After the launch of China's first AAA game, "Black Myth: Wukong", countless gamers have stepped into the role of the protagonist, the "Destined One", realizing their hero dreams as they soar through the skies and wield their staff to shake the three realms. Such fluid and dynamic movements in the game owe a great deal to the usage of extensive motion capture technologies. With the game's massive success, the motion capture technique, along with the emerging profession of motion capture actors, has entered the public spotlight.

Much of the motion capture work for the "Destined One" was accomplished by actor Yin Kai, who is playfully referred to as the real body of Wukong. Additionally, he also contributed to the movement performances for about 60% of the game's characters. Professional motion capture actors possess outstanding body control abilities. For Yin Kai, the most challenging aspect is not to infuse various personalities into the characters through detailed movements, but to ensure that the portrayal of each character can be recognized by the audience.

Motion capture technology is now widely employed in the gaming and film-television industries, where motion capture actors don specialized suits, apply reflective markers to key points on their bodies, and perform various character movements in front of multiple cameras capturing 360-degree footage. The captured motion data is recorded and later recreated and optimized by animators and post-production teams, culminating in the final presentation of the characters' movements.

"Black Myth: Wukong" extensively employs this technology. Since joining the game project in 2018, Yin Kai has participated in two to three filming sessions each month, which would be reviewed by the production team before moving on. And it was not until earlier this year that he completed all his shooting tasks. At the peak of the work, he worked for up to 16 hours a day.

"Before shooting, the director's team provides some capture requirements, specifying whether they need combat movements, cutscenes, etc.," Yin Kai explained. "For different characters, they provide different keynote concepts, but to interpret those concepts, the team needs continuous exploration." Unlike the glamorous actors on-screen, motion capture actors work behind the scenes, facing challenges that are no less demanding than those of front-stage performers, as it requires more nonphysical performances and significant efforts in character shaping.

Prior to each shooting, Yin Kai communicates thoroughly with the directors to understand the character's personality, creating a character profile that details the weapons used, preferred techniques, and unique quirks. For the portrayal of the "Destined One", he devoted considerable thoughts, repeatedly fine-tuning his performance to maintain the character's "monkey nature" while ensuring that the movements are intense, dynamic, and aesthetically pleasing. To that end, he even incorporates elements from traditional Chinese martial arts and opera into the action design.

In "Black Myth: Wukong", while embodying the versatile character of the "Destined One," Yin Kai chose not to rigidly define his personality and style, allowing for a more inclusive representation, "so that every gamer can feel like they are the 'Destined One'".

Now, with the success of "Black Myth: Wukong". the motion capture actors hidden behind the characters are finally being recognized. Just as what the "Destined One" has been through in the game, true success is ultimately defined not just by fate, but by one's own efforts to become the "destined one" in life.

Source : Lingnan on the Cloud

《黑神话：悟空》动作捕捉演员殷凯：演绎“天命人”，融入中国武术、戏曲元素

国内首款3A级游戏《黑神话：悟空》上线后，无数玩家以主角“天命人”的身份，在游戏中完成身轻舞长空，棍棒震三界的英雄梦，这些行云流水的招式得以呈现，有赖于大量动作捕捉技术的运用。随着游戏的爆火，这门技术以及动捕演员这一新兴职业也随之进入大众视野。

游戏中“天命人”的大部分动捕工作由演员殷凯完成，他因此被趣称为悟空“真身”，此外他还参与了游戏中约六成角色的动作演出。专业的动捕演员有着出色的肢体控制能力，对于殷凯来说，最难的不是需要通过动作细节赋予角色各式个性，而是如何让每一个角色的塑造得到大众的认可。

动作捕捉技术如今被广泛运用到游戏以及影视行业中，动捕演员们穿上特制服装，在身上关键部位粘贴反光捕捉点，在多台相机360度的拍摄中，做出角色的不同动作，动作数据会被捕捉记录，由动画师和后期工作人员进行再创作和优化，最终完成角色的动作呈现。

《黑神话：悟空》中就大量运用了此技术，自2018年起，动捕演员殷凯就加入了该游戏项目的制作，每个月进行两三次拍摄，由后期团队审核通过后再接着拍，直到今年年初他才完成所有拍摄任务，最繁忙时，一天要拍16个小时。

“拍摄前导演组会先给出一些捕捉需求，看是需要打斗的招式类型，还是角色的过场动画等。”殷凯说，“对于不同角色也会给出基调，但如何演绎需要团队不断去尝试。”不同于荧屏上光鲜亮丽的演员，动捕演员属于幕后职业，但难度不比台前的演员小，需要进行更多的无实物表演，对于角色的塑造，同样要下功夫。

殷凯每次拍摄前，都会提前跟导演充分沟通交流，了解所演绎角色的性格，形成人物小传，包括会用什么武器、擅长什么招式、有什么独特的小动作等。对于“天命人”的演绎，殷凯颇费心思，反复揣摩，希望能在保持角色“猴性”的同时，动作激烈而具张力和美感，于是，他在动作设计上融入了中国武术、戏曲等传统文化元素。

在《黑神话：悟空》中，殷凯演绎通用角色“天命人”时，与其他角色相比，在表演时没有把性格和模式框死，让角色呈现更包容，“每个玩家都能觉得自己就是‘天命人’”。

如今，《黑神话：悟空》大火，隐在角色背后的动捕演员们也得以被看见。就像在游戏中的“天命人”，所谓成功天定，最终还是缺少不了自己的努力，才能成为生活的“命定之人”。

文｜记者 王隽杰 谢小婉 
图｜受访者供图
翻译｜洪婷
审校｜林佳岱