MOVA was used to digitally age Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. More precisely, Digital Domain used the MOVA Contour facial-capture system to record Pitt’s expressions and transfer them to computer-generated versions of Benjamin at different ages.
Contour captured detailed facial movement using multiple cameras and special phosphorescent makeup. The production combined that performance data with scanned facial models and physical maquettes representing Benjamin at older ages. This allowed Pitt’s acting to remain recognizable even when the character appeared elderly or infant-like.
MOVA is sometimes mistaken for a conventional visual-effects package such as Maya or Photoshop. Those programs were part of the broader effects pipeline, but MOVA Contour’s distinctive role was facial-performance capture. The film’s pioneering work earned The Curious Case of Benjamin Button the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects at the 81st Academy Awards.