Vicon Motion Capture Cameras Supported New Paddington Film

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Wed, 01/21/2015 - 13:25 -- Nick Dager

Vicon T-Series cameras were used on Paddington.Vicon’s T-Series motion capture cameras were used on the recent feature film version of Paddington.

Paddington, directed by Paul King and co-written by original creator Michael Bond, was released in the United States January 16 and has held the number one spot at the UK box office for two consecutive weeks. The film follows Peruvian bear, Paddington voiced by Ben Whishaw, as he journeys to London and finds a new home with Henry Brown (Hugh Bonneville) and Mary Brown (Sally Hawkins). 

Framestore employed Vicon’s T40 optical camera system to explore the movement of Paddington bear during the pre-production and pre-visualisation stages. The system provided the animation team with real-time feedback and allowed them to visualise and develop the interactions between the cast and the animated bear.

“The Vicon cameras enabled us to act out entire scenes in real time during the pre-visualization stages,” said Gary Marshall, motion capture supervisor at Framestore. “This provided us with the flexibility to guide the creative process and produce key poses and illustrate movement with greater accuracy. Using the system gave the team instant feedback on what scenarios were working well in a shot, and also how the timing and performance of the different mocap performers vastly affected the character of the bear - ultimately advancing the character development of Paddington.”

“We’re very proud to have been involved with the development of such an iconic character,” said Imogen Moorhouse, CEO, Vicon. “It’s great to see the lovable Paddington Bear bought to life by Framestore with the help of Vicon technology.”