Filmmakers Employ Google in Their Search for the Face of Buddha

January 24, 2006

Source: The Scotsman

http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=115102006

On January 24, 2006 The Scotsman reported, "A worldwide search has been launched to try to find the face of the Buddha. A film about the life and teachings of Siddharth Gautam, the historical founder of Buddhism, is planned, and the makers are looking for someone to play the leading role. To gain maximum coverage, Buddha Films, the Hollywood company behind the project, is hoping to enlist the help of the internet search engine Google. BK Modi, the Indian millionaire industrialist who is chairman of Buddha Films, says many people around the world have expressed interest in playing the part but that a fitting match for the Buddha has yet to be found. One possibility is that actors interested in the part will be invited to post their portraits on the internet. With the help of facial mapping techniques similar to those used by police to track down criminals, the search engine will then find likenesses close to computer-generated images of the Buddha. A selection of such images has already been created by software experts in California's Silicon Valley... The computer technicians on the project are the ones who created the fantastical creatures in the Lord of the Rings trilogy."

See also: Buddhism, Arts/Media