ACCAD will 'capture' Marceau's motion

For the sake of Marcel Marceau, Jeanine Thompson recently slipped into a scuba suit, two wristbands and a headband that, combined, had 41 small reflective balls attached with duct tape and Velcro. She crouched in the middle of the empty stage of a black box theater, knees bent, arms outstretched, like a motorcyclist set to go cruising. Fourteen digital cameras positioned on tripods and on the four walls around her silently plotted her body's exact location in space, conveying the data to a computer located several feet away in what would normally be the theater's sound booth.

"Great! Hold that for a five count, then move like you would for your performance," said graphic research specialist Pete Carswell from behind a computer screen in the sound booth. "We're ready to capture."

Photo of Marcel Marceau by Roger Pic

In just a few seconds, a digital Thompson would appear in front of him, a figure of glowing green dots crouching in a vacuum of blackness, with only a white grid beneath its feet to represent the ground.

When world-renowned mime artist Marceau makes his third visit to Ohio State in April, he will spend a day of his two-week residency in the College of the Arts' new motion capture lab, performing his piece "The Eater of Hearts" and several signature movements. His work will then be archived.

Thompson, associate professor of theatre and a protŽgŽ of Marceau's, was helping staff to practice for the artist's visit by serving as a model of Marceau's movement. By using the system herself, she'll also be able to help Marceau prepare for his session.

Staff, faculty and students are still learning the ropes of the state-of-the-art optical motion capture equipment from Vicon, which was installed in Mount Hall on Feb. 25. Since Marceau will be the first high-profile subject, everyone wants to be sure it goes smoothly.

Marceau's session will be conducted by staff from the Advanced Computing Center for the Arts & Design (ACCAD) and by ACCAD alumnus Jeff Light and engineer Doug Griffin, both of Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), the visual effects division of Lucas Digital Ltd. LLC. In the fall, the lab is slated to move into a permanent location at ACCAD's Kinnear Road facilities.

Models for the capture sessions wear a tight suit that allows the body movement to be clear. The reflective balls, or markers, are attached to points on the body, such as leg and arm joints, the forehead and the sternum, to give a sense of the person's overall movement. Thompson's session was held to help the staff determine where the markers would be best positioned for a pantomime.

In order to show up on the screen, each marker must be witnessed by at least two of the digital cameras in the room, which are programmed to capture only light reflections. Each session begins with the model adopting the same crouching position that Thompson did, so that the model's x, y and z location in three dimensional space can be fed into the software. The software operator then labels each marker's digital counterpart with the name of the portion of the body it occupies, so the program knows how to reconstruct the data. On screen, it looks a little like a high-tech game of connect the dots.

The model can then begin movement, and the software is able to form an image of the person moving in 3-D. The number of cameras used and their locations are flexible, as is the number of reflective balls used, depending on the kind of movement being captured.

Marceau has some reservations about the project. "He is very nervous about why anyone would want this kind of data," Thompson said. "However, those on the motion capture staff can envision many ways this technology can be used for valuable research and artistic purposes. They are committed to making Mr. Marceau comfortable and excited about the process and inspiring him to think about this new data in a new way as well."

Maria Palazzi, acting director of ACCAD, said there is a lot of interest in studying Marceau's movements.

"As an animator, I'm interested in the way he uses gesture to tell a story," she said. "Mime is an incredible combination between acting and dancing. It's very expressive, so it's great for animators. That's the kind of body language they want to put into their characters. It is absolutely clear to his audiences what he means."

Motion capture, by witnessing the subtleties, has an advantage over video. "A lot of times, looking at a video, you can't really analyze the 3-D aspect of movement. What you think you see in one move may not be the actual movement," Palazzi said. "Human motion is incredibly complex and this will be another tool to help our students in animation. Motion capture will be a really important part of what we teach over here."

The data and software give researchers a lot of room for creativity and analysis. The Vicon software, BodyBuilder, allows researchers to see the animation curves, or a visual representation of movement in time. Movements can be precisely measured, analyzed and altered or be used to trigger new motion, and motion collected from different shootings can be combined. Figures captured can be viewed from all angles.

