This process of extracting the motion and emotive likeness (but not the actual physical appearance) from the original performance is known as retargeting. The goal of this digital process is to transfer the motion and emotive likeness of the original actor’s performance onto a digital character model, so that the digital character’s face moves exactly like the original actor’s face. The facial performance video is then submitted to a digital tracking algorithm, where the video information is transformed into a digital wireframe “mask” that moves exactly like the actor’s face. This production-ready hardware solution is used in a wide variety of entertainment and visual effects applications, and provides a key element in the facial performance capture pipeline.įacial performance capture is the process of recording video of an actor’s face throughout their performance for use in a visual effects or digital animation pipeline. The M2 Headcam is a facial motion capture helmet rig for the iPhone, designed for recording stable video footage of an actor’s face during their performance.