[Figure 14] Polar Express. Available at: http://coloradorailroadmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/PolarExpress-SecondaryHeroImage2.jpg (Accessed: 25th October 2020)
[Figure 15] Motion Capture Face. Available at: http://kinectic.net/motion-capture-face/ (Accessed: 25th October 2020)
Menache, A. (2011) Understanding Motion Capture for Computer Animation. Second edition. United States: Elsevier, Inc.
This book shows the extensive history of motion capture, from it's early starts in medicine and military performances, to rotoscoping, and finally the advancements in tv, film and animation. The end of the book explains the coding, mathematics and scientific understandings of body anatomy that you need to know to understand the depths of motion capture.
I found this book really interesting, as it not only explained the creation of the traditional motion capture suits that most people know today, but also how this originated from using puppets. It also showed the controversy behind the earlier stages of motion capture, rotoscoping, and how it was seen as cheating. Another good argument was that the motion capture industry is taking away jobs from traditional animators, as you can just use the technology to copy the recorded motions. It also dehumanises some of the people in the work space such as the actors - not giving the motion capture artist as much credit as say the voice actor.
On of the main points that was reinforced throughout the many interviews in this book was that the Polar Express helped to pave the way for many of the other key films in mocap history such as avatar. The book explained the production and the great turnaround of the Polar Express production in extensive detail, to help me to understand the fragility of the old software; the complexity of the software, and how every member in a production can cause such a critical turnabout to make or break a production.
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