Its great to talk big when it comes to the next generation of narrative games and films.
Now let’s talk smart.

1. MiM moves into Canada

   As some of you may have noticed, MiM has been silent for a while, with only occasional Tweets about moving office and there being big things afoot.  Motives in Movement is still based in London, England, but I myself have re-located by quite a distance and will set up shop on another continent entirely.  I’m now living in Toronto, Canada.

   I’ve been very lucky to have been born and raised in London, and to have had the access to the incredible range of experiences such a world class city could give me.  For an actor and someone interested in the arts, London is one of the Capitals of the world.  Many actors would agree that being in (or having easy access to)  London is a vital part of their profession.

   In contrast, during the first year of MiM, I have met many inspiring and brilliant people working in the games and capture industry, not just from the UK but living and operating all over the world. Of course my own first exposure to game development involved commuting to Paris.  However, it is the global nature of development, where a game’s constituent parts can be spread across many time zones, that means that location is often less important than a decent broadband connection.

   It would be wrong to claim that I have left the UK for Canada solely for the sake of tax breaks offered to games companies, but it would also be wrong to believe it did not factor into my decision making.  I have moved to Canada as much for personal and family reasons as for professional ones.  However, it is true that as an actor I want to be involved in all media.  I want to serve my abiding love for theatre and film, and this new and exciting world of interactive media. Toronto has just the sort of mix of traditional media and new media, in which I thrive.

   As the director of Motives in Movement, a company that relies on the relatively niche market of dramatic content in games, its future relies as much on new companies at the bleeding edge of interactive storytelling/gaming as on established companies.  The financial incentives in Ontario, have resulted in the arrival of headline companies,  that some might argue has resulted in an industry that is too service based, with not enough homegrown IP and developers.  I’m not so sure this is true, as there seems to be a considerable number of smaller developers and games related companies here, that directly or indirectly benefit from the tax break package.  To a service provider such as myself, both for MiM, and as an actor in games, this ‘spread’ was one of the many factors that fed into my final decision to make the change.

   The other news, is that Motives in Movement has achieved its first successful POC with french facial animation software company “Dynamixyz”. At this point we’re not going to go far in describing what we’ve done, but I can say this.  In Gaspard Breton and his team, we found some co-travellers. They’re a tight company, passionate about improving facial animation and capture technology, and have come to the challenge from a fresh perspective – a perspective that matches ours.  They too believe that human facial expression is a fluid and constantly shifting thing, and that a live captured performance delivers something far more nuanced than a posed expression.  Like us they have used this perspective to adapt it to animation needs, and to developers needs, rather than waiting until capture is as democratized and as cheap and fast as film.  I’m personally very excited to be collaborating with them, and look forward to being able to share more about what we’re up to.

   In the end, it is noteworthy perhaps, that in the collaborations MiM now finds itself involved in it is apparent that in France, Canada, and the US, there is a climate of government-level faith in this young industry, sadly still lacking in the UK. These breaks are more than just about short term job-creation.  At its heart, it’s founded on a belief that this new industry is worth investing in, to guarantee being at the heart of it’s future.

   I’ll be back and forth to the UK plenty over the next year, for both Acting, and MiM related work, and with Facebook, Linkedin and Skype, I think I’ll actually have more contact with my friends and colleagues than before the move.   In the mean time, its business as usual.  Well, sort of.  It’s time to go and introduce myself to some Canadians.

   Posted: July 5, 2011 at 12:07 am