NEW ORLEANS, July 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Performance Capture Studios will
demonstrate its Real Time Optical and Motion Retargeting technology in
conjunction with Jim Henson's Creature Shop(TM) for a real time display of
Kermit the Frog. Together, the companies will present this live performance
of a CG version of the famous Muppet character at the Keynote Address/Awards
for SIGGRAPH 2000.
This unique live CG character performance highlights the use of Real Time
Optical Motion Capture from Motion Analysis Corporation and the PCS
bio-mechanical retargeting software combined with the Henson Digital
Performance Studio technology to introduce Kermit at the Keynote
Address/Awards in a real-time, CG performance. This year's speaker is Ray
Kurzweil, noted inventor and author.
"We recognized the benefits the Henson's Digital Performance Studio has to
offer with its real-time digital performance capabilities," said Gary Roberts,
President of Performance Capture Studios. "We've worked hard to make the real
time optical motion capture technology transparent to the performers, and now
we are there. PCS is all about breathing life into characters, whether it's
real time or not, we believe in giving them a soul."
"These technologies together are a natural compliment," said David
Barrington-Holt, Creative Supervisor for Jim Henson's Creature Shop. "When
Henson's innovative real-time digital puppeteering is combined with the
seamless PCS technology, the technology disappears, allowing the audience to
be fully immersed in the experience. This is what entertainment is all
about."
Performance Capture Studios and Jim Henson's Creature Shop(TM) will
present Kermit at the Keynote Address/Awards at SIGGRAPH 2000 at the
Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans on Wednesday, August 26,
2000 in Hall E, 8:15 - 9:45 AM. PCS will use the Motion Analysis Real Time
Optical Motion Capture system with a Henson suit performer in the PCS MoCap
Suit. The Henson team will dazzle the crowd with a demonstration of its
revolutionary real-time CG performance capabilities. SIGGRAPH 2000 runs from
July 23rd through July 28th in New Orleans, LA.
About PCS
Performance Capture Studios is a state of the art Motion Capture Studio
dedicated to providing the 3D Animation Industry with motion-capture services.
PCS, the leader in character animation services, provides animators and
directors from feature films, music videos, television, games and commercials
with the best technology and superior Motion Capture service. Harnessing
their unique technology, expertise and the client's imagination, PCS
specializes in capturing the most out of a performance. Cutting edge
technology, such as Bio-Mechanical Motion Re-Targeting and Motion Editing,
blends the art of Motion Capture and Character Animation together, giving
animators the freedom they need to create stunning content.
About The Jim Henson Company
The Jim Henson Company, an established leader in family entertainment for
more than 40 years, is a multimedia production company; one of the top
character licensors in the industry; a leading publisher of children's books;
and home to Jim Henson Television, Jim Henson Pictures, Jim Henson Interactive
and Jim Henson's Creature Shop(TM). The Company is headquartered in Los
Angeles with offices and production facilities in New York and London. The
Jim Henson Company website is located at: http://www.henson.com.
The Jim Henson Company has recently been acquired by EM.TV & Merchandising
AG based in Munich, Germany.
Jim Henson's Creature Shop(TM) has offices in London and Los Angeles, and
is one of the premier creature-building workshops in the entertainment
industry, working on both Henson productions and outside projects. The
Creature Shop has received two Academy Awards, one in 1996 for Best Visual
Effects for the hit film Babe, and the other in 1992 for the Henson
Performance Control System. The Creature Shop serves the creature effects and
CGI (computer graphics imagery) needs of the feature film, television,
advertising, theatrical and museum and exhibition arenas globally. Its recent
work is featured in the TV series Farscape, currently airing on Sci Fi Channel
(US) and BBC (UK), and in the feature films George of the Jungle (Disney), Dr.
Dolittle (20th Century Fox), 101 Dalmatians (Disney), The Flintstones
(Universal), Lost In Space (New Line) and most recently Flintstones II, Viva
Rock Vegas (Universal).
SOURCE Performance Capture Studios (PCS)
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Related links:
http://www.henson.com
CONTACT:
Manuel Navarro of Performance Capture
Studios, 310-204-4794; or Dolores Richardone of The Jim Henson
Company, 323-802-1563
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