00:48:36,850 between neanderthals and homo sapiens, 764 00:48:36,850 --> 00:48:38,563 as imagined by researchers. 765 00:48:39,670 --> 00:48:41,823 The neanderthals shout as they run away. 766 00:48:47,380 --> 00:48:48,933 What does that mean? 767 00:48:50,070 --> 00:48:51,330 Reason the word for father 768 00:48:51,330 --> 00:48:53,690 for the Neanderthals was ba-bu, 769 00:48:53,690 --> 00:48:57,990 and essentially used babbling as an inspiration there. 770 00:48:57,990 --> 00:49:00,850 But, of course, babies aren't babbling about everything, 771 00:49:00,850 --> 00:49:02,210 so there are other concepts 772 00:49:02,210 --> 00:49:06,140 that a baby's not gonna be able to create. 773 00:49:06,140 --> 00:49:08,640 So I used onomatopoeia for that. 774 00:49:08,640 --> 00:49:11,800 The idea is that there are certain sounds in the world 775 00:49:11,800 --> 00:49:14,800 that we try to imitate and that becomes the word, 776 00:49:14,800 --> 00:49:19,800 and so the idea that came to me was that to wait 777 00:49:20,100 --> 00:49:25,100 is the idea of having two feet planting down in the ground, 778 00:49:25,150 --> 00:49:26,920 in the mud, and that you're waiting, 779 00:49:26,920 --> 00:49:28,090 physically waiting there. 780 00:49:28,090 --> 00:49:33,090 So the word is p'uk'a, which is created to imitate 781 00:49:33,500 --> 00:49:35,533 the planting of feet within the mud. 782 00:49:37,840 --> 00:49:40,210 Another sound that needed to be reconstructed 783 00:49:40,210 --> 00:49:42,690 was that of prehistoric music. 784 00:49:42,690 --> 00:49:45,520 It can be heard during a scene where a group of homo sapiens 785 00:49:45,520 --> 00:49:47,193 perform in a ritual. 786 00:49:50,172 --> 00:49:54,089 (chanting in foreign language) 787 00:50:04,908 --> 00:50:07,908 Here is the man who created the music of early homo sapiens. 788 00:50:09,041 --> 00:50:11,541 (flute music) 789 00:50:13,930 --> 00:50:15,130 He is Rupert Till 790 00:50:15,130 --> 00:50:17,783 of the University of Huddersfield in the UK. 791 00:50:21,140 --> 00:50:24,050 He is both an archeologist and a composer. 792 00:50:24,050 --> 00:50:25,873 And it makes a very deep sound. 793 00:50:26,730 --> 00:50:28,150 He's been conducting research 794 00:50:28,150 --> 00:50:31,866 on the music of the paleolithic era for many years. 795 00:50:31,866 --> 00:50:34,116 (whirring) 796 00:50:42,320 --> 00:50:45,170 I tried to avoid using any sounds or instruments 797 00:50:45,170 --> 00:50:46,543 that exist today. 798 00:50:47,387 --> 00:50:50,710 These are sounds that are being made as part of a ritual, 799 00:50:50,710 --> 00:50:55,280 and the music and the dance and everything comes together. 800 00:50:55,280 --> 00:50:58,020 So I try to use natural sounds, sounds from the body, 801 00:50:58,020 --> 00:51:02,900 clapping, singing, making sounds with your voice, 802 00:51:02,900 --> 00:51:04,930 and the instruments we know about, 803 00:51:04,930 --> 00:51:09,051 like prehistoric ancient flute sounds. 804 00:51:09,051 --> 00:51:10,970 (clapping) 805 00:51:10,970 --> 00:51:12,580 Till also found something ideal 806 00:51:12,580 --> 00:51:15,103 to help achieve the sounds from ancient times. 807 00:51:16,049 --> 00:51:18,299 (grunting) 808 00:51:21,630 --> 00:51:25,800 I was really lucky to be able to go to some caves in Spain 809 00:51:25,800 --> 00:51:30,240 and while we were there, we were looking for rocks 810 00:51:30,240 --> 00:51:32,350 that ring when you hit them, 811 00:51:32,350 --> 00:51:37,350 and in this cave, we discovered these amazing stalagmites, 812 00:51:40,470 --> 00:51:42,148 stalagmites from the ground 813 00:51:42,148 --> 00:51:44,200 and stalagmites from the ceiling, 814 00:51:44,200 --> 00:51:47,480 and when you hit them, we hit them with a very soft mallet 815 00:51:47,480 --> 00:51:49,130 so that it wouldn't damage them, 816 00:51:49,130 --> 00:51:52,013 some of them ring like bells. 