motion capture actor yin kai plays the role of "the man of heaven's will", retaining the "monkey nature" and incorporating elements of chinese martial arts and opera
2024-09-07
한어Русский языкEnglishFrançaisIndonesianSanskrit日本語DeutschPortuguêsΕλληνικάespañolItalianoSuomalainenLatina
text/yangcheng evening news all-media reporter wang junjie and xie xiaowan
photo/provided by the interviewee
after the launch of the first aaa game in china, black myth: wukong, countless players fulfilled their heroic dreams of dancing in the sky and shaking the three realms with their sticks as the protagonist "tian ming ren". these smooth moves were made possible by the use of a large number of motion capture technologies. with the explosive popularity of the game, this technology and the emerging profession of motion capture actors have also entered the public eye.
most of the motion capture work for the "destiny man" in the game was done by actor yin kai, who was therefore jokingly called the "real body" of wukong. in addition, he also participated in the action performances of about 60% of the characters in the game. professional motion capture actors have excellent body control capabilities. for yin kai, the most difficult thing is not to give the characters various personalities through action details, but how to make the shaping of each character recognized by the public.
approximately 60% of the roles in "black myth: wukong"
motion capture technology is now widely used in the game and film and television industries. motion capture actors wear special costumes and stick reflective capture points on key parts of their bodies. in the 360-degree shooting of multiple cameras, they make different movements of the character. the motion data will be captured and recorded, and then recreated and optimized by animators and post-production staff to finally complete the character's motion presentation.
this technology was used extensively in "black myth: wukong". since 2018, motion capture actor yin kai has joined the production of this game project, shooting two or three times a month, and then continuing shooting after approval by the post-production team. it was not until the beginning of this year that he completed all the shooting tasks. at the busiest time, he had to shoot for 16 hours a day.
"before shooting, the director team will give some capture requirements, such as the type of fighting moves needed or the character's cutscenes," said yin kai. "the tone will also be given for different characters, but how to interpret it requires the team to keep trying." unlike the glamorous actors on the screen, motion capture actors belong to behind-the-scenes profession, but the difficulty is no less than that of actors in front of the stage. they need to perform more non-property performances, and they also have to work hard on character shaping.
before each shoot, yin kai would fully communicate with the director in advance to understand the character's personality and form a brief biography of the character, including what weapons he would use, what moves he was good at, and what unique little movements he had, etc. yin kai put a lot of thought into the interpretation of "the man of destiny", repeatedly pondering, hoping to maintain the character's "monkey nature" while making the movements fierce, tense and beautiful. therefore, he incorporated traditional cultural elements such as chinese martial arts and opera into the action design.
"this is also due to the basic skills i have learned from learning martial arts since i was a child. i try to incorporate martial arts moves such as twisting and poking sticks into the performance. in addition, i will do some improvisation on the spot." yin kai mentioned that the job of a motion capture actor is not to complete the drawn action points step by step, but also requires the actor to be insightful and innovative in order to truly give the character a vivid life.
including "the man of destiny", yin kai has played about 60% of the roles in the game, such as tiger pioneer and fire knife wolf. "when playing tiger pioneer, i will add some cat movements. i will observe how kittens lick their paws and drink water at home, and then apply them to the role performance." in yin kai's narration, simulating animal movements is one of the basic skills of motion capture actors. sometimes the monsters he plays are mainly in a prone position, so yin kai needs to lie on the ground for a long time to move or attack, and even make some movements that are inconsistent with the basic laws of human movement, with twisted joints and exaggerated movements. it is extremely physically demanding to shoot a scene. it is hard, but he never relaxes in his interpretation of each role. when playing the red-butted horse monkey, in addition to imitating the body movements of monkeys, he will be more irritable and more beastly. when the fire knife wolf appears, his standing posture is like a pine tree, dragging his knife and sliding, adding a touch of buddha nature.
you need to know both martial arts and acting.
