Preparing for the Future of Performer Training symposium, I stumbled across this fascinating glimpse into the creation of ‘digital humans’.
The question: “What will happen to actors?” is posed and answered at 9.44 minutes in.
Theatre, Dance and Performance Training Blog
Very relevant post, Paul and it chimes with many of the themes at our Future of Performer Training symposium: actors’ flexibility, resilience and adaptability. But the nagging question still remains about agency.
For me this highlights the way that power relations shape what ‘actors’ can and cannot do, and their ownership (or lack of ownership) of both process and product. Of course this is not new to mocap – actors have often experienced this position vis-a-vis their own work – but mocap seems to highlight it.
The wow of the technology and the awesomeness of what is then achievable functions to overwhelm reservations. And as this becomes a lucrative aspect of the entertainment industry it will become harder and harder to express what will probably be perceived as Luddite positions.
The radical move will be to explore how and in what ways this kind of technology can be liberating, empowering and accessible. I would suggest that is unlikely to happen unless Universities take it on, as it will not be in the interest of the large commercial concerns.