Why Didn't Motion Capture Replace Animation?

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Video by David Oneacre

Music by Jayfoo

[SirloinBurgers]

I think the Doodley avatar works better as a mo-capped mascot suit than most others because it doesn't have pupils. Seeing an animated character tilt and turn their head without moving their eyeballs just reminds me of Foodfight.

Also love the AI comparison, I am so tired of being prompted to use AI companions with pet names in every piece of software I touch. But when is a corporate fad not annoying lol

[SleepyGameDev]

I get why people say the polar express was creepy, but as a kid, it was one of my favorite movies. Also the AI problem is also in programming, people EXPECT it to work, but then they have to spend a couple hours properly integrating it and it just ends up taking more time to get the same result.

[BenniWithABiscuit]

The fact they had to put a seal of approval at the end of a movie's credits to say that there was no motion capture is honestly wild 😭

[camwing]

I was in the middle of typing a comment that compared executive cost cutting with motion capture to generative AI, then you beat me to that exact point. Glad I didn't post that comment, otherwise I'd look like an IDIOT

[nateroo]

Can i just say, thank you for being very real with the sponsors price and applications. I feel a lot of creators just do the base read without talking about price or limitations and it really sets me off of the product being promoted. That transparency really helps and thanks for that lol

[ericfieldman]

Fun fact: Tom Hanks did a lot of face capture for the kids in the polar express which could be a large contributor to why it looks the way it does

[coffeebeans]

I don't know if anyone else has mentioned this yet,
but I will never forget the shock on my face when I learned how the director of FOODFIGHT opted for motion capture for their animation over their handmade 3D animation, which was ALMOST already finished with during production, just because "it looks better" (paraphrasing but still insane). 😭

[inkerJ]

I can't believe jar jar binks was the catalyst of vtubers

[BongoGary]

I still think Monster House's motion capture does compliment it in a creepy sense, giving the characters "okay" expressions, but The Adventures of Tintin, I personally think, is the best example of a motion capture movie, since it looks the most realistic, which was their intention, but it also keeps the cartoonish looks of the comics, rather than the fake look of the original live action intentions they had. Motion capture should be used in films if there is a solid reason for it (i.e. complex movements, as Doodley mentioned)

[Malao]

Y’know, I think that cycle you describe at the end can be applied to a lot more than just AI - A new emerging technology creates a new method to create something, companies jump on the hype train and use it for flashy but frivolous products that are generally rejected by the wider audience, then the tool gets scaled back and re-implemented in a way that meshes with the existing creative process rather than replacing it entirely. The Dotcom bubble comes to mind.

[ArifRWinandar]

As always the problem boils down to executives trying to cut costs without understanding why those costs are there in the first place.

[XmortoxX]

12:34 honestly, is best to have an optimistic but realistic look on things rather than just be overly negative and pessimistic about everything as many people do. Mocap manages to get it's own niches on animation and I´m happy for that. I think the same will happen to AI.

[MetaBro]

This genuinely brought a lot of comfort to my worries of the industry. Yes AI is here to stay, but like mocap, that doesn’t mean there aren’t purposes for it. Execs just need to realize it again like they did with mocap

[doodleyd]

Thanks for watching! Just a heads up, you might see the thumbnail for this one change, I created the original thumbnail fairly quick and I'm running an A/B test on some new ones.

[CamTheCan]

Haven’t finished the video yet, but it’d be hilarious if Doodley motion captured himself for the entire video.

[youraveragechroma]

6:00 OH, I gotta look at murder drones episode 1. I’ve never been able to put my finger on what/why the animation felt off and why things improved so much!

[ameteuraspirant]

It should be noted that mocap suit acting is a skill on its own. In the same way that acting through heavy makeup or costumes takes a certain amount of skill, acting when you can't see what the result is going to be also does. In reference to your it lacks exaggeration argument, there's examples of good motion capture, like basically anything Andy Serkis has done.

[MCisAwesome]

I've always felt vtuber avatars looked a little uncanny, something about digital characters with realistic movement just doesn't look right. Now I finally understand why

[upstudios]

3:50 it might (probably) be nostalgia speaking, but i kinda adore the jankyness in monster house specifically, it's kinda fitting for the creepyness even if the studio didn't necessarily intend for it

[Yipper]

1:44 random but this just made the idea spring to mind, I still *desperately* want to see a fantasy documentary. I want to see the British guy talk about pixies like he does seagulls, or follow the story of a kitsune like a wolf. Or talk about the mating patterns of dragons. Idk.