Drive Wire for June 29, 2016: The Mill Blackbird Can Become Any Car in the World
Fully adjustable rig car is poised to shake up how Hollywood uses CGI vehicles.
Meet the Mill Blackbird. This is a base vehicle that can be filmed and, in post-production, transformed into pretty much any road-going car imaginable. How, you ask? It's got a fully adjustable chassis that can extend itself by four feet and its width up to 10 inches, meaning it can mimic the size and shape of almost any normal vehicle. Programmable electric motors power both the vehicle and a number of components within the car, including the gearing, suspension and acceleration. Tweak your settings, fire off on film, and then re-skin the car in post-production. The Drive's Entertainment Editor Sean Evans explains the implications for Hollywood in today's Drive Wire, but you should also see the Blackbird in action here.
