Perspective Studios has just opened a Santa Monica, CA studio marking what is the start of a new era: Performance Capture. They have a brand new "Volume" consisting of 50 configurable motion capture digital cameras to capture multiple targets, with or without markers (a room surrounded by modern cameras to video one or more actors with or without a green screen and props). Tom Armbruster (Beowulf, Monster House, Polar Express) and Matthew Bauer (Avatar) represent two resources available to Perspective Studios clients and they obviously have plenty of stereoscopic 3D experience.We have seen "Volumes" in use before, like Beowulf and Avatar that were specially crafted for the productions - but now we see an independent and focused "Performance Capture" studio launching.
Check out the how Robert Zemeckis used a "Volume" to help create Beowulf:
Look for more studios like this to open worldwide as the "Performance Capture" space heats up. This is cutting edge stuff folks!! Here is their press release:
Perspective Studios, a leading creator of animation and motion capture for feature film, television, commercials and video games, announced today the opening of a West Coast studio in Santa Monica, California. In a significant expansion for the company, which also has state-of-the-art motion capture and production facilities in New York, the new facility will provide top-quality 3D animation and motion capture on the ground in Los Angeles and support Perspective Studios’ rapidly expanding portfolio of clients, production attachments and original IP.
The Santa Monica studio features full-service motion capture in a setup designed and run by veterans of the motion capture industry, including Tom Armbruster, who joins Perspective Studios from VICON Motion Systems as vice president of business development, and Matthew Bauer, formerly head of Motion Analysis Studios, who has been appointed Perspective Studios’ animation VP.
“We see Perspective Studios as a new breed of animation company that will thrive on creating end-to-end animation for publishing and production partners while also developing and co-producing our own stories,” said Steven Lehrhoff, CEO, Perspective Studios. “Our custom-built facility in L.A. is helping us reach this goal by augmenting our capabilities, team and geographic reach.”
Aimed at in-house as well as client work, the new studio is outfitted with 50 high-speed, high-resolution VICON F40 motion capture cameras in a configurable volume for real-time, multiple performer motion capture. This ups the company’s total motion capture camera count to 100 across two locations.
Several technology advances and processes engineered by Perspective Studios and implemented at the facility make motion capture more seamless, transparent and user friendly for new productions. These include the ability to supervise live motion capture sessions remotely from any location with simultaneous live data feeds, and the use of accurate virtual cameras and pre-vis environments to more effectively frame shots and actors in both marker-based and markerless motion capture scenarios. The new space also features innovative audio systems, data and reference video projection, stunt rigging capabilities and a range of creature comforts and amenities.
Tom Armbruster comes to Perspective Studios from VICON Motion Systems, where he managed feature film and television accounts from 2001 to 2007 and grew the company’s entertainment business by more than 300%. Among many notable client collaborations, he worked closely with Robert Zemeckis’ ImageMovers Digital studio to develop and deliver the performance capture solution used on such ground-breaking films as The Polar Express, Monster House and Beowulf.
Matthew Bauer brings more than nine years of experience in motion capture with companies including Motion Analysis Studios, Shanghai Film Studio and Netter Digital. Bauer helped provide motion capture production and R&D for a number of landmark motion pictures, including I Robot, Chronicles of Riddick, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and James Cameron’s Avatar. He has been instrumental in setting up motion capture facilities at The Jim Henson Company and other studios.
Perspective Studios recently completed all motion capture for Rockstar Games’ blockbuster Grand Theft Auto IV video game and delivered motion capture animation for new ads from award-winning commercial clients Psyop and The Mill. Perspective Studios is currently working on several forthcoming projects through its production and publishing partnership with Virgin Comics.
About Perspective Studios Perspective Studios is an industry-leading CG production house specializing in television, commercials, feature film and video games. With a portfolio of marquee attachments and co-productions, original IP developments and client service work, the company successfully defines a new model for the next-generation 3D animation firm. Perspective Studios’ globally distributed team, headquartered in New York and Santa Monica, boasts skills in story and concept art development, character and environment modeling, crowd simulation, texturing, lighting, compositing, sound design, cinematic and voiceover direction and talent casting. Each of the company’s facilities incorporates advanced, real-time full body motion capture with virtual camera, pre-vis and facial animation technologies. Animation by Perspective Studios has been seen in projects for Rockstar Games, Psyop, The Mill, MTV Games/Electronic Arts, THQ, Nickelodeon and many others. For information, visit www.perspectivestudios.com or contact 516/671-7505 (New York) or 310/451-6700 (Santa Monica).
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