A goblin, a ballet dancer, and an indie filmmaker walk into a small studio in Leeds. It’s not the start of a joke, but a story of collaboration and inspiration, powered by Vicon’s latest advances.
There is a moment in every creative endeavor when imagination crosses paths with technology, and magic happens. For Owen Seabrook, owner and operator of Goblin Academy, a mocap training studio in Leeds, that moment arrived when a government grant, Vicon mocap technology, and a creative mindset combined. With Goblin Academy, their aim is a motion capture training school, a research facility, and, as its title suggests, a playground for artists with grand visions and small budgets.
With his signature humor, enthusiasm and creativity, Owen invites us along on a journey of joyful experimentation through a video series called Will It Mocap? From recording drag performers and podcasters to dancers and ninja aspirants wielding broomsticks, Goblin Academy is now a testament to how far DIY mocap can get you, particularly when powered by pro-grade Vicon hardware. But what do goblins, ballet, and a small studio in Leeds have in common?
The Goblin Academy Ballet Experiment
One of the most effective examples from Will It Mocap? is with a ballet instructor, his student, and the power of visual feedback. As the episode plays out, we can observe how Vicon’s tracking accuracy uncovers performance nuances that are imperceptible to the unaided eye, such as a heel catching on a pirouette or a slight deviation of turnout.
The ability to play back, pause, and scrutinize movements in real time completely transforms the teaching process. What was once only a two-dimensional video becomes fully immersive. Using Vicon’s real-time retargeting software and Shōgun’s live skeletal abilities, instructors and students can analyze every possible angle and develop mind-body awareness in a manner that traditional methods simply cannot equal. Access to a 360-degree view of every movement and nuance of a dancer is invaluable to both teacher and student, and as Owen puts it, the potential is mindblowing.
It’s not a matter of performance either. As ballet instructor Howie explains in the video, “this isn’t just about better mechanics, it’s about creating safer dance practice as well.” With Vicon, the technology is helping prevent injury, refine technique, and build movement that’s sustainable. This real-world application shows how mocap can help not just in entertainment but in education, wellness, and body awareness in general.
Unreal Possibilities
What makes Goblin Academy’s work so compelling isn’t just the playfulness or the performance but the radical accessibility. And with Unreal’s MetaHumans 5.6 just released for all to use, the fidelity and ease of these avatars have never been higher.
With seamless integration in Unreal Engine 5, actors can view their performances in real-time virtual environments, fully lit, with camera angles and prop interaction. VCAM even allows creators to block out scenes on their phone, capturing fully immersed 3D scenes from any angle.
Actors have an instant feedback loop that stimulates improvisation and character depth. Whether the character is a drag queen as a digital diva or a podcast guest transformed into a virtual cyborg, the technology stimulates experimentation and spontaneity.
Small Setup. Big Opportunities.
Owen’s studio may not appear to be the cavernous mocap stages of bigger studios, but it is just as effective because of the Vicon Vero cameras that he uses. Able to shoot at 330 frames per second, the Vero system allows creators to transform even a small space into a productive capture volume. In Owen’s words, “we’ve got a little room in the middle of Leeds with 10 cameras and a computer we built in 2021, still, it’s enough to test a theory.”
This is the essence of Vicon’s vision for indie creators: high-fidelity motion capture that doesn’t require a blockbuster budget. With Shōgun Live including real-time visualization and native Unreal Engine 5 integration, creators can rapidly test out performances in real-time, perfect for fast iterative storytelling.
Building the Next Generation of Creators
Goblin Academy is more than a studio. It’s a proof of concept that motion capture doesn’t have to be exclusive. With just ten cameras, a modest space, and a lot of imagination, Owen and his team are showing that mocap can be used in exciting, new and impactful ways.
This partnership between Vicon and Goblin Academy is lighting the way for a new wave of indie creators, those who want to tell stories, run workshops, explore new mediums, or even just learn what their body looks like in motion. It’s a movement toward democratizing performance tech.
Owen playfully ends the video by saying, “We need to make more goblins!”, referencing the digital transformation that mocap enables and embodying the proactive and innovative ethos of indie creators. The future is bright, and full of dancing goblins.
See what’s achievable with Vicon’s mocap solutions for independent creators here, find out more on the Goblin Academy website, or check out our latest ‘Will it Mocap?’ episode for more of their trademark irreverent education.
At Vicon, we’re always on the lookout for collaborating with content creators. If you have a project you’d like to show off, or any other mocap content you’d like to share, get in touch here.