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Project Details
Project Details
Release: 2021
Client: Ed Atkins
Artist/Performer: Ed Atkins
Services: Full Pipeline Production
Project: The Worm
Project Scope: Art Installation
Ed Atkins: The Worm - Full Pipeline Production
Mimic Productions provided comprehensive full pipeline production services, including motion capture, digital double creation, and real-time rendering using Unreal Engine for acclaimed artist Ed Atkins’ art installation, The Worm. Our team's expertise in digital human technology helped bring the emotional and uncanny vision of this computer-generated animation to life.
Overview
For the art installation The Worm, Mimic Productions collaborated closely with artist Ed Atkins to create a profound and introspective animated work. The project required a full pipeline production approach, combining highly detailed motion capture with advanced digital double technology to create a lifelike, yet unsettling, representation of the artist. Our role was to translate a deeply personal phone call into a compelling visual narrative, pushing the boundaries of what is possible with digital human technology in an artistic context. The use of real-time rendering in Unreal Engine allowed for an immersive and detailed final output that captured the nuance and emotion of the source material.
Campaign Experience
The project The Worm demonstrates how advanced motion capture can capture and convey subtle, intimate human emotion. By recording the unscripted conversation between Ed Atkins and his mother, we ensured that every gesture, twitch, and awkward movement was faithfully translated, creating an "artificial documentary" of a truly alive and utterly real moment. This approach showcases the power of motion capture to tell deeply personal stories beyond commercial applications.
Mimic Productions utilized a sophisticated digital double of Ed Atkins to bring the artist's vision to fruition. The lifelike alter ego, rendered with meticulous attention to detail in a real-time engine, became the central figure in the narrative. This focus on digital double technology allowed for an eerie and compelling portrayal that highlights the tension between digital identity and authentic human emotion, a core theme of the artist's work.
The successful production of The Worm proves the versatility of full pipeline production for complex artistic projects. Our end-to-end services, from asset development and environment creation to real-time rendering in Unreal Engine, ensured a seamless workflow. This streamlined process allowed for a powerful exploration of themes like absence, presence, and the uncanny, showing how a comprehensive full pipeline production approach can support cutting-edge creative projects.
Mimic’s Contribution
Full Pipeline Production
Mimic Productions provided a complete end-to-end workflow, encompassing everything from initial asset development to final rendering and lighting. Our team handled 3D modeling, texturing, shading, and the creation of detailed virtual environments to support the narrative of The Worm.
Motion Capture
We conducted a highly detailed motion capture shoot in a confined setting to capture the unscripted performance of Ed Atkins. This process was crucial for translating the nuanced, natural gestures and movements that were central to the project's storytelling.
Digital Double
Using a combination of 3D scanning and modeling techniques, Mimic Productions created a photorealistic digital double of Ed Atkins. This digital likeness served as the main character, allowing the artist to explore themes of identity and representation within the uncanny valley of digital art.
Watch & Behind‑the‑Scenes
Credits
Client:
Ed Atkins
Mimic Role
Creative Partner:
N/A
Technology Partners
Full Pipeline Production
Real-time Animation
Digital Double
3D Modeling
Texturing
Lighting
Shading
Full-Body Motion Capture
Real-time Rendering (Unreal Engine)
Platform
N/A
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