Take one: Psyop employs a holistic approach to animation using simultaneous full-body and facial mocap.(Broadcast)

Two motion-capture sessions are not necessarily better than one, particularly when it comes to recording both the subtle movements of the face and the larger, more expansive actions of the head and body for a single performance.

Until recently, studios had no choice but to mocap these actions in separate sessions using different setups, and hope they matched up aesthetically. However, with advancements in motion-capture technology, it is now possible to simultaneously record both the intricate expressiveness of an actor and the person's extensive full-body movements. As a result, the expressions and actions elicited by the actor can be recorded accurately for a comprehensive performance that is more holistic and complete, and easier to direct.

Ideal for film and computer game animations, the technology has quickly found its way to the broadcast realm. Some of the first TV commercials to utilize the simultaneous motion capture were from design collective Psyop, in conjunction with advertising agency DDB Chicago and House of Moves mocap studio, for McDonald's Fruit 'N Walnut campaign. Psyop created the four spots, which blend equal portions of reality and animation, each rendered in cartoon-like colors and simple line drawings, yet featuring characters who move and speak in a realistic fashion.

"DDB initially came to us with several scripts," says Justin Booth-Clibborn, executive producer at Psyop. "The group wanted lots of talkative description about the salad, but also wanted very stylized characters and environments. For the characters in particular, DDB wanted them animated in a realistic watt, but not photorealistic in their appearance. The agency asked us to replicate the expressions and emotions of the characters while keeping them artistic."

And, according to Booth-Clibborn, that balance presented both a creative and technical challenge.

First, real actors taped their lines at a recording studio, and brought a copy of the recording to the mocap session for use as a reference. At House of Moves, the actors then lip-synched their parts as they performed the required actions. Within a 10x15-foot capture area, technicians recorded the movements of the actors' faces, hands, and bodies, using a 32-camera Vicon MX40 optical motion-capture array.

Toward one end of the capture volume was a more facially oriented setup with additional cameras for higher data resolution.