And Now, the Animated News

theodp writes "'You have a lot of missing images, in the TV, in the news reporting,' explains billionaire Jimmy Lai. It's a gap that Lai's Next Media intends to fill with its animated news service. Artists lift details from news photos while actors in motion sensor suits re-create action sequences of stories making headlines. Animators graft cartoon avatars to the live-motion action, and the stories hit the Web. When news agencies didn't have footage of scenes from the Tiger Woods car crash, Lai's team raced to put together animation dramatizing the incident that became a YouTube sensation. Thus far, Lai has been denied a television license, but with or without his own station, he thinks his animations are headed for televisions worldwide. His company is currently in talks with media organizations to churn out news animations on demand using Next Media's graphic artists and software tools."

Comments

Tiger woods played by Kermit the frog

[syousef]

Can't you just see Elin as Miss Piggy? Haaaaayyyyaaaahhhh!

Just what modern news needs

[OG]

My first thought was that this is totally unnecessary and sensationalist use of technology. My second thought was that CNN is going to love this.

Re:Just what modern news needs

[hitnrunrambler]

My first thought was that this is totally unnecessary and sensationalist use of technology. My second thought was that CNN is going to love this.

Yeah, mine too.
My second thought is "Fox news won't get it"

I picture Rupert Murdoch yelling: "Someone hire that camera man for me! He's phenomenal! He gets everything! Stupid CNN doesn't know what they've got, look at the lousy equipment they give him, everything looks like cartoons."

and Glenn Beck shouting: "See! See! They're making this up. How do we known their 'Obama' really exists?"

Re:Just what modern news needs

[hitnrunrambler]

Yeah, mine too. My second thought is "Fox news won't get it"

I picture Rupert Murdoch yelling: "Someone hire that camera man for me! He's phenomenal! He gets everything! Stupid CNN doesn't know what they've got, look at the lousy equipment they give him, everything looks like cartoons."

and Glenn Beck shouting: "See! See! They're making this up. How do we known their 'Obama' really exists?"

{ Pardon the double-post, browsing past the first one just looks like I'm saying "dur-hur me too!". I prefer to be seen as in idiot for the proper reasons, not because of the way slashdot blurbs me. }

Re:Just what modern news needs

[paiute]

Are you kidding? Fox will jump on this like an ugly centipede.

Sean Hannity: Some people are saying that Mr. Obama makes obeisance to Mecca every night and kisses a picture of bin Laden. We are not saying that we agree with that, but here is a vivid recreation of what that would look like if it were true.

Re:Just what modern news needs

[sorak]

My first thought was that this is totally unnecessary and sensationalist use of technology. My second thought was that CNN is going to love this.

"Today on CNN, teabaggers are alleging that the president is actually from Narnia, and that he killed the Lion, had sex with the Witch, and hid in the wardrobe. Here is a cgi rendering of that event, with a bad-ass dragon added in, and for some reason, Rush. Who the hell listens to Rush? Our CNN instapoll says that 15% of you listen to Rush, 80% do not, and 5% of you were just pressing buttons. Next, we're going to spend thirty minutes reading twitter"

Re:Just what modern news needs

[Anonymous Coward]

...and kisses a picture of bin Laden

Why would he be hanging out with George Bush's business partners?

Oh yeah, bipartisanship.

Finally! Just what we need!

[happy_place]

I can't wait to see what my favorite cartoon characters are doing day to day, when they're not starring in films/television.

Re:Finally! Just what we need!

[gstoddart]

I can't wait to see what my favorite cartoon characters are doing day to day, when they're not starring in films/television.

Apparently, making porn is the likely answer. :-P

Family guy...

[jjoelc]

...Using state of the art technology...

This is what it would have looked like if the plane had crashed into a school building full of bunny rabbit!

I'm Inner Party Member

[idontgno]

Malcom McDoohanigan, Director of the MiniTrue, and Big Brother and I approve of this technology. DoublePlusGood!

Re-enactment Top 10 Wishlist: Slashdot

[GPLDAN]

Number 10. Carmack and Romero fist fight
Number 9. Woz sex with Kathy Griffin
Number 8. A series of tubes, not a big truck
Number 7. Wesley Crusher sucked into a warp drive
Number 6. Ballmer doing Dancing with the Stars to the 'Developers Developers Developers Developers' remix
Number 5. Darl McBride being force fed into a wood chipper by the guys from Fargo
Number 4. Stallman and Schneier as banjo dueling Santas
Number 3. Cowboy Neal
Number 2. 10,000 Anonymous Cowards hacked to bits by the 300 Spartans yelling "This is Slashdot!"

And the Number one re-enactment wish for Slashdot: Duke Nukem Forever

Dick Cheney hunting accident looked EXACTLY like

[d474]

...like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM-uLjXQaMo

I'm surprised this never made it on the news.