Creative Media Industries Institute Helps ‘Moana’ Set Sail

ATLANTA - Georgia State University's Creative Media Industries Institute (CMII) provided motion capture expertise and on-set production support for Disney's live-action adaptation of "Moana," giving faculty, students and Panther alumni the opportunity to contribute to a major motion picture.

Through Actor Capture, an enterprise founded by Professors of Practice James Martin and Max Thomas, the team captured performances by six Polynesian performers who traveled from Hawaii to Trilith Studios in Fayetteville, Ga.

The team captured the full choreography for the musical number "You're Welcome," as well as fire-dancing sequences and a range of movements for characters Moana and Maui. The team also captured performances for Mini Maui, the animated tattoo character who appears on Maui's chest. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson portrays Maui in the film.

Using wireless Xsens Link motion capture suits, the team gave performers the freedom to dance, act and move across the set without restricting the choreography or intensity of each sequence.

Martin served as motion capture supervisor while Thomas served as QuadView specialist and video village coordinator. CMII graduate students Sajitha Jahangir and Laura Baptiste, along with Georgia State alumni Aidan Dowell (B.A. '24) and Josh Perry (B.A. '25), also worked on the production, serving in roles that included motion capture operator, shot list supervisor and witness reference camera operator.

"Working on 'Moana' gave our students and alumni the opportunity to apply their technical skills on a major motion picture while collaborating with world-class performers," Martin said. "From capturing the choreography for 'You're Welcome' to supporting the fire-dancing sequences and character movements, our team demonstrated how CMII prepares talented students to move from the classroom to the soundstage."

The project gave the alumni professional experience and screen credits on a major Disney production.

Martin and Thomas have a long record of moving high-performing, technically skilled CMII students from the classroom to professional soundstages. Their previous work includes "Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile," "The Suicide Squad" and "The Electric State." Their work on the live-action adaptation of "Moana" continued that commitment. It also connected Georgia State students and alumni with hands-on opportunities in Georgia's film and television industry.

To learn more about Actor Capture, visit actorcapture.com.