The Challenge
Who do you go to when you need to live stream an animated gorilla mixing customised cocktails?
Why, Flux Broadcast, of course!
And the gorilla wasn’t your run of the mill piliferous primate, either. Smirnoff and Nexus Studios asked us to put together a groundbreaking event using 3D motion capture technology to animate the character of Murdoc, lead singer of the popular virtual band, Gorillaz.
Needless to say, we were excited to make the crew, talent and audience all a part of ‘Feel Good Inc’.
The Approach
The challenge was to animate Murdoc in real time as he mixed a cocktail with Smirnoff. We used motion capture sensors and VR cameras to track the movements of the actor as he wore a specialised motion capture suit. This information was linked directly to Unity animation software where the Nexus team connected the actor’s movements to a pre-animated character in a pre-created virtual space.
Because standard cameras are not ideally suited to capturing the movement of an object through space, we used an iPhone housed in a specially designed headpiece to capture the actor’s facial expressions and translate that information to the software used by Nexus.
Doing all this allowed us to minimise delay between the actor’s movements and the footage that was live streamed. This meant fans could interact with the live stream by asking questions and receiving answers in real-time on YouTube, making for a really immersive experience.
The Impact
Flux was responsible for the full broadcast solution, including logistics, broadcast technology and upload of the content. Our Head of Creative, Chris, supplied consultation support from beginning to end and even directed on the day!
The result was a seriously impressive, totally unique event that not only matched the quality and realism demanded by Gorillaz but also showcased the amazing potential of 3D motion capture technology in a live streaming setting.
You could say the future is definitely coming on. It’s coming on. It’s coming on. It’s…