"compared to the difficulty of developing the entire game, i feel that my part as a motion capture actor is okay. in fact, the most difficult thing is not how difficult the shooting process is, but whether the shaping of each character can be recognized by everyone." although working behind the scenes, motion capture actors are also actors, and yin kai also pursues public recognition of his characters.
yin kai is 28 years old this year, but he has been a motion capture actor for nearly ten years. he learned martial arts since he was a child, and later studied martial arts performance at shanghai university of physical education. "in 2015, a game company came to our major to select actors, and i was fortunate to be selected to participate in a game motion capture shooting project. since then, i have gradually come into contact with this industry." yin kai mentioned that at first he was just a part-time motion capture actor, and later gradually developed it into his main business. on the one hand, it was because he had a martial arts foundation and strong body control and coordination ability, and he was also a performance major. he was quick to get started and had a strong understanding of the role interpretation. he could play both civil and martial arts. he had outstanding advantages as a motion capture actor and was gradually recognized by the industry; on the other hand, with the development of the domestic game and film and television industries, motion capture technology has been used more and more widely, and the demand for motion capture actors has increased accordingly, and job opportunities have increased. he became a professional motion capture actor and later founded his own company.
during the formal filming, the director usually gives a specific scenario and asks the motion capture actors to perform, which is similar to daily filming. yin kai believes that the biggest difference between motion capture actors and other actors is that most of the time they use their body language to express the character's personality and give the character a soul. "so, the requirements for body language expression are relatively high, and even some exaggerated interpretations are often required." this requires motion capture actors to have a strong sense of substitution for the role.
in addition, in order to ensure the integrity and fluency of data capture and recording, and to facilitate animation and post-production, the motion capture actors must be able to ensure that the shooting is "one-shot". it consumes a lot of physical energy, requires high acting skills, and requires hardship without showing the face. in yin kai's career, the highest record of such performances is more than 230 shots in one day. "i have to move and act all the time, and i have to ensure that the body language and emotions are in place." he recalled.
the development of the domestic motion capture industry is still in its infancy
motion capture actors are still a niche profession in china. in 2015, when yin kai first started working in this field, the understanding of motion capture technology in china was still in its infancy, and there was no clear definition of motion capture actors. it was not until recent years, with the development of the industry and technology, that motion capture technology has gradually become popular, and motion capture actors have gradually entered the public eye.
if you search on the internet, you can see many actors and models sharing their experiences of working as part-time motion capture actors. it seems that the threshold for entry is not high, "but in fact it depends on the specific project. if it is a high-demand game or film and television scene, not only do you need strong body control and coordination skills, and be able to do both civil and martial arts, you also need to understand some animation principles, be able to quickly understand the director and animator's demands, and present them effectively." yin kai explained that a few years ago, the turnover of actors in this industry was high, and there were many part-time workers. according to his estimation, there are perhaps less than a hundred professional motion capture actors in china.
as an emerging field, the development of motion capture technology in china has not yet formed a relatively complete industrial process and standards. "compared with the world-class level, there is still some gap. for example, foreign countries have been conducting underwater motion capture shooting many years ago, but we have not tried it yet." yin kai said that the popularity of "black myth: wukong" has made motion capture actors "out of the circle". "let everyone know that there is such a position and such a group of unknown staff. i think it is very beneficial to the development of the entire industry."
in the future, yin kai hopes to work with his team to popularize knowledge and train motion capture actors, and promote the professionalization and standardization of the industry in china. whether he is an actor, a martial arts instructor, or even a director, or steps on stage, he hopes to maintain his passion for acting and shape every role well.
in black myth: wukong, when yin kai played the universal character "tian ming ren", compared with other characters, he did not restrict the personality and pattern during the performance, making the character more inclusive, "every player can feel that he is the 'tian ming ren'."
now that black myth: wukong is a big hit, the motion capture actors behind the characters are also being seen. just like the "destined man" in the game, success is destined by heaven, but in the end, one still needs to work hard to become the "destined man" in life.
