The Montpellier campus has integrated a professional motion capture system into its film studio. This top-of-the-range equipment will benefit students and professionals alike. This large-scale system, which is absolutely unprecedented for a school, is in line with our pedagogical commitment to offering cutting-edge technology for high-quality training courses.
A professional system unique in the region
The CinéCréatis school, through the Campus Créatif of which it is a member alongside the ETPA, IPESAA and ESMA schools, has integrated a new professional tool into its studio: motion capture(more on this process at the end of the article). In all, around twenty Vicon cameras (currently the international leader in this sector) are set out on grills, spread out over a delimited area measuring 7m x 7m x 6m. A set of 4 suits, all equipped with sensors, completes the set. Specialised software (Shogun) completes the package, allowing the live footage to be transcribed and integrated into a computer so that the digital project can then be created.
This installation in the heart of a school is unique in France, as this top-of-the-range tool is normally reserved for professionals. This motion capture studio will be accessible to the various schools on the Montpellier campus, since this technology can be found in 3D animation, traditional cinema and video games. This is a unique opportunity for our students to test and familiarise themselves with this equipment.
As well as being made available to students, professionals who so wish will also be able to work with this system. Barely installed and unveiled, motion capture is already attracting numerous requests from companies! This will open up new possibilities, enabling professionals and students to share their knowledge and develop synergies within the Cité Créative de Montpellier.
This installation is the result of a collaboration between the Écoles Créatives and the companies Progiss, Vicon and GPEM.
About the film studio
This 600m2 space, divided into 3 independent studios with 10 m high ceilings, features outstanding acoustic insulation. Each wall is made up of several layers of insulation for optimum soundproofing, and there is an acoustic slab on the floor made up of anti-vibration springs. Work areas can be separated by removable partitions, enabling multiple activities.
Each studio is also equipped with a motorised grill (a metal structure used to house the lighting), cycloramas covered in stretched canvas, including a green screen, and professional filming equipment including the famous twenty or so motion capture cameras, 4 black magic cameras and other cameras used on film sets, numerous LED projectors, including 36 from the renowned ARRI brand, offering a multitude of lighting options, high-tech microphones and recorders, and a well-stocked range of machinery.
The pro’s opinion
Damien Masson, Technical Manager of the Campus studio, gives us his professional opinion:
“This equipment allows our students to evolve in an exceptional professional environment; in fact, because of the evolution of these new technologies, young talents will be able to master a technique that is emerging more and more in current and future productions. It is vital that our training courses keep pace with the new tools and practices, so that our students are in tune with the realities and needs of the industry.
When students carry out their projects, this tool offers them increasingly advanced possibilities. For example, students studying 3D animation and special effects can now work on their characters directly using a human performance instead of animating the skeleton step by step.
Having such a facility locally also means that companies in the region can carry out their projects using professional equipment without having to relocate. Not only does this add value to local businesses, it also attracts professionals from international studios.
In Montpellier, we chose to install a system with around twenty cameras (compared with an average of 4 or 6 cameras), so that every movement of the body could be captured with the utmost precision. The surface area covered by these twenty or so cameras was also thought through with a view to achieving the widest possible coverage in terms of actions. Motion capture has enriched this incredible studio and is helping us to plan our future technological investments.
What is motion capture?
Motion capture is a technique for recording the positions and movements of people and objects. To do this, the actor wears a suit fitted with sensors that are detected by cameras. All the actions performed are then rendered on a computer in computer-generated images. These same captured images are then reworked by 3D animation professionals to create a character or special effects. One of the best-known examples of the use of motion capture is that of Andy Serkis, playing the character of Gollum in director Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy.
