Magic Leap, the company behind the Magic Leap One mixed reality (MR) headset have announced a new partnership with The Imaginarium Studios, Andy Serkis’ UK-headquartered performance capture studio. Best known for his innovations in the art of motion capture and his critically acclaimed performance captures roles as Gollum, King Kong, Caesar, Captain Haddock and Supreme Leader Snoke. The new partnership will see both Serkis and Magic Leap work together to change the way people experience entertainment.
Performance capture has been used in entertainment for many years now and is a means to breathe life into fictional characters, capturing the nuances of the way humans move, talk and show enough. The cues that make characters more believable are mostly non-verbal and for that reason using motion capture to translate them into the digital space is a proven method of making content more believable.
“In using performance capture, we have the opportunity to authentically portray the intent of the actor. With Magic Leap’s technology, that performance is pulled off the screen and into the world of the viewer.” Explains Matthew Brown, CEO of The Imaginarium Studios: “This is storytelling as it should be: immersive, personal, and integrated into our world.”
The partnership between the two will see a number of results but for now the first proof of concept is called Grishneck. This is a creature that was deemed not scary enough for the big screen and as such, is being brought to the Magic Leap One. The experience will follow Grishneck as he hops from a physical screen into the viewer’s environment, creating a perfect backdrop to highlight Magic Leap’s spatial computing capabilities and The Imaginarium Studio’s expertise in performance motion capture.
“Working with Andy [Serkis] and his team has excited me from day one. Seeing the result as Magic Leap combines forces with The Imaginarium Studios will change the way we see and experience entertainment in the future.” Adds Andy Lanning, Executive Creative Director at Magic Leap.
VRFocus will be sure to bring you all the latest on the partnership between Magic Leap and The Imaginarium Studios in the future, so make sure to stay tuned for updates.