Students alien encounter film gets stellar help
Posted on 15th January 2025 at 16:20
A motion capture project by East Midlands IoT Computer Games students about an alien encounter received five star help from EMIoT business partner, Bloc Digital.

Vincent Grant and Eliah Hearne are third-years on the BA (Hons) Computer Games Modelling and Animation degree course; an East Midlands IoT course delivered by partner the University of Derby, at its Enterprise Centre site.
The students used motion capture technology for their project, telling the story of a soldier grappling with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) following an encounter with extra-terrestrials.
Motion capture uses sensors attached to a person or object to digitally record real body or facial movements in detail, later used to animate a computer-generated image (CGI) character; such as those seen in recent superhero movies.
Bloc Digital, also based at the University of Derby Enterprise Centre, supported the students by providing recording equipment and training; enabling the students to record facial expressions and voice at the same time. The students then used this experience to independently refine their project and bring the film’s characters to life.
The collaboration is typical of the East Midlands Institute of Technology’s approach. Its four education partners – the University of Derby, Derby College, Loughborough University and Loughborough College – work closely with business partners, to provide students with access to technical know-how used in the workplace.
Vincent said: “We were given a tour around Bloc Digital’s departments, showing what they create and the different companies they work with. They kindly showed us how to use their equipment and provided guidance for us to achieve great results for our animations.
“Bloc Digital advised us on future issues that may arise and how to fix them, as well as assuring us that we could always come back for help if a problem persisted.”
Eliah added: “I wanted to branch out to other animation techniques and came across facial animation. The results we got from the motion capture were better than we expected and enhances our scene.
“We were able to create our cinematic with Bloc Digital’s help, as they kindly provided us with their equipment and knowledge on the subject.”
David Phoenix, a 3D Modeller at Bloc Digital, commented: “Using LiveLink technology, we capture not just actors' voices but their facial movements too. This allows us to translate every nuance of a voice actor's performance directly onto a CGI character with incredible detail.
“The process uses a modern iPhone's front-facing camera and depth sensor to track facial and head movements. This data seamlessly integrates into Unreal Engine, making it easier to create real-time and non-real-time character animations."
The University’s Computer Games Modelling and Animation course is just one of many digital courses (at different academic levels) run by partners of the East Midlands IoT; which also specialises in engineering, professional construction, and strategy and leadership subjects.
For more on this story contact Sean Kirby, Communications and Engagement Manager at the East Midlands Institute of Technology, on email: sean.kirby@emiot.ac.uk
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