Nonny De La Pena And DNE Studios Resurrect History Through Volumetric Alchemy: The Technological Breakthroughs Behind The "1906 Atlanta Race Massacre" Set To Debut At SXSW

LOS ANGELES, March 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As dawn breaks over Austin during SXSW 2025, a spectral revolution materializes at the intersection of 6th Street and Congress Avenue. Bryonn Bain's volumetric incarnation of Jesse Max Barber – the Black journalist who documented the 1906 Atlanta Race Massacre – emerges not as a static hologram, but as a navigable memory field. Selected for SXSW's XR Experience Competition, this collaboration between Emmy-winning director Nonny de la Peña and Digital Nation Entertainment's studio director Addie Reiss represents a paradigm shift in historical resurrection through volumetric capture.

Ghost in the Machine: Reconstructing the "1906 Atlanta Race Massacre" in Augmented Reality 

At the core of Barber's compelling presence lies DNE's Santa Monica volumetric 4D stage – where 120 bespoke RGB-D cameras orchestrated by Reiss' team captured Bain's performance, as a holographic presence. DNE's proprietary structured-light sensors achieved sub-millimeter spatial resolution – critical for preserving the tremor in Bain's hands as Barber recounts watching white mobs burn Black-owned businesses. "We needed forensic-level capture without sacrificing artistic spontaneity, to convey Bain's testimony and draw the audience into the story." explains Reiss. 

Cinematographer's Gambit: Truth in Photons

In an era of MetaHumans and AI-generated deepfakes, Reiss's approach to volumetric capture feels radical in its simplicity: "Record the actor, not an approximation."

"Audiences instinctively recoil from perfect animations, and emotionally disconnect when viewing machine hallucinations or haunted marionettes." explains Reiss, whose cinematography work on both fiction films and documentaries, taught him the difference between technical precision and emotional veracity. " …it's not AI trickery, but light and photons bouncing off an actor as a precious moment unfolds". Viewers can distinguish truth instinctively, and get drawn into the story by Bain's authenticity.

Reiss's decade-long journey as an innovator in volumetric capture goes back to the inception of the technology. It is this blend of technical mastery and storytelling acumen that has defined Reiss's career. "Volumetric capture for me is a natural progression of photography," Reiss explains. "From one camera to many, from two dimensions to three and then four. It's a new science and art, merging into the role of directing volumetric 4D capture."

Mobile AR as Memory Lens: Democratizing Dimensional History

The true innovation of 1906 emerges with its accessibility. Forget expensive holographic displays or bulky headsets. Users can summon Barber's volumetric presence using consumer smartphones. Your device becomes a porthole to the past, giving each user their own perspective on the unfolding events. "As XR creators, we empower and lead the viewers through the story, yet never dictate their journey," Reiss emphasizes, underscoring the power of volumetric capture to finally give audiences agency in how they experience a scene. "The experience's mobile AR component transforms audiences into active investigators, and volumetric capture finally gives them the ability to choose their own viewpoint as the scene develops."

The Future of Memory: Gaussian Splats on the Horizon

While the 1906 experience utilized traditional photogrammetric processing, Reiss' team is pioneering next-generation 4D Gaussian splatting imagery for future projects. "For more than a decade, volumetric capture has been trapped in a polygon prison," Reiss explains. Computer graphics, born from synthetic 3D scenes, dictated that volumetric data be processed and 'solved' into millions of polygons. "We were striving for photorealism using fundamentally unreal building blocks."

That's where 3D Gaussian Splatting comes in. "We now reject polygons entirely," Reiss declares.

"Polygons create hard, synthetic edges, and struggle to recreate the fine details of life." A reflection, fine hair, a glass of wine or simply a glint of light—these were near-impossible to capture and render using classic computer graphics. With Gaussian Splats, DNE can preserve each photon particle into a light field. "We're now finally free from building a 3D-mesh model," Reiss states, "instead we use the cameras and sensors to paint 3D brushstrokes in space, taking impressions of light in time." The result is spectacular realism and the ability to convey subtle details impossible with previous volumetric technologies.

DNE's upcoming projects are all-in on 4DGS. "Now, finally, volumetric capture has the paints and brushes to fulfill its claim, to produce an immersive facsimile of reality," Reiss explains.

Why "Real" Matters in a World of Deepfakes

As XR grapples with AI-generated "actors", Reiss sees volumetric capture—done right—as an ethical imperative. That's why, in an industry chasing the next machine hallucination, DNE is betting on reality. "We are now fully committed to bringing that sense of connection again, between an audience and a true talent."
Volumetric capture may be the last media stronghold carrying the legacy of truth.

"We're not just building time machines – we're crafting empathy engines," Reiss concludes, solidifying DNE's commitment to using technology to create authentic experiences for the audience.

Experience "1906 Atlanta Race Massacre":

World Premiere, SXSW XR Competition Mar 9-11 2025

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