"Avatar 2" Beats Thanos with Motion Capture Technology!

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2024 Nov. 28

Applications: Motion Capture, Underwater MoCap, Performance Capture, Cinematic MoCap; exemplified by the likes of "The Avengers" and "Avatar".

After 13 years, James Cameron's space opera "Avatar 2" was released as scheduled! In an early interview, Director Cameron mentioned that the character special effects in "Avatar 2" are incredibly realistic. The motion capture and facial expression capture effects of the Na'vi are far superior to those of Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

If motion capture technology made "Avatar" a success, then "Avatar" also contributed to the popularity of motion capture technology, making more film industry peers and audiences aware of what motion capture technology is and what it can bring to film production.

By choosing to combine live-action shooting, motion capture, and CG technology for filming, a rich and colorful world of Pandora was created, making the audience "know it's fake but willing to believe it's real". With the investment of time, advanced technology, and genuine performances, the appeal of "Avatar 2" is self-evident.

Utilizing the achievements of industrial technology to push the audiovisual effects of films to the extreme is an area that many film creators are constantly attempting and exploring. Motion capture technology has been incorporated into the film production workflow for over 30 years. From being used for just a few seconds of footage initially to being almost indispensable in an entire work, why is its application value so high? Perhaps Chingmu, as a veteran motion capture enterprise, can provide the answer!

Chingmu

Chingmu, as a leading optical motion capture technology service enterprise in China, has long provided comprehensive solutions for the use of motion capture systems in the field of film production. It has successfully participated in the CG shooting and production of many films such as "The Battle at Lake Changjin II: The Watergate Bridge" and "One and Only".

It also provides motion capture technology services for film and animation enterprises and institutions such as Time Axis, Beijing Starlight Film and Television Park, Virtual Film and Television, Wangchen Technology, Original Force Animation, and Shanghai Theatre Academy.

Performance Fidelity

Using motion capture technology can maximize the preservation of the charm of actors' movements. Even the subtlest micro-expressions or micro-movements cannot escape the "sharp eyes" of high-precision motion capture cameras. The MC series optical motion capture system of Chingmu Vision features high precision and low latency, capable of capturing actors' delicate expressions and movements in real time, restoring the natural rhythm of character movements. As Director Cameron put it, compared to "motion capture", he prefers to call this technology "performance capture". When actors' emotions are in place, their movement performances will naturally be on point. And the motion capture system can accurately map a spot-on look, gesture, or body language, which can also excellently enhance the performance emotions and atmosphere.

Real-time Preview

By mapping actors' movements onto character models, whether the interaction between the movements, the characters, the overall film environment, and other characters is smooth and harmonious used to be something that could only be seen during post-production in traditional filmmaking. With motion capture technology, the synthesized production footage can be previewed in real time, facilitating on-site adjustments and guidance by directors and action designers, making the film plot and visuals more coherent and reducing the work of post-production fixes.

Virtual Camera

By using the motion capture system to match and lock the shooting space with the virtual space of the footage, and also to match and lock the real camera with the virtual camera, with the help of virtual shooting technology, directors can directly see the envisioned scenes on the monitor instead of the actual green screen scenes, facilitating the guidance of the shooting by the production team. MEGO, a deep partner of Chingmu, used the MC1300 motion capture camera to complete the shooting of many press conferences and music videos. In the picture above, at the MV shooting site, the creative team used the virtual camera to construct multi-angular virtual space visual scenes.

Enhancing Efficiency

It has been widely recognized in the industry that using motion capture to produce films and animations can enhance the efficiency of the entire workflow. Using the motion capture system allows technical personnel from various departments to discuss and analyze the same shot or movement together, ensuring that the team's understanding of the work's effect is synchronized in real time. This not only reduces communication costs but also shortens the production cycle, reduces post-production adjustments, and improves work efficiency. Chingmu will also help clients create their own work paths, break through technical barriers, and optimize the work process.

Vision has streamlined the workflow for Original Force Animation.

We look forward to seeing more and more Chinese film works adopt various integrated creation methods to create stunning audiovisual effects for excellent film scripts, leaving a glorious mark in the history of Chinese cinema. Chingmu will also continue to do its utmost to inject innovative vitality into the cause of Chinese cinema.