capture service bureau and a division of VICON, the developer of Academy
Award-winning motion capture systems, today announced the company’s most
significant expansion to date. VICON House of Moves (HOM) has just
completed the build-out of a new soundproof motion capture sound stage for
full body and facial capture that is capable of recording final audio
simultaneous to performance capture. HOM has also expanded its staff with
a team of 16 animators to deliver a complete slate of animation services to
clients in games, film, television and multimedia.
their storytelling capabilities. We have effectively mimicked the
procedures of the traditional live action set and tied them into the
virtual environment. We can replicate almost anything that can happen on a
live action stage-from the physical performance of the actors to the
positioning of virtual cameras in real-time,” explained Scott Gagain,
Executive Producer, VICON House of Moves. “Moreover, with the addition of
our full service animation team, we’re more of a comprehensive creative
resource for our clients than ever before.”
The new HOM sound stage features a 30′ X 50′ full body capture volume
designed with a rig that contracts down to a 30′ X 30′ volume size for
tighter, detailed performance capture requirements. The stage is capable
of supporting up to 20 performers at once and can be outfitted with up to
270 VICON motion capture cameras. This stage is fully enclosed, with all
supporting CPUs housed in a soundproof, glass-encased room so that clean
dialogue can be recorded without any interfering background noise. In
addition to the new stage, HOM also maintains a 40′ X 70′ X 25′ high main
stage, and can manage clients working on both stages simultaneously with or
without first unit crews shooting alongside the motion capture cameras.
The new stage at VICON House of Moves has already been operating on test
projects for game developer Naughty Dog Entertainment and VFX company Zoic
Studios. The stage and camera rig was designed by HOM’s Head of Stage
Production, Sean Stanek, formerly the motion capture producer on Monster
House and Beowulf at Sony Pictures Imageworks.
“Game and film clients alike can benefit from tackling both audio and
performance recording simultaneously in one take, saving a lot of their
production budget, especially when working with A-list sports and Hollywood
talent. The stage is not only incredibly functional, but it also caters to
the needs of directors and producers with a plush ‘mission control’ raised
platform alcove for overseeing everything happening on stage in the most
comfortable and effective way possible,” explained Stanek.
An additional staff of 16 CG animators has also been added to deliver high
quality, polished animated characters to clients-whether said characters
were conceived using mo-cap or more traditional keyframing approaches. The
work of the animation team ranges from finalized cinematic animations to
in-engine looping and blending and more. The team is supervised by VICON
HOM vp of production, Brian Rausch. “Oftentimes clients will want a more
stylized keyframed look alongside of their mo-cap, while others may want
retargeted characters that build the power and dynamics back into high
action moves that may have been impossible for the human actor to perform
for safety reasons.”
“Motion capture is a really valuable tool, however with the addition of
keyframe animation and sound-stage quality audio we are really well
equipped to provide a broad range of solutions to service our clients’
specific project requirements,” concluded Amy Calcote, Post Production
Manager, VICON House of Moves.
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