Marie Curie Actions: Inspiring Researchers - Imdea

And the Oscar goesto...When your cinematic superhero fl ies past a backdrop, chancesare that The Foundry’s software was used to trim away thewires that held him or her up. Its research partner, TrinityCollege Dublin’s Sigmedia, boasts of post-production toolsand motion estimation technology that have been used forsuch Hollywood Blockbusters as The Matrix, Lord of the Rings,X-Men, Spider-Man and Harry Potter. The idea for the MarieCurie-funded Axiom (Automated extraction of image metadata)project grew out of four years’ collaboration between the twoorganisations, who shared a dream of taking digital imageprocessing one step further.The Marie Curie Fellows involved in Axiom benefi ted from acombination of the Sigmedia Group’s research skills and TheFoundry’s practical knowledge. Through the partnership, TheFoundry has been able to study Sigmedia’s latest researchinto 3D image processing, while the Fellows hosted bySigmedia have enhanced their understanding of fi lm mediaand software.‘Academics need good connections with industry to keep theirwork relevant, and Trinity College Dublin’s Sigmedia Groupgained insight into the post-production industry fi rst handthrough its connections with The Foundry,’ says Abi Bowman,The Foundry’s Project Manager. ‘We have also benefi tedin that we have been able to learn more about image andvideo-processing technologies through working closely withSigmedia’s experts.’François Pitié of Trinity College Dublin agrees: ‘Being part ofthe Axiom project was a great shared-learning experienceand being partnered with The Foundry gave us an invaluableindustrial insight. Learning industry practices and specifi cproblems greatly helped me to refocus my research and thinkabout how to integrate the end-user in image processingalgorithms. We established an excellent working relationshipwhich we still have today.’From left to right: Simon Robinson, Ben Kent, Dr Bill Collis, Dr Anil Kokaram at the Oscar award ceremony.2006 Sci-Tech Award® winners. © Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences®. All rights reserved.313