Industries such as new technologies and games have given birth to the mocap actor industry.
Podini is 28 years old and a native of Chengdu. Graduated from the dance major and keen on playing games, she came into contact with the motion capture actor industry by chance, and her own advantages also made her gradually comfortable in this field. "Dream of becoming the top domestic motion capture boss", is the profile of Potini's social software. She wants to specialize in this industry and plans to open a related company in the future.
Potini in a mocap suit. Photo courtesy of the interviewee
Dance students are new to the world of "motion capture".
The front paws are on the ground, and when frightened, jump sideways for a small step, and after the "alarm" is lifted, stretch and shake your legs. The cat then stood up and took on a human form. With her graceful stance, Potini simulates the standby state of the game's character. As a mocap actor, her movements are translated into data, which will be refined by animators and then presented in the game world.
In 2017, she graduated from dance and her first job was as a physical education teacher at a specialized college in Sichuan. Because her profession was not reflected, she left her job soon after and joined a song and dance troupe in Chengdu. A year later, she quit her job again and went abroad to study for a master's degree.
Podini loved playing games during her college years and also followed the information of mocap actors. She searched and found that there happened to be a company in Chengdu that was recruiting motion capture actors, so in 2021, she started her "motion capture" career, designing performance actions for the characters in the game.
The first game character she received was an aristocratic woman with a complex personality. The motion capture actor is Party B in the game production chain, and the game company is Party A. In the scene given by Party A, the character wants to lose his temper, but he must be moderately forbearing, and the actor must show the arrogance and rudeness of the character, but also reflect his leadership status. The character's performance time is controlled within 10 seconds, with a certain field shift, and finally returns to the standby action of the game character.
"I had to express the character of a character in 10 seconds, and I didn't have a picture in my mind at that time, and I couldn't find a reference. Potini said that when she first started in the industry, there were few mocap actors, and she rarely got experience. Through continuous running-in and adjustment with the on-site director and animators, she completed her first motion capture.
The difficulty comes from the "walls" of the virtual world and the real world, and after putting on the "shell" of the game character, the actor's movements will be weakened, and the normal actions will be projected into the game world, which is very weird. Therefore, the movements should be as exaggerated as possible.
Podini said that the game production has an animation mindset, and the actors can't do the movements according to the thinking of normal people, nor can they do the thinking of dance. "After learning the mechanics of the game, I understood what kind of rhythm should be there and how to highlight the characters' poses to look good. ”
Three years later, Podini has become a full-fledged motion capture actor and is well-known in the industry. The posture of women from all over the world wielding weapons, and the demeanor of different women walking to the table and sitting down, are restrained, relaxed, and domineering, and she has coped with them freely. Podini posted action videos of her designs on her social accounts, and many of the videos exceeded one million views. "The body is in control and has rhythmic beauty. "The amplitude of the hand shaking is too right!" commented many netizens. At the same time, there are also people who are engaged in game planning who express their appreciation.
Podini wears a facial device that captures her expressions. Photo courtesy of the interviewee
Mobilize each joint to interpret the character
The actions of motion capture actors can be divided into two categories: one is performance, like the "literary drama" in film and television dramas. The other is "martial arts", which refers to mechanical actions.
Mechanical actions are like walking, running, jumping, climbing over walls, etc. Acting actions include in-game character display animations, as well as game characters' touch reactions. Some very plotty actions also belong to "literary dramas", such as cutscenes, which are to connect the plot, tell the player why they want to do the task, and explain the background story of the game's world view.
The performance of a mocap actor also requires delicate expression. The game character has an initial standby action and will maintain an inherent standing position. When the player does not operate the character for a long time, the character will have a "personality animation" display to remind the player to continue the operation. In "character animation", actors are required to show cold, lazy or arrogant, effeminate traits.
In her performance, Potini mobilizes each joint to interpret the character. If you are an adult woman, the swing of the crotch will be relatively small, but the swing of the shoulders will be larger. If the adult woman is a sexy character, then her crotch swing will be larger, but her shoulders will not be very large.
