We predicted that the Kinect will be an essential (yet inexpensive) tool for film and digital movie productions. Yet, the Kinect community decided to take the concept to a whole new level by using the Kinect to create an animated series. A comedic tale of two unique video game characters, “Under the Hud” is a digital animated series created using the Kinect as the motion-capturing tool. The Kinect’s depth camera and comparatively budget cost gives independent and start-up film an opportunity to produce this new and popular kind of video entertainment. In this video by Thwackers, we are treated with a sneak peek of the upcoming series, “Under the Hud” and also the effort and process behind making this Kinect-captured animated film. Without the need for high-costing motion-capture tools and setup, the producers of the series were able to do it at the comforts of their own home. This is indeed a promising development for the film community as the Kinect now adds the animated movie production as an option for all. We might soon see Youtube be flooded with user-made animated shorts.
Here is a description of the project by the developers:
“A sneak peek at the new animated series “Under The HUD”. Motion captured using the Kinect in combination with OpenNi, Brekel Kinect, MotionBuilder and Maya, this series takes a comedic look at the lives of two very different video game characters.”
Stay tuned to the release of “Under the Hud” by visiting the producers’ website.
