Becoming Animation Vertigo: A Woman in Motion Celebrates 10 Years in Motion Capture

Ten years ago, capturing multiple actors on stage at once was a difficult and complicated task, one that required a lot of work both on stage and off. Due to immense technological advances, today it’s possible to capture up to ten or more actors at one time with their markers still visible.

Facial capture was also uncommon and not as utilized when I first began Animation Vertigo. Now, there is a bigger capability for full performance capture (capturing both face and body motion at the same time) in all media forms including film, TV and games. Doing performance capture elevates the animation produced by motion capture and it continues to grow.

Motion capture has become a familiar term for film and game lovers. Thanks to behind-the-scenes coverage and social media, a larger audience is more aware and appreciative of what it brings to films and games.

For mocap users, the sophistication of tools and its usability has reduced the cost of doing motion capture and increased the volume of work that is currently being done.  More development teams can utilize it and are going into the new arenas of gaming platforms.
 

The industry of motion capture is now a global market. Animation Vertigo launched a global trend of outsourcing and made large multi-billion dollar companies comfortable with outsourcing. These companies now know that their intellectual property is protected and can be financially sustainable.

Ten years ago, a vast majority of motions were in-game or navigational moves. In today’s game world, storytelling is the main focus, which means over half of the work my team and I do is cinematic capture – full body, face and fingers – to help tell a story at a motion capture level.

Motion capture teams work hand-in-hand with animators. There used to be an old argument that pit motion capture technicians with keyframe animators, but today, wonderfully skilled animators know when to use mocap as a tool and resource. Studios are leaning towards hiring more animators than technicians, which is very different from ten years ago.

Software tools have become much more accessible, sophisticated and user-friendly. More people can utilize them and push technologies even further than before.

The industry has become much more actor-driven. We see that nuances make a difference and now, actors are important to push the reality into the character. They are hired to portray major roles like actors Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe in Beyond: Two Souls. The technology now allows the actor to engage their craft as never before in motion capture.

The motion capture industry is now much more supported, not just in courses and classes in motion capture animation but in acting and technicians as well as a growing support of business including motion capture suits, markers and stages.