Mo Cap = Big Box Office

At least, just this once, that's the reality in India.

... The unrivalled king of the box office, ‘Superstar’ Rajinikanth, on Friday set the coffers ringing to the tune of ‘Kochadaiiyaan’ as the country’s first full-length photo-realistic animation took a bumper opening across the State.

According to sources, the film has had an overwhelming response at over 450 screens across the State. Archana Kalpathi of AGS Entertainment, which has two multiplexes in Chennai, said: “The response has been phenomenal and it feels like the summer box office has finally arrived this year. Most audiences are eager to see the film in the 3D version.” ...

Creating the 3D-animated characters in the likeness of the lead actors and bringing the story to life meant that the makers had to collaborate with several international companies.

The film was shot with the actors performing at the Centroid Full Motion Capture studio located within Pinewood Studios in UK. ... For the post-production work, team Kochadaiiyaan also worked with Los Angeles-based Counter Punch studios. The head camera that the actors are seen wearing in the ‘making of’ videos was provided by another US company, Faceware Technologies, which specialises in facial capture in various Hollywood blockbusters and computer games. ...

Mo Cap, sadly, doesn't always have the greatest reputation.

When James Cameron does it, and mixes in some live-action, box office records get broken. Yet when Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg do Mo Cap in its pure, unadulterated form (Beowulf, Tin Tin), the public stays away in droves.

But it appears that the Devil's Rotoscope works well on the sub-continent. (Who would have guessed?) And American and British companies are getting in on the act.