Many people have heard of the term ‘motion capture’. Fewer have heard of the term ‘performance capture’ and fewer yet know the differences between them. Motion capture, in one form or another, has been around for many years, dating back to the invention of the Rotoscope by Max Fleischer in 1915, and has struggled for acceptance every step of the way.
Performance capture often gets referred to as motion capture (mocap) or performance animation. The variety of terms used to describe the process is indicative of a field that lacks a clear definition of its boundaries and the uncertainty of its role in film making.
The development of performance capture increasingly blurs the line between what is acting and what is animation so much so that people from both disciplines are threatened. Actors feel as though they are being replaced by animated characters and animators feel as though their craft is being polluted by technical cheats.
Performance capture fills in the void between live action and computer generated (CG) footage. As the technology improves we will find that performance capture will be seen, not as a replacement for traditional media but as a tool that empowers us as film makers to see our visions created to the fullest extent. While its use is not always appropriate, performance capture has a place in the film makers’ toolkit.
History of Performance Capture
The concept of using human movement as a basis for animated characters is not new. In fact, it began as early as 1919 with Max Fleischer’s Koko the Clown. Max, having taken video footage of his brother Dave in a clown suit, used his invention, the Rotoscope, to trace the action of his animated character. Though this was very time consuming, it resulted in amazingly li...
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Closing
Despite the reservations of some in the field, performance capture is here to stay. With any new development there are those who will be intimidated, and those who feel that the new methods somehow require less skill.
The success of any film, no matter what methods are applied to complete it, is based on the idea and execution. Often people get caught up in a purist view of an art form. So much so that they forget the purpose of the art, which is the message. All art serves the message, the techniques used to reach this end are of secondary importance.
Performance capture has the potential to save both time and money while sometimes delivering superior results. A true craftsman uses whatever tool is best for the job. Leaving a tool on the shelf because you feel it’s less pure doesn’t make you a better artist, it makes you irresponsible.
My initial idea for this paper was to focus on the technical aspects of the film—the hybrid of animation and live action. I first saw this technique used in The Three Caballeros (Ferguson & Young, 1944) and was going to research this film, but the amount of literature on t...
According to Cambridge Online Dictionary, a performance is the action of entertaining other people by dancing singing, acting, or playing music. In a performance, performer(s) execute their act while audiences watch and critique. Performance of the human body changes depending on various factors such as the format, venue, and dynamics between the performer and spectators. In Anna Deavere Smith’s Never Giving’ Up, which is a live performance, and The Pianist, which is a film, there are differences and similarities on how the performance of the human body alters.
...re as same as the audience use in their everyday life. Easily connecting to the audience, with visual, audio and performer’s performance” one can imagine himself/herself in performer’s shoes.
Erving Goffman, the author of “The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life.” said “the individual will act so that he intentionally or unintentionally expresses himself and the others will in turn have to be impressed in some way by him.” (Ichheiser 1949, 6-7). The key word in this quote that will help us understand what Goffman means by “performance” is the word act. When you go to the theater or the movies you watch
...successful collaboration of sound, colour, camera positioning and lighting are instrumental in portraying these themes. The techniques used heighten the suspense, drama and mood of each scene and enhance the film in order to convey to the spectator the intended messages.
Mise en scene is a French theatrical term meaning “placing on stage,” or more accurately, the arrangement of all visual elements of a theatrical production within a given playing area or stage. The exact area of a playing area or stage is contained by the proscenium arch, which encloses the stage in a picture frame of sorts. However, the acting area is more ambiguous and acts with more fluidity by reaching out into the auditorium and audience. Whatever the margins of the stage may be, mise en scene is a three dimensional continuation of the space an audience occupies consisting of depth, width, and height. No matter how hard one tries to create a separate dimension from the audience, it is in vain as the audience always relates itself to the staging area. Mise en scene in movies is slightly more complicated than that of an actual theater, as it is a compilation of the visual principles of live theater in the form of a painting, hence the term “motion picture.” A filmmaker arranges objects and people within a given three-dimensional area as a stage director would. However, once it is photographed, the three-dimensional planes arranged by the director are flattened to a two-dimensional image of the real thing. This eliminates the third dimension from the film while it is still occupied by the audience, giving a movie the semblance of an audience in an art gallery. This being so, mis en scene in movies is therefore analogous to the art of painting in that an image of formal patterns and shapes is presented on a flat surface and is enclosed within a frame with the addition of that image having the ability to move freely within its confines. A thorough mise en scene evaluation can be an analysis of the way things are place on stage in...
