Tool in action
This is an image that came out of our first previs session with MR Camera.
Photo Credits: Ania Pankiewicz - photo 3D Artwork: Chris Clemes
MR Camera Kit:
The tech we are using so far in this project is:
Magic leap headset : https://www.magicleap.com/en-us - it allows you to see augmented 3d assets inside a real space (realistic holograms that are placed in real space).
The Rokoko motion capture suit: https://www.rokoko.com/en - this allows us to create 3D animations in real time.
Unreal Game Engine: The hands down game engine winner for virtual film production: https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/programs/virtual-production
The advantage of having the talent (actors) in the Magic Leap is they get to see the CG Computer Graphic elements thru the headset during the motion capture process. This means that they can realistically react to dragons, aliens, zombies that they will see in the headset rather than imagining them on a green screen set.
Mancopolis:
As we build the MR Camera tool we want to solve real world production problems that would come up from the logistics of shooting a film. We came up with a script for a film called Mancopolis - a post apocalyptic dystopian story that takes place in Manchester England after an alien invasion. Its inspired by the Coronavirus hysteria that we can see outside our office window and on the BBC, and a poem by John Cooper Clarke called "I Married a Monster From Outer Space" :
The days were numbered, the nights were spent In a rent-free furnished oxygen tent Where a cyborg chef served up moonbeams Done super-rapid on a laser beam
Stay tuned for more updates on the MR Camera tool development and the 'Mancopolis' film.
Thanks John: We are using the Magic Leap that uses AR instead of VR so that you can see the other actors faces quite well. This demo shows you what I am talking about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gERY29ry1aY .
Hi Ben,
This is very interesting and impressive - thanks. I have a question on a subject which I've been talking about with a company in Sweden who are doing something similar.
If the actors have headsets, I can imagine it's great that they can see aliens, virtual sets etc, but, what they won't be able to see surely, is one anothers' faces? Assuming so, this would mean they won't be able to react to the subtleties of their fellow actors' performances.
Maybe this is not an issue at pre-vis level, where presumably the nuances of performance will not be so relevant. However, it is an issue going forward where we will expect digital performance to be full of the…