Making a video game isn’t easy. They’re complicated, recalcitrant things that sit always on the edge of catastrophe, ready for a single corrupted asset or botched line of code to give them a little nudge. Games development hasn’t collapsed — yet — because any developer, regardless of size or how deep their pockets go, now has easier access to advanced tools like motion capture.
Mocap is being used by small and aspiring developers to create more believably human characters. It’s also why this behind-the-scenes video from a recent Friday the 13th: The Game mocap shoot will only horrify someone who doesn’t know why Kane is beating the hell out of that poor woman.
This is the same shoot that left Hodder with a bruised tricep when he conjured too much Jason while filming the memorable sleeping bag kill from Part VII.
“We spent five days shooting the motion capture for Friday the 13th: The Game, and I loved every minute of it,” said Hodder. “When I played Jason in the films, all of that intensity, all of the rage, was observed passively by the audience. Spectators to a linear story. But this is different.”
“The audience becomes the participant as they step into my boots. You’re not simply watching me, you are me… you are Jason. When you swing the machete, it’s exactly how I swing it. When you behead or impale a counselor, it’s not a generic animation. It’s my actions of strength and power that you wield. That’s what excites me most about this project.”
Friday the 13th: The Game is about $40,000 short of the next stretch goal, which the game has been inching toward since the launch of its Slasher Backer crowdfunding campaign.
Gun launched a poll earlier this week so the community can pick the three additional looks for Jason that’ll be added to the game. Head over here to vote for your favorites.