“Whenever someone hears the word ‘anime’ they immediately think of Japanese animation or in the very least Asian cartoons. Really, though the word ‘anime’ is derived form the word ‘animation’. And the definition of animation is the making of movies by filming a sequence of slightly varying drawings or models so that they appear to move and change when the sequence is shown.” (par. 1)
According to Munsterberg’s film theory, the motion picture is an original medium in that it aesthetically stimulates the spectator’s senses. Although both still picture and theatrical play can possibly leave images on the spectator’s retina or brain, each element of motion picture, including camera angle and work, lighting, editing, music, and the story itself, appeals to somewhere more than just retina or brain— the element of motion picture truly operates upon the spectator’s mind. Speaking of Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan, the film unfolds a story of physically and mentally repressed ballerina’s life. Due to the film’s effective filming and editing techniques, the film successfully increases excitement as well as suspense in the story. Since Black Swan captures not only the real world the ballerina lives in but also the other side of the world the ballerina has within her mind, its spectator would experience a fantastic world where one ballerina lives in two different worlds at the same time. Even though the still picture and the theatrical play also give the spectator either a visual or an aural image, motion picture is the one that stimulates the spectator’s senses with its story, color, sound, acting, filming, and editing.
As time and people are continually changing, so is knowledge and information; and in the film industry there are inevitable technological advances necessary to keep the attraction of the public. It is through graphic effects, sounds and visual recordings that all individuals see how we have evolved to present day digital technology; and it is because of the efforts and ideas of the first and latest great innovators of the twentieth century that we have advanced in film and computers.
If any one has ever watched some of the really old animation such as Steamboat Willy done by Walt Disney Studios in the late 1920’s or some of the animations showing up on the Internet nowadays. They know that animation has come a long way and is still improving.
Another advantage is providing feedback to employees on their work performance. Instead of listening to a manager tell an employee how to do a job, one may review a tape to see exactly what they are doing wrong and judge the employees performance. In this case, monitoring is used as a tool to show employees their work habits and what they need to change to improve their performance. Employees generally like this because they can see for themselves their weak and strong points, and they can use the information to improve their work methods. This knowledge can increase employee performance and efficiency.
One of the films most important and groundbreaking technology is the use of motion capture. Motion capture technology has the ability to capture more realistic eye movements. Special reflective markers are placed onto the actors, which are wearing tight suits. Cameras recognize these markers and therefore the movements of the actor can be recorded. The captured data that was recorded is transformed into a digital model and transferred to a 3D software which would show the characters moving exactly how the actors did when they were performing for the scene. The data is cleaned up and animators will bring the character to life, with movement, texture, skeleton and muscles. An advantage that is offered in motion capture is it is more rapid and producing the animate...
When implementing a new performance management system in an organization there are both advantages and disadvantages that need to be taken into consideration by the design team. However, one of the best ways to know if a performance management system is effective is by implementing the system within the organization and then continuously monitor and reevaluate if the system is still relevant to the organizational
Animations are a series of drawings, computer graphics, or photographs of objects, like puppets and models, which are different from each to create a variety of entertainment for the audiences. Animations are what brings excitement and mystery, hooking the audience in through interest. It is a form of some sort of “magic” where things that aren’t real but from the imagination comes to life in front of people who live these mundane, ordinary lives, adding color to the eyes and mind. The creators of such amazing arts and creation are animators.
In the beginning of animation, animators created images using pen and paper. They were then arranged to give the illusion of movement and depth. This type of animation is called traditional or 2D animation. This style is a great option if the animator is working with characters and want the benefits of a hand drawn quality. However, with 2D animation the animator would need to start completely from a scratch piece of paper to change the camera angle for a scene. Also, truth is fewer and fewer animators can create drawings needed to make a beautiful 2D animation. Today, animators have turned more to 3D animation. 3D animations are created on a computer, with modeling programs to produce a much more realistic and complex animation experience. What helps in making a lifelike animation, is the simple fact that it can be viewed and lit from all angles. 3D animation also adds textures that can be placed into live scenes and elements. This style can work for any concept and offers flexible, customizable, and an overall fluid motion. A friend (a non-animator) of J.K. Riki was asked why he thought 3D compared to 2D was “more real”. He replied and said, “blurs the line between fantasy and reality” and “a child’s daydream – and all other ages – is theoretically 3D, so it’s like their fantasies come to life”. However, what an animator must know is to achieve beautiful movement within the animation, animators must apply the same principles that apply to 2D. Just because it 3D is done digitally, doesn’t mean it is done completely for the