Motion Capture
Over the years animation has continued to grow to levels no one would have ever contemplated. Such as the development of motion capture, motion capture allows for a combination of live action and animation. It basically works by a performer (whether they are an actor or a stuntman) putting on a black jumpsuit covered in sensors that look similar to small golf balls, which are strategically placed all over the suit. These sensors are then tracked by the animation equipment and in turn capture the choreography of the person accurately and smoothly. Once the animator has the choreographic movements properly tracked, they must then take their characters 3D model and connect it to the tracked movements of the motion capture. Because the movements in the animation were originally tracked from a real moving person, the choreography in the animation will be spot on to real human movement. Some of the films and shows created using motion capture are “Beowulf”, “Red Vs Blue”, and “Star Wars The Force Awakens”. With motion capture on the rise the expectations of good choreography in animation will continue to grow.
Choreography is a make or break detail in film and animation, in the way that to have poor choreography in a good movie makes it look shoddy but to have good choreography will make a good movie great. The methods of choreography have changed over the years for this very reason. The more authentic and smooth the choreography the better the project will look in the end. The goal of choreography in the future is to eventually have the equipment and skills to make the movements so real and precise and smooth that you think the movement must have been done by a real person. At the rate things are going, that day's most likely closer than anyone thinks.
Choreography is a make or break detail in film and animation, in the way that to have poor choreography in a good movie makes it look shoddy but to have good choreography will make a good movie great. The methods of choreography have changed over the years for this very reason. The more authentic and smooth the choreography the better the project will look in the end. The goal of choreography in the future is to eventually have the equipment and skills to make the movements so real and precise and smooth that you think the movement must have been done by a real person. At the rate things are going, that day's most likely closer than anyone thinks.