INSIDE THE NEW STATE OF THE ART PLATIGE IMAGE MOCAP STUDIO

In the latest addition of Lemonade Spotlights we head over to Poland to visit Platige Image and take a peek inside their sparkly new state of the art motion capture studio.

How will the new motion capture studio be able to increase the creative productivity of Platige Image?

The strengths of the studio (size, quality of material, height) will allow Platige to realize advanced sequences for both short and long animation forms, which will allow almost no restrictions in creating the world by our directors, but also applies to the implementation of external projects, i.e. for the client.

The studio owned by Platige Image is one of the largest motion capture studios in Europe (20 × 13 m area with a height of 8 m). It features high-tech equipment - including 62 OptiTrack PrimeX cameras, and 4 reference cameras that also function as virtual cameras, with bi-directional lens synchronization between the physical camera and the virtual software – and is operated by an experienced production team. The studio allows for full-body capture and face-capture recordings for multiple actors at the same time. It was created for a wide variety of projects, ranging from games, through commercials, to feature films.

We see motion capture being used way more in Triple A video games in both gameplay and video cinematics so now there’s a much bigger emphasis on acting and performance, how does the studio create a creative space that allows the performance to shine? 

We work closely with choreographers, specialists, intimacy and fight scene coordinators, etc. And again, we have the space to create advanced stunt scenes due to the size and height of the capture area, and special suspension, for example, as well as group scenes with multiple actors on account of the large active volume of the studio.

Does the studio utilize props and set design elements?

We have props, and also a workshop for modifying or creating custom solutions for set design and stage props. We work with prop masters , who supervise the development of the concept and then the implementation of the construction work.

Could you explain what real-time previs means and how does Unreal Engine and Motion Builder help with the process?

Real-time previs means we can make a recording with a preview in real time of the target 3D assets embedded in the target 3D environment – in other words, the actors perform and we can see it in 3D in the preview. And this preview is possible in both MoBu and UE.

For bigger projects such as feature films how long can the motion capture process take?

When it comes to producing mocap sessions for longer film forms, it all depends on the director's vision – how many actors are required, how complicated the scenes are, and how extensive the script is. We record it in the same unchanging location – the studio – without any lighting changes, but with alterations to the set and scenography since we have just the one1 studio. So I'd say the whole process can take a few weeks for sure.

Are you able to talk about any upcoming projects that will be happening at the studio?

Let's just say that we are working on some very exciting projects and we can't wait for them to air, but they will have to remain secret for the moment. We'll reveal more when they're finished.