The lab will serve researchers from a variety of disciplines across campus, and, eventually, from the private sector, Palazzi said. In the medical field, motion capture can be used for examining walking gait; computer scientists are interested in motion analysis; artists might use the technology for simulating synthetic characters; and dancers could use it for choreography.

The original funding for the lab came from a combination of funds from the Office of Academic Affairs, the Office of Research and the College of the Arts. ILM is providing technical assistance for the motion capture of Marceau, at its own expense, and will be providing ongoing technical support. The College of the Arts is working to provide for other forms of ongoing support.

Thompson is excited about seeing Marceau's work archived. "It's the same as with classical music. If there was not music notation, we would not have Mozart and Tchaikovsky today," she said. "We can refer back to the greats because of what they have left behind. Being an artist and an educator, I find him to be one of the great masters of the world and the greatest mime." She envisions a possible future CD-ROM that would allow students and researchers to see Marceau's motion capture session, as well as him teaching and performing.

Thompson's friendship with Marceau reaches back to 1985, when she met him through a mutual friend. Since then, she has gone on to study with him, teach his style of movement and serve on his foundation committee. She has been instrumental in developing his relationship with Ohio State, which just established a Mime and Movement Arts Collection focusing on Marceau's work that will be housed within the Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute.

During his residency, Marceau will teach workshops with MFA and advanced undergraduate theatre students; allow a film crew to document several of his signature pieces not previously filmed; and perform in Thurber Theatre April 6-8. The April 8 performance is for children. For tickets, call 292-2295.

OSU celebrates Hispanic culture in April

Tango dancing, Latino cuisine, and discussions and events are among the highlights of Ohio State's 23rd Annual Hispanic Awareness Month in April. "Stepping into the Millennium with the Traditions of the Past" is the theme for this year's celebration.

According to the 2000 census, the national Hispanic population has increased nearly 60 percent during the past decade. The month of events is designed to create awareness of this growing population and to celebrate the Hispanic culture, according to Carmen Alvarez-Breckenridge, coordinator of Hispanic Student Services.

For a full calendar, visit www.osu.edu/units/ir/ess/HSS/hamevents.htm. The schedule includes:

Events

April 2 -- The Role of Hispanics in Higher Education, 9 to 11 a.m., Frank W. Hale Jr. Black Cultural Center. HŽctor Garza, founding president of the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (NCCEP), will speak. Garza will also take part in a video and panel discussion, Blacks and Latinos in Higher Education: Coalition or Competition?, 1 to 2:30 p.m., Hale Center. The President and Provost's Diversity Lecture Series is sponsoring both of these events.

Formal opening of the 23rd Annual Celebration of Hispanic Awareness Month and opening of the Latino Free Clinic, 5 to 6:30 p.m., Room 100, Thomas E. Rardin Family Practice Center, Northwood-High Building. President Kirwan will give remarks during this event, which includes the introduction of Juan Lara, new director of the Ohio Commission on Hispanic/Latino Affairs, music and food.

April 9 -- The Successful Models of Progress for the Retention of Hispanic Students, 9 to 11 a.m., Hale Black Cultural Center. Adolfo Bermeo, assistant vice provost for access and diversity and director of the Academic Advancement Program at the University of California, Los Angeles, will speak. Bermeo will also take part in a student forum from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m. in the Ohio Union Conference Theatre. Both events are sponsored by the President and Provost's Diversity Lecture Series.

April 10 -- Public meeting of the Ohio Commission on Hispanic/Latino Affairs, 10 a.m. to noon, Ohio Union Memorial Room.

HIV/AIDS in the Latino Community -- Listen! Learn! Live!, 4 to 5:30 p.m., Ohio Union Memorial Room, presented by Annie Camacho, psychiatric counselor for Ohio State's Counseling and Consultation Service.

April 13 -- Wellness Symposium 2001: Understanding Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Issues in Minority Communities, 9:15 a.m. to 2 p.m., Room 150, Younkin Success Center. Several expert presentations will help explain why alcohol and drug abuses persist in Hispanic, African-American, Asian-American and American Indian communities, and examine culturally specific prevention strategies to deal with these problems. See www.shc.ohio-state.edu/swc/Pages/Files/symposium.html.

