Published on December 1st, 2010 | by simeon

Tron: Legacy – Technical Fun Facts

“TRON: Legacy” is:
• the first 3D movie to integrate a fully digital head and body based upon an existing actor (Jeff Bridges’ younger self).
• the first movie to make extensive use of self-illuminated costumes.
• the first movie to create molded costumes using digital sculpture exclusively (skipping clay sculptures all together), creating molds directly from computer files using CNC (Computer Numerical Cutting) technology.
• the first 3D movie shot with 35mm lenses (Zeiss Master Primes) and full-35mm chip cameras (the new Sony F35).
• the first live-action movie to use a Headcam (Vicon-based custom rig re-designed) for on-set performance capture.
• the first movie to use a videogame company (EA) for MoCap (both On-Set and Volume-based).

And…
• About 35 minutes of visually stunning footage was specifically designed to maximize the screen for IMAX theatergoers. Several sequences on the Grid expand in IMAX 3D, eliminating the letterbox effect, thereby allowing audiences to become even more immersed in the massive scope and scale of “TRON: Legacy.”
• “TRON: Legacy” was shot in 3D and the filmmakers employed the newest generation of camera, built specifically for them. They used a 3D technique that is a combination of technologies—completely digital motion-capture of a character and the live-action camera system.
• The lighted suits were created by using electroluminescent lamps made from a flexible polymer film. Most of the form-fitting suits were made out of foam latex, but the Sirens’ suits were made by spraying balloon rubber over spandex, giving an incredible, super-sleek shape.
• Many of the vehicles were also practically built for certain scenes, in keeping with director Joseph Kosinski’s desire to constantly blur the line between CGI and reality. The filmmakers contracted a company called Wild Factory, who builds prototypes for Volkswagen, to take on the task of bringing some of the vehicles to reality.
• The light discs that were created for the film consist of 134 LED lights, are radio-controlled and attached to the light suits with a magnet. They also house the batteries and electronics that power the light suits.
• The filmmakers wanted “TRON: Legacy” to be grounded in a sense of reality and have a sense of scientific truth, so they reached out to the National Academy of Sciences’ Science and Entertainment Exchange to advise them.