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Matrix digital rain, Matrix code, is the
Example implementation of the Matrix digital rain in Rust
Examples of Matrix digital rain implementations on Rosetta Code
{{The Matrix Film and television opening sequences Screensavers Digital rain
Matrix digital rain, Matrix code, is the computer code
A computer is a machine that can be programmed to carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as programs. These progra ...
featured in the ''Matrix'' series. The falling green code is a way of representing the activity of the simulated reality
The simulation theory is the hypothesis that reality could be simulated—for example by quantum computer simulation—to a degree indistinguishable from "true" reality. It could contain conscious minds that may or may not know that they live i ...
environment of the Matrix
Matrix most commonly refers to:
* ''The Matrix'' (franchise), an American media franchise
** ''The Matrix'', a 1999 science-fiction action film
** "The Matrix", a fictional setting, a virtual reality environment, within ''The Matrix'' (franchis ...
on screen by kinetic typography. All four ''Matrix'' movies, as well as the spin-off ''The Animatrix
is a 2003 adult animated science-fiction anthology film produced by the Wachowskis. The film details through nine animated short films the backstory of ''The Matrix'' film series, including the original war between humanity and machines which l ...
'' episodes, open with the code. It is a characteristic mark of the franchise, similar to the opening crawl
The ''Star Wars'' opening crawl is a signature device of the opening sequences of every numbered film of the ''Star Wars'' series, an American epic space opera franchise created by George Lucas. Within a black sky background featuring a smatteri ...
featured in the ''Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' franchise.
Background
In the film, the code that comprises the Matrix itself is frequently represented as downward-flowing green characters. This code uses a custom typeface designed by Simon Whiteley, which includes mirror images of half-width kana characters and WesternLatin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
letters and numerals. In a 2017 interview at CNET
''CNET'' (short for "Computer Network") is an American media website that publishes reviews, news, articles, blogs, podcasts, and videos on technology and consumer electronics globally. ''CNET'' originally produced content for radio and televi ...
, he attributed the design to his wife, who comes from Japan, and added, "I like to tell everybody that The Matrix's code is made out of Japanese sushi recipes".
The effect resembles that of older generation green screen
Chroma key compositing, or chroma keying, is a visual-effects and post-production technique for compositing (layering) two images or video streams together based on colour hues ( chroma range). The technique has been used in many fields to r ...
displays of monochrome phosphorescent computer monitors. One predecessor of the digital rain exists in a "code-scene" of the movie ''Meteo
Meteo may refer to:
*The spelling, without accents, of Météo
*Meteo (film), a 1989 Hungarian film
*Meteo, an asteroid belt in the ''Star Fox'' series of video games
*Meteo, a magic spell in some of the ''Final Fantasy'' video games
*Meteo, a des ...
'', a Hungarian experimental-pop culture movie from 1990. The 1995 cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian futuristic setting that tends to focus on a "combination of lowlife and high tech", featuring futuristic technological and scientific achievements, such as artificial intelligence and cyber ...
film '' Ghost in the Shell'', a strong influence on ''The Matrix'', Joel Silver, interviewed in "Scrolls to Screen: A Brief History of Anime" featurette on ''The Animatrix
is a 2003 adult animated science-fiction anthology film produced by the Wachowskis. The film details through nine animated short films the backstory of ''The Matrix'' film series, including the original war between humanity and machines which l ...
'' DVD.Joel Silver, interviewed in "Making ''The Matrix''" featurette on ''The Matrix'' DVD. features opening credits similar to the digital rain.
No official version of the code's typeface
A typeface (or font family) is the design of lettering that can include variations in size, weight (e.g. bold), slope (e.g. italic), width (e.g. condensed), and so on. Each of these variations of the typeface is a font.
There are list of type ...
actually used in the ''Matrix'' trilogy and in the website for the game '' Path of Neo'' has been released. Several imitations have been made, mostly in the form of screensavers.
Cultural impact
Dutch musician Arjen Anthony Lucassen named a track "Digital Rain", in honour of the movie, on his 2010 album '' Victims of the Modern Age'' by his band Star One. The effect also inspired the creation of many unofficial ''Matrix'' screensavers.See also
* Monochrome monitor *Simulated reality
The simulation theory is the hypothesis that reality could be simulated—for example by quantum computer simulation—to a degree indistinguishable from "true" reality. It could contain conscious minds that may or may not know that they live i ...
References
External links
Example implementation of the Matrix digital rain in Rust
Examples of Matrix digital rain implementations on Rosetta Code
{{The Matrix Film and television opening sequences Screensavers Digital rain