April 18 -- The Role of Hispanic Women in Higher Education: Making it to the Top, 9 to 11 a.m., Hale Black Cultural Center. Nancy "Rusty" Barcelo, associate vice president for academic affairs and chair of the Chicano Studies Department at the University of Minnesota, will appear as part of the President and Provost's Diversity Lecture Series.

April 23 -- Michele Serros, 7 to 8 p.m., Ohio Union Conference Theatre. The author of How to Be a Chicana Role Model will share her insights and talk about her recent book.

April 26 -- Setting the Framework for Hispanics in Higher Education for the New Millennium, 9 to 11 a.m., Room 4, Fawcett Center. Manuel Pacheco, president of the four-campus University of Missouri system, will speak as part of the President and Provost's Diversity Lecture Series.

April 26 -- An Evening with John Quinones, 7 to 9 p.m., Rhodes Hall Auditorium. The award-winning ABC anchor will give a presentation and answer questions.

April 27 -- Decolonizing Chicano History, 10 to 11:30 a.m., 1015 McPherson Laboratory. Emma Perez of the University of Texas in El Paso will discuss her recent book, Decolonial Imagery: Writing Chicanas into History (Theories of Representation and Difference).

April 30 -- Final Celebration of Hispanic Awareness Month 2001, 4 to 7 p.m., Ohio Union Main Lounge.

Discussions/forums

April 2 -- Bridging the Gap in Health Care for Latinos: A Community Forum, 6:30 to 8 p.m., Room 100, Rardin Family Practice Center.

April 5 -- Impact of Stereotypes on Latino Life, 4 to 5:30 p.m., Ohio Union Buckeye Rooms F/G.

April 11 -- WHO Defines Us: A Historical and Present-Day Discussion on Taking Back Our Names, 4 to 5:30 p.m., Ohio Union Buckeye Rooms A/B.

April 19 -- Conversaci—n Pan Dulce y Chocolate, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., 436 Ohio Union, focusing on how cultural issues can affect climate and create multiple identities.

April 23 -- Chat with Michele Serros, 8:30 to 9:30 p.m., Kuhn Honors and Scholars House. Register by April 4 with David Strauss at 292-3135.

Arts

April 4 -- Poet Miriam Herrera, 7 to 8 p.m., The Hillel Center, followed by a poetry slam until 10 p.m.

April 4-27 -- Displayed works of local artist and architect Wilfred Calvo Bono, Bricker Hall second floor.

April 11 -- SHADES Film and Discussion Series: Como Agua Para Chocolate (Like Water for Chocolate), 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., Kuhn Honors & Scholars House.

April 23-30 -- Photography Contest Exhibition Ð New Faces of the Millennium: Hispanic Awareness Month 2001, Exposures Gallery, Ohio Union.

April 25-27 -- Chiapas Media Project (CMP), 3 to 5 p.m. (8-10 p.m. April 27), 317 Dreese Laboratories, featuring work by indigenous videomakers from Chiapas and Oaxaca.

Get Involved

April 5 -- Dance the Tango, 7 to 9 p.m., Performance Space, Baker Hall.

April 8 -- Servicio a la Communidad, noon to 5 p.m., meet at Ohio Union, Lincoln Park West Apartments service project. Register with Ethnic Student Services at 688-4988.

April 24 -- Capoeira Presentation and Open Class, 3 to 5 p.m., Ohio Union West Lawn, Department of Dance demonstration and discussion.

Conferences

April 2 -- 6th Conference on Ethics in Science, Technology & Medicine, 3 to 4:30 p.m., Rhodes Hall Auditorium, featuring Miguel Bedolla of the Health Science Center at the University of Texas in San Antonio and Linda M. Hunt of the Departments of Anthropology and Pediatrics at Michigan State University, presenting "Health & Ethnicity: Examining Latino Perspectives on Bioethics."

April 20 and 21 -- The Multi-Cultural Conference of Students: Images of You. For information, contact Erica Estep at 292-8611 or wss@osu.edu.

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