Movella launches indie creation program to help creators impacted by actor’s strike

12.10.2023 - 13:43 / venturebeat.com

Movella launched its character digitization software Obskur as an all-in-one broadcasting application built in Unreal Engine 5 to make it easy for streamers to create their own VTubers, or virtual YouTubers.

Now Movella is coming back with an indie creation program that will help creators who have been impacted by the Hollywood strikes, including the actor’s strike which hasn’t been settled yet.

Movella is giving free access to its tools to underscore the company’s commitment to making high-performance motion capture accessible to teams of all sizes. It’s designed to support independent creators and small studios in the animation, VFX, and game development fields.

As part of the program, the company is giving free access to two new bundles – Indie Starter Bundle and Indie Pro – representing a significant leap forward in making high-quality motion capture technology accessible and affordable to creative companies of all sizes.

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Movella’s offerings, powered by its Xsens technology, come when frustration with worker pay and protection is at an all-time high. The ripple effect goes beyond actors and writers, impacting animators, VFX artists, and video game developers, many of whom are going independent to avoid large, layoff-ridden studios and companies. Movella’s newly indie-tailored products prove that workers don’t need massive budgets to afford high-quality tools – a welcomed move, considering the economy can’t take a continued entertainment stall that’s already resulted in a $6 billion blow to the economy.

Xsens technology offers an optimized workflow, reduced post-production hours, and impeccable motion capture data in any environment. It stands out due to its magnetic immunity, plug-and-play setup, exceptional data quality, and streamlined workflow. Xsens enables creators to capture dynamic motion in various environments without the need for extensive calibration or extensive post-production cleanup.

In an interview with GamesBeat, Movella CEO Ben Lee said, “We had a lot of Indies reaching out to us because with the Hollywood strikes essentially stopped for the better part of the last 100 days. People were reaching out to me directly to get help. That caused us to think about doing this indie program.”

For companies that make less than $500,000 a year, Movella will offer its gold standard product to indies for free for six months, with a starter kit.

“We really hope there is a positive impact on the industry overall,” Lee said.

The tech for doing VTubing, or creating a virtual character who becomes