Friday, November 16, 2007

More on the Great Debate

There's a good article on the AP website that further explores the debate about motion-capture as animation. You can read the full article here. Below are some quotes that I found interesting.
The creators of "Beowulf" don't call it animation, nor do they intend to replicate real life.

"It's a new art form that is performance-based," producer Steve Starkey said, echoing comments Zemeckis made about his 2004 effort, "The Polar Express" (a performance-capture movie that had many traditional animators shuddering for its characters' lifeless eyes and stilted movements.)

"If one were to call it traditional animation, I think it would be a disservice to the brilliant animators of the like that worked on 'Roger Rabbit,' that brought those characters to life. I also think it would be a disservice to the performers like Ray Winstone, whose performance lives on-screen."

2 comments:

  1. I have to admit that this debate has caused me to do more than a little soul searching and re-thinking. . . I believe that the main problem is that the animator's on these pictures are TRYING to instill the same sense of life and personality within these performance capture techniques, but I do have to agree that given the limitations of the medium and the restrictions from the directors it leaves very little room for personal injection of character on the part of the animator. . . I just hope everyone understands that there really are talented animators working on these projects and it's just as much of a "dis-service" to their talent and effort to be categorically dismissed as such when they have very little control or room to add input.

    But for what it's worth Victor, you've changed my mind and caused me to do a lot of soul searching over the course of this debate! heheh

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  2. I dont know if you've seen this. But this is from the CalArts Producer Show. Heres their point of view.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YA7V6fwzJtI

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