Frequently asked questions
Do you animate everything by hand?
Not always. We don’t start from keyframes.
We start from performance.
Instead of imagining how a character should move, we capture how a person actually moves — then shape and refine that into animation.
It’s a different mindset. Less fabrication, more translation.
What’s the difference between motion capture and animation?
Motion capture is the source.
Animation is the result. Capture gives us raw human movement.
Animation is where we refine, adjust timing, push emotion, and make it work for the story.
We don’t treat them as separate — they’re part of the same pipeline.
Do you still use keyframe animation?
Yes. And it matters.
Even with motion capture, keyframe animation is essential for:
Enhancing performance
Fixing imperfections
Stylisation and exaggeration
Non-human or physically impossible movement
We use whatever serves the story best.
What is performance capture?
Performance capture is motion capture, but deeper.
It captures:
Body movement
Facial performance
Finger detail
All at once.
It allows us to preserve the intent of the actor, not just the motion.
Why not just animate everything traditionally?
You can.
But when realism, nuance, and human behaviour matter — performance capture gives you a level of detail that’s hard to fake.
It’s not about replacing animators.
It’s about giving them better material to work with.
What do you mean by “data cleaning”?
Raw motion capture data isn’t ready to use.
We:
Remove noise and errors
Fix tracking issues
Retarget to character rigs
Refine timing and weight
This is where performance becomes usable animation.
Do you work in real-time?
Yes.
We build and preview everything inside Unreal Engine.
That means:
Instant feedback
Faster iteration
Real-time performance (for games, XR, and live experiences)
Can you stream performances live?
Yes.
We can stream full performances (body, face, fingers) directly into Unreal in real time for:
Live events
Virtual production
Interactive installations
What you see is happening live.
What industries do you work with?
We work across:
Games
Film & TV
Virtual production
XR (VR, AR, MR)
Live immersive experiences
If it involves performance and real-time storytelling, we’re interested.
What is spatial storytelling?
It’s storytelling without a fixed camera.
Instead of watching a story, you’re inside it.
We design experiences where:
The audience has presence
Space becomes part of the narrative
Attention replaces editing
It’s still evolving — and that’s exactly why we’re here.
Do I need to understand all this to work with you?
Not at all.
You bring the idea. We figure out the pipeline.
What’s the first step to working together?
A conversation.
Can be just an idea, a direction, or even a question.
Got more questions?
sam@samuellawrence.co.uk