Joji - 777 : Animated Multi-Character Paintings with a Single Performer: A novel approach to realtime motion capture and choreography

Tableau paintings, described as “living pictures” often take the form of a painting or photograph in which characters are arranged for picturesque or dramatic effect. These paintings and photographs are inherently defined by the motion of a character, but have traditionally been presented as static two dimensional images. What would it feel like to create a tableau painting that is not static, and is inherently three dimensional? This talk will center around an analysis of the creative and technical work-flows used during the production of Joji - 777, in which a small crew created an animated video where each scene was composed with intention of depicting a moving, 3D tableau painting. The technical complexities of achieving the desired result were amplified due to COVID lockdown restrictions, which at the time of production ruled out the ability to motion capture multiple per-formers at once. Using real time game engine technology in conjunction with skeletal retargeting in post production, a novel approach was developed to allow a single performer to play multiple characters simultaneously.