Animatrik Jumps into Video Game Mocap with EP Mataio Gardi |
Performance capture and virtual production studio Animatrik in LA has hired Mataio Gardi as their new Executive Producer. Mataio has gained motion and performance capture experience from working for video game publishers such as Electronic Arts, Microsoft and Ubisoft, where he played a role in the development of several franchises including ‘Assassin’s Creed: Unity’, ‘Splinter Cell: Blacklist’ and most recently ‘Gears of War 4’, due for release in 2016. |
![]() |
Narrative FirstMataio was a scholarship graduate of Vancouver Film School’s 3D Animation and VFX program and entered the video game industry immediately after graduation, starting out at Electronic Arts. Although his background was in art, he was especially drawn to production, and eventually became a development director and producer. |
![]() |
Among the highlights of Mataio’s career is a VES Award nomination in the first year video games were added as a VES category, 2004. Two of EA’s games were nominated - ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle Earth’ and ‘The Third Age’. “It was a big deal to me because that was a true turning point. Folks in and out of the industry were starting to take notice of how sophisticated the visuals in games were becoming,” he said. “I also oversaw the single player campaign narrative for a Sony title ‘ModNation Racers’. So many games try to be serious, tough and cool, but this time our aim was to create a lighthearted, humorous, feel-good game. Creating comedy is more challenging than anything I expected.” |
![]() |
Capturing Ubisoft TorontoA pivotal project in his career was working as part of the ground crew that started the Ubisoft Toronto studio. It was an exciting and challenging time, spent building a team from just a few up to hundreds of artists and technicians - while producing their first game ‘Splinter Cell: Blacklist’ at the same time. With ambitious animation plans for cinematics and gameplay, they first ran financial simulations to ensure that the company could support the construction of a stage not just for ‘Splinter Cell’, but for future projects. “With a positive forecast and a strong actor talent base in Toronto, we pitched the idea to the Ubisoft executives and they gave us the go-for-launch. Since we were still a small crew at Ubisoft Toronto, we had a fairly open-ended agenda to ‘just make it happen’. So, I took the responsibility of leading the design and setup of the motion capture studio. |
![]() |
Technical and Creative DiversityMataio feels that nothing about game development is straightforward. The diversity and ongoing evolution of engines, pipelines, toolsets, level design, gameplay, narrative, animation, characters and AI within the constraints of frame rate and memory allocation call for many individual setups and custom workflows for motion capture. |
![]() |
"By now, I’ve been exposed to many of the thought processes that directors may have when they go to shoot, and consequently hope to be able to advise and help transform their vision into achievable results. Games can be fun to make, but are without question one of the most challenging endeavors to achieve success in." He also notes that no component of game development remains stagnant, mainly because it is still driven by advances in processing power, which in turn push creativity in new directions. Seeing the effects of those advances on elements from level design and front end work to gameplay, animation, cinematics, environments, characters, audio and rendering is a primary motivating factor for Mataio. |
![]() |
Solve for the Constraints“From the producer’s view alone, I love that each job brings a different challenge to mocap budgeting, scheduling and resource allocation. Although many of the top level processes are in place and efficient, what happens on the motion capture stage remains organic. It forces a producer to solve for the constraints, utilizing experience, insight and the ability to think on his or her feet as projects progress.” However, on the technical front, Mataio is extremely excited about 4D facial surface capture. "A few years back when head mounted cameras arrived on the scene there was a solid leap forward in facial capture, but I knew it would still be limited due to its reliance on planar capture," he said. "I knew some form of surface capture would be the next evolution and it's finally here. 4D takes huge amounts of processing power and data storage, but we are working with it now for some big game companies." On the creative side, he is also pleased by the way the acting, directing and film production community has begun using performance capture as a true medium of expression within cinema, broadcast and games. Mataio said, “In the past, motion capture - especially in games - was considered second tier. That perception has dissolved. It’s exciting to see today how all members of a production are embracing performance capture as an art form, from writers, directors, actors and stunt men through to casting.” www.animatrik.com |