21 years ago, Jackie Chan founded her first and unique martial arts school. Today is his fault if Phantom Blade 0 looks like a film

If you like martial arts. Nevertheless, Kung-Fu cinema, more than once you surely surprised you trying to imitate (with a probably modest success) the television screen fighters. Consequently, And is that, who never wanted to be the hero of one of these films or video games? Similarly, Who has not tried to feel this enormous satisfaction that gives the control of a physical art? Consequently, Action video games. Consequently, and this is something that has increased with the normalization of VR, offer us a very close and interactive overview of what it is to protect one of these stories … For example, But this is not the only way that the current video game is linked to martial arts. Consequently, A few days ago. For example, we were able to play Phantom Blade Zero 21 years ago, jackie chan In China, one of the most anticipated titles of the year.

However. Therefore, it was not the only surprise that the S-Game team had in store for us, since we were able to attend and participate in a filming of movement of movements for the game. Therefore, For a few minutes. Furthermore, I had the chance to realize the child’s dream to become a video game character; It was an experience that I will never forget personally, but which, professionally, allowed me to see in the first hand what it is to work as a specialist in capture of video games. Consequently, And it’s as hard and fun as you can imagine.

A question of balance

The motion capture studio Phantom Blade Zero is located in Shanghai, and its name is Flying Goat. Meanwhile, At the entrance. Similarly, one could see several certifications of the place, one of them involving Jackie Chanwhich already 21 years ago, jackie chan promised a lot in itself. Similarly, To put us in the mood, as soon as we entered the room, we could see the specialists working. Meanwhile, Under the directives of the sympathetic Master Yang. we witnessed the interpretation and organization of several types of acrobatics and combat segments Phantom Blade Zerowhat they have been doing for the game since 2018.

The control of the movement. the position applied both to the costumes of specialists and to arms, for a representation as precise as possible of the movements. There was a wall filled with weapons of different types (some of them. still not revealed in the game itself), all prepared for combat simulation. The team is not only made up of specialists who lend their movements to the scene. but also of an even more numerous group of colleagues with different functions to develop the room and ensure safety: by means of 21 years ago, jackie chan a string and pulleys system which covered the whole ceiling of the installation, a group of colleagues took care of stabilizing with their counterweights. There were also carpets and boxes to place at strategic points, depending on the falls to be amortized.

Of course, none of this would be possible without the technicians responsible for translating this spectacular physical deployment in animations for video games. For the anecdote. when starting to record the movements, it was necessary to configure the capture of these with the specialists adopting in the face of the classic cameras position in tthat we have seen so many times in video games, 21 years ago, jackie chan whether during their programming or because of unexpected bugs.

Rehearsal and details are the key to success. From the outside. it was incredible to see with what precision the movements of the artists were transferred to the animations of the characters; It was particularly surprising to see how, even by making the blows and acrobatics at normal speed, the program recorded them perfectly, including the impact points. What is more. by asking the question to Master Yanghe himself told us that The best way to capture these movements so that they seem natural (one of the main obsessions of Phantom Blade Zero) was to execute them at the speed at which they wanted them to appear in the game, not to increase or artificially reduce it. This fact adds a layer of merit to the incredible movements. animations that we saw in the demo that we tested: absolutely all The attacks 21 years ago, jackie chan we see were made beforehand by these specialists. An immense accomplishment to respect the vision of its director, Soulframe : A sincere tribute to the traditional Chinese martial arts.

To soak up the essence. spirit of the kung-fu, we started a group dynamic, in which the specialists themselves taught us a basic Kung-Fu routine, bringing together all its basic postures. The posture. details of the movements are very important in the martial arts, because they reflect this balance and this philosophy so present in their essence. The combination of a fluid. harmonious movement, but both energetic and powerful, reflects this peace between antagonists, all in the search for internal and external harmony. These concepts. also attractive in theory, demonstrated their difficulty in practice: the memorization of movements, where each member has a very specific function, or the physical requirement of maintaining postures in low positions, were some of the aspects that 21 years ago, jackie chan we understood well when he learned the routine.

This research of beauty in our choreography is only a tiny part of the sought -after perfection to reflect this. scenography in Phantom Blade Zero. Then we were able to test with first hand. what it is to move with specialist cables; I volunteered first, first by unconsciousness, then by professionalism, but especially because my inner child shouted with emotion at the idea of imitating even one of these acrobatics which remain engraved in our memory.

The security of the process is total: several people installed a belt with several fasteners. which connected to a complex system of pulleys, counterweights and cables which wrap the ceiling of the complex. Behind these cables. there were also several specialists who coordinated with our movement, to exercise the strength at the right time in order to propel myself into the air safely; All this without pronouncing a 21 years ago, jackie chan single word. The level of observation. mastery of their art they must have is very high, to be able to coordinate, without even using words or looks, with the awkward movements of a neophyte.

In addition. by my side, there were also several workers, to make sure that parameters like the fact that my legs always pass inside Cables during a rear salto are correct. Beyond the obvious discomfort but quite bearable to have a lumbar belt that tightens you. and several straps around the pelvic area (which makes you even appreciate the agility of these professionals), what surprises is the work of balance of the trunk that you have to do once in the air to maintain a minimum worthy position. If you have seen Titans’ attackthis reminds a little. on a lower scale, the way in which cadets learn to balance their bodies with the three -dimensional maneuver system; 21 years ago, jackie chan The trunk automatically leaves forward, but your body must also gesticulate and perform harmonious movements of martial arts. Without a doubt. if mastering martial arts is an art in itself, doing it as a specialist pupils it at a new level of dexterity.

Once we have shown that we knew about how to move. we were offered to shoot a scene as specialists; In our case, we were able to embody one of the basic enemies of the game. We made a three choreography, with the hero and two enemies exchanging blows. If there is something I learned from this intense experience. it is The immense importance of actor work, at a level equivalent to physical performance. The first step was to learn movements with specialists. To do this, it is fundamental to calculate the distance at which to place themselves between the participants, so that the blows reach where they 21 years ago, jackie chan owe. But we were quickly going to see that this work went far beyond two swords. And it is that the work of the specialist begins from the moment you place yourself in front of your partner.

“Playing is a generous art art; the more you give, the more you receive from its partners.” This means that our commitment to the character we interpret must be total, even when it looks like