Acting the UI can be a very cool way to prototype an experience. Sketch a few screens in paper (or have building blocks a la LEGO to show an animation) and then have a user be the computer and the other(s) the user(s).
Very recommendable exercise. Even more if you want to get into VFX in Hollywood!
Dav Rauch, an artist/creative in residence at IDEO that came from film, interestingly designed the UI for Jarvis in Iron Man. An insight from the chat was that Jarvis was designed AFTER the filming was done so they had to figure out how to make it credible. The film director gave him a simple, yet profound tip: “design it as if it were a dialogue between two people”. I think they nailed it.
