Is it right to still be mad about the choice of MO-CAP for the Tintin movie? This is what the characters should look like for any big fancy relaunch of the Tintin comics. Clear and simple renderings. Figures with volume & form but retaining the charm of the drawings.
I think this choice would of been better for 2 reasons: Merchandising & Clarity.
Those with an interest in the movie business know that Star Wars shifted the goal posts for the industry. George Lucas made his shitload of money off the merchandise related to the films not the films themselves. The money lenders woke to the idea that (1) you never give away ancillary rights; and (2), there are oceans of potential related sales to rely on. Ever since, the money lenders have sought properties to exploit and they time their release for maximum gain.
Tintin has MASSIVE potential sales in my mind. He’s the pre-non-American Indiana Jones that is known the world over. The comics have sold over 200 million copies in 50 different languages. There are 25 comics in total and if the upcoming movie is any example of what may follow, there could be at minimum 8-10 movies made.
So why not choose a visual style that can seamlessly transform into figures, video games etc.? And still maintains a clear connection to the comics and all the other merchandise that’s existed since Tintin’s popularity arose? Why waste gobs of money catering to MO-CAP while it searches for it legs when simpler tried and true methods exist?
The scene depicted in the image above could be one of thousands printed out using a CNC machine for sale using this style. The action figures could approximate the look of the hero better than any star character before it. Video game systems of today could nail the look without breaking a sweat.
Why head to photoreal territory and get lost in the crowd when Pixar has shown that it’s not necessary?
So then there’s reason #2; Clarity.
Clarity, in images and story, is super important because our brains are super fast at deciphering those very things. Comics can access certain shortcuts that improve the speed in which we decipher things and this in turn creates a reinforcing feeling of intellectual nourishment. Slow the process down and audiences don’t dissolve into the universe you’re creating. Here’s a sample page to refer to:
In the ligne claire style, the major forms are equally outlined with the shadows concentrated in those outlines. There’s a stage set feeling to each panel. Flat layers placed one over the other. Photography or human lens limitations generally do not apply with everything in focus.
The storytelling fits snug alongside the visuals. There’s no wayward tangents or intentional misdirections. It’s straight to the point and doing it’s best to keep these amazing adventures in complete focus.
The two elements combine to make clear & satisfying stories. That much cannot be denied. The movies main goal should therefore be how best to tell the stories so that Tintin is who people root for and not whose shoes they occupy as the story unfolds (something that has been said of how Herge intended Tintin to be perceived).
A great example of the style I’m advocating in motion would be this teaser for The Goon movie that’s awaiting the money backers’ green light. Minus the soft shadows, profanity, graphic violence, this is what I’m talking about.
Visit the site to view an embedded video.
Notice that even with big white empty discs for eyes, you can understand everything that’s going on with Frankie because the body performance is so strong & fluid. Tintin’s would be even stronger with more normal small black pupils for audiences to peer into. The storytelling is also pretty darn clear giving a great insight into the Frankie character.
In contrast, I’ve yet to see how MO-CAP does anything to enhance visual or narrative clarity. Visually, it revels in the dirty details and poses serious challenges to the animators to coerce a fluid performance out of the data they’ve been assigned to clean up & enhance when possible. Instead of being asked to create the motion equivalent of maple syrup, they’re asked to create extra crunchy peanut butter. Narratively, the virtual camera seduces foreign vantage points and relentless drifting in dramatic moments like no other. For the big boys, the toys they’ve been handed are too fun not to play with. Restraint is not a part of the game.
In the end, the mo-cap movie opens in a month, so all I should be pondering, if at all, is will people fall in love with a bastardized version of Tintin, neither real nor virtual? Perhaps, black swans do exist. But I don’t think it will be anywhere near what the maximum potential is. The maximum audience member loves what they can understand and MO-CAP is a terrible tease on the best of days.
Turrible.