The motion capture actor is also very particular about the stride he walks. It is necessary to walk in a straight line, and on the premise of ensuring that the body dynamics and the character's personality match, the stride length should be as consistent as possible, so that the animator can intercept and do the loop. "If the left foot is a little bigger, the right foot is a little smaller, or the left foot is a little bit outward, and the right foot is not so open, it will affect the overall animation of the character, and it will be a lot of trouble for the animator to refine. ”
The artistry of the game character is determined by the performance of the actors, and after the motion capture is completed, the animator needs to be involved to refine the motion capture data to further increase the beauty of the character. The final presentation of the character's actions is the result of the animator and the motion capture actor "running in both directions".
Portini's mocap gloves. Photo courtesy of the interviewee
It can accept a wide range of employment fields
New technology has given birth to the motion capture actor industry. Motion capture technology was first used in the film and television field, and in recent years, more and more game production companies have used motion capture. According to industry insiders, motion capture technology can greatly improve the efficiency of game production, saving time and economic costs compared to animator production.
Optical motion capture is currently a widely used solution. During the shooting, the actor wears a motion capture suit with reflective points, and there are multiple cameras in a fixed position in the studio, and the light emitted by them will reflect the reflective points on the actor's body into the motion capture software to form data and record.
"Although the mocap suit is expensive, it pierces people, especially the reflective points on the clothes, so you must wear long sleeves and long pants first. "The tight black mocap suit wraps around the actor's torso, and the head, hands, and feet are also covered with reflective dots. After wearing, the actor first stands still, marks the record in front of the motion capture software, and if the software shows that the captured human body is distorted, the actor must first "draw" and re-capture. After the mocaptor has confirmed each reflective point, he can start to do the action, "It is impossible to go through it all over again, you need to adjust it all the time." ”
With the blessing of the advantages of the dance major, Portini's movements are light and beautiful. She believes that not only dancers, but also martial arts actors, film and television actors can take motion capture actors as a new employment direction. "For example, some Xianxia and fighting games need martial arts actors. If the plot is very delicate, actors who are professional in film and television acting have an advantage. ”
Potini. Photo courtesy of the interviewee
Don't worry about being replaced by artificial intelligence
Motion capture actors cannot reveal their roles until they receive a clear publicity request from Party A. "From a player's point of view, if all the characters you play are played by a mocap actor, some players will feel that the integrity of the game character is being damaged, especially if the mocap actor is not the player's favorite actor, and there may be negativity. Generally, Party A will ask us to keep it confidential. In terms of ensuring the player's experience, Party A will try its best to protect the virtual world and prevent the "invasion" of the real world.
After getting the requirements for the role, the motion capture actor should provide draft 1, draft 2, and draft 3...... kept communicating with Party A to confirm, and the final draft was passed, and the actor officially entered the motion capture work. When it comes to the filming site, after the actor performs it once, if he finds that the draft design is not good, he has to communicate with the on-site director to revise it.
Pordini is a more skilled mocap actor, and most of her filming can be done in a few strips. The more "extreme" experience is that I played 5 roles in one day, each with 5 different personalities. Podini has to design the action according to the character's model, personality, and personality.
Frequent emotional mobilization can make people feel tired. If you play a lively and cheerful role, you have to play it in a very energetic state every time, and the next one will soon switch to a sexy role, and then change to a more cold role.
Potini believes that motion capture actors can't just be a "marionette", what Party A says, he can do himself. She has taught herself how to operate software, understands the mechanics of animation, and can design her own movements. She also communicates with the animation director on the job site or consults with senior animators.
Game production is an industry where technology changes quickly. Now, artificial intelligence can generate videos on demand, and under the impact of new technologies, will motion capture actors be replaced? However, if you want to reflect the complex character of the character, personify the game character, and the actor who can show the characteristics of the character is not easy to replace.
In recent years, Shanghai has become a gathering place for game companies, and many large companies have set up branches here. Compared with other cities, Shanghai has more motion capture actors. Although she lives in Chengdu, she has already traveled back and forth to Shanghai five times in April, where there are more job opportunities.
Currently, mocap actors are still a niche job, but as the number of game companies increases, so does the demand for mocap actors. Potini speculates that in a year or two, the number of motion capture actors will increase, Party A will pursue quality more, and motion capture actors will enter the market environment of survival of the fittest.
Beijing News reporter Wang Jingxi
Edited by Fan Yijing and proofread by Wu Xingfa