I met Reuben Langdon and Mari Ueda at Just Cause Productions, yesterday. What an amazing facility and incredibly nice people. I am so grateful for the time they spent explaining their world.
As a primarily voice over artist, I am very interested in this relatively new arena of Motion Capture – mocap, also called performance capture…but no one wants to call it Pcap. 🙂 Mocap is what you all saw in “Avatar”, “Beowulf”, “Polar Express”, “Mars Needs Moms”, for example,  as well as many many video games.
Just Cause Productions, is a state of the art facility and very well regarded in the industry. The technology is mind bending and the advancements seem almost daily, in this emerging field. The opportunities for a versatile actor are finally back! Reuben is a pioneer in the field and the “go to guy” for mocap, stunts, stunt coordinating, acting, etc. He and Mari explained what you will find in a mocap studio, the terms and the technology. There is a definite skill set an actor will need to acquire and add to their acting chops. Many things are very similar to being a stage actor, like using your body to create a character. Also voice acting, dubbing, and ADR skills are quite helpful. It’s like everything you could ever have possibly learned as an actor, and then stuff it all into a specialty unitard, covered in reflectors, sensors, power packs, and high-tech electronics. Then they cover your face with a bazillion markers, little dots, and/or a special hat with head cameras. You memorize all your lines then they release you on a stage called a “volume” and you get to make the imaginary come to life!
I am so very excited to play in this new world. It’s hard to believe, my very first job was working as several characters at Disneyland. They, of course, were 3D. Now, thanks to amazing technology, I have the opportunity to bring legendary characters to “3D” again! What fun!!!