| Mocap Academy Award quandry |
| Monday, 06 June 2011 04:19 | |
An animation producer says performance capture is not true animationSteven Spielberg has made it known that he would like his upcoming 'The Adventures of Tintin' to compete in the Academy Awards' animated film category. But it doesn't conform to basic definitions of animation, writes Steven Paul Leiva.
By Steven Paul Leiva, Special to the Los Angeles Times
It seems that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is in a quandary. Steven Spielberg, a not inconsequential member, wants his upcoming performance capture (or motion capture, as it's sometimes known) film, "The Adventures of Tintin," to compete in the best animated picture category for next year's Academy Awards. That's understandable; there's less competition, and it's doubtful that an adventure film based on a European comic book would be nominated by the academy for best picture. Not that it might not deserve it, but it's unlikely given academy history.June 5, 2011 The academy's quandary is also understandable. As much as it might like to accommodate Mr. Spielberg, it is not quite sure that performance capture is animation, and so there seems to be an internal debate on the question. There is, though, no need for debate. Performance capture is not animation. The great French philosopher Voltaire, who participated in a few debates in his time, famously said, "If you are going to argue with me, define your terms." The New American Oxford Dictionary defines "to animate" as "bring to life." The late, great animation director, Chuck Jones, with whom I worked off and on for several years, often defined animation as, "To breathe life into the lifeless." Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, two of Disney's Nine Old Men, called animation — and titled their book on the subject — "the illusion of life." And many animators define animation simply as "frame-by-frame filmmaking." None of the above definitions can be applied to performance capture, which, as its name implies, captures and documents a real motion or performance in real time by a live actor and does not create the illusion of that motion or performance through frame-by-frame filmmaking. Robert Zemeckis' "Beowulf" and "A Christmas Carol," are recent examples, as is "Monster House," which was executive produced by Zemeckis and Spielberg. So wherein does the confusion lie in Mr. Spielberg's head, not to mention the heads of critics, reporters and fans? |