817 00:51:54,678 --> 00:51:56,909 11, (stalagmite ringing), 12, 818 00:51:56,909 --> 00:52:00,660 (stalagmite ringing) 13. 819 00:52:00,660 --> 00:52:03,040 14, 15, 16, 17. 820 00:52:06,973 --> 00:52:10,556 (clapping and flute music) 821 00:52:17,680 --> 00:52:19,820 Even over these incomplete images, 822 00:52:19,820 --> 00:52:23,472 Till's ritualistic music lends an enchanting atmosphere. 823 00:52:23,472 --> 00:52:27,389 (chanting in foreign language) 824 00:52:55,096 --> 00:52:59,420 (speaking in foreign language) 825 00:52:59,420 --> 00:53:01,130 I think it's important to convey 826 00:53:01,130 --> 00:53:04,650 actual images of ancient people to the public. 827 00:53:04,650 --> 00:53:07,430 As researchers, we try to grasp the past 828 00:53:07,430 --> 00:53:09,370 as accurately as possible, 829 00:53:09,370 --> 00:53:11,853 based on previous excavations and research. 830 00:53:12,840 --> 00:53:15,910 And these technologies are a truly fantastic means 831 00:53:15,910 --> 00:53:18,260 of communicating our discoveries to the public. 832 00:53:24,650 --> 00:53:27,050 Thanks to a vast amount of reference material, 833 00:53:27,050 --> 00:53:29,760 the expertise and insight of many scholars, 834 00:53:29,760 --> 00:53:32,750 and state-of-the-art digital imaging technology, 835 00:53:32,750 --> 00:53:34,370 these lost prehistoric worlds 836 00:53:34,370 --> 00:53:35,920 have been brought back to life. 837 00:53:39,470 --> 00:53:42,880 If a real ramidus could see this digital model of himself, 838 00:53:42,880 --> 00:53:43,830 how would he react? 839 00:53:49,550 --> 00:53:52,951 What words of surprise would the neanderthal blurt out? 840 00:53:52,951 --> 00:53:55,124 (grunting) 841 00:53:55,124 --> 00:53:59,041 (speaking in foreign language) 842 00:54:00,020 --> 00:54:03,060 Digital images will spark your imagination, 843 00:54:03,060 --> 00:54:04,900 and they make perhaps make you feel closer 844 00:54:04,900 --> 00:54:06,483 to the prehistoric species. 845 00:54:13,434 --> 00:54:16,270 (orchestra tuning) 846 00:54:16,270 --> 00:54:20,310 In Shibuya, Tokyo, today the soundtrack 847 00:54:20,310 --> 00:54:22,660 for Out Of The Cradle series is being recorded. 848 00:54:34,198 --> 00:54:35,530 (speaking in foreign language) 849 00:54:35,530 --> 00:54:39,200 Shu Kanematsu and Takashi Ohmama 850 00:54:39,200 --> 00:54:41,050 are the two talented young musicians 851 00:54:41,050 --> 00:54:43,260 who composed and performed the original music 852 00:54:43,260 --> 00:54:44,243 for the series. 853 00:54:48,870 --> 00:54:51,623 The original score exceeds 40 pieces. 854 00:54:52,660 --> 00:54:53,613 One, two. 855 00:54:55,485 --> 00:54:58,402 (orchestral music) 856 00:55:48,290 --> 00:55:51,140 An ambitious project to recreate human evolution 857 00:55:51,140 --> 00:55:53,223 in hyper-realistic CGI. 858 00:55:56,230 --> 00:55:58,490 A two-year production of stunning images 859 00:55:58,490 --> 00:56:02,150 has been, in fact, driven by good old fashioned artistry, 860 00:56:02,150 --> 00:56:03,940 contrary to the stereotype image 861 00:56:03,940 --> 00:56:05,693 of cutting edge digital media. 862 00:56:10,640 --> 00:56:12,670 In much the same way that human evolution 863 00:56:12,670 --> 00:56:14,950 was a long and thorough process, 864 00:56:14,950 --> 00:56:18,020 from standing upright to inventing tools 865 00:56:18,020 --> 00:56:19,430 to acquiring language 866 00:56:19,430 --> 00:56:21,933 and, ultimately, the arrival of modern humans. 867 00:56:24,170 --> 00:56:26,230 This cutting edge CGI has come to life 868 00:56:26,230 --> 00:56:28,620 through painstaking creativity and knowledge 869 00:56:28,620 --> 00:56:31,110 from artists and researchers alike. 870 00:56:31,110 --> 00:56:34,020 So for the first time, we can see how this stunning series 871 00:56:34,020 --> 00:56:36,140 came Out Of The Cradle.