Soon, the car stopped at the motion capture base of Gamestar Electronic Entertainment.
The scale of this facility truly warranted the term "base."
This was a sprawling area of over 100,000 square meters, where only the motion capture team worked.
By now, the motion capture team had expanded into several fields, including film production and game development, and employed over 500 people. The space was divided into 11 areas, with ten of them currently filled with busy work.
They handled both in-house game development projects and external film motion capture tasks. Thanks to this mix, the motion capture team was able to turn a profit easily. As the first to commercialize motion capture technology, they had earned the first-mover advantage, backed by continuous technical and financial support from Gamestar Electronic Entertainment, allowing them to dominate in this field.
Joe and the others got out of the car, and two employees led the actors to a designated motion capture area. At this moment, staff members were already waiting for them.
The employee leading them was quite proud as he explained, "This is our latest motion capture technology, a full set of equipment provided by Stanford University and Boston University. This is probably the most advanced motion capture equipment in the world. Each of these scanning devices costs over $100,000, and there are more than 100 such devices in just this one area."
The actors didn't fully understand, but they could tell that the equipment here was extraordinary.
They had never had the opportunity to work with such technology before. After all, they were mostly third-tier actors, and big productions rarely involved them. Even if they did get involved, they were likely to be just minor supporting roles, not to mention getting access to this kind of equipment.
...
...
Gamestar Electronic Entertainment's wealth was truly impressive. Just building this base alone likely cost over a hundred million dollars, though only the company itself knew the exact figure.
"Alright, as per the president's request, each of you will now take part in the performance as the lead character. Please get ready. The script has already been prepared for you. The final result depends on your performance," the staff said, instructing the actors.
Soon, the staff began helping the actors put on the motion capture gear, then led them one by one into the motion capture area for testing.
Meanwhile, Takayuki was in the monitoring room, watching everything unfold.
"Takayuki, I must say, these actors are really good. If you're just looking to make a game, they're the most cost-effective choice," said the tall and burly "Santa Claus," Tukalev, who was still eagerly recommending these actors.
In his mind, he was genuinely thinking of these actors, hoping they could make the most of this opportunity and develop well.
Takayuki nodded, "They do look pretty good, but we'll have to see the results before making a judgment."
In reality, Takayuki had already made up his mind.
Even if these actors weren't suitable for Metal Gear, he had other major game projects lined up for them.
Tukalev's recommendations were all for actors who were quite affordable—perfect for the motion capture role. They seemed born for this kind of work.
Soon, everyone was in performance mode.
"Alright, you're now a special forces soldier infiltrating enemy territory, and your task is to quietly sneak in and sabotage. You've all read the script, right?"
Everyone nodded, and one of them eagerly raised their hand, eager to show off their acting skills.
Special forces—these were regulars in films.
Even if they hadn't played such a role before, they had certainly seen it countless times.
This world didn't have movies like First Blood or 007 Mission Impossible, but there were plenty of similar films, and their quality was not inferior to the spy films Takayuki had seen in his past life.
This world had truly perfected the spy profession.
The first actor entered the motion capture area, but as soon as he did, he seemed a bit confused.
There were hardly any reference points in the motion capture room.
In film, even fully animated performances often had some reference points.
But in the motion capture area, there was nothing—meaning if you wanted to perform as an elite special forces soldier, you had to rely on your imagination.
Fortunately, these actors were quite skilled, and after a brief moment of confusion, the first actor began performing the special forces role.
The performance was over quickly, and Takayuki, after watching, didn't feel much.
The actor's performance wasn't bad, but it certainly didn't match the image of Snake that Takayuki had in mind.
This actor wasn't sharp enough. Snake, as his name suggested, was like a snake—cold and efficient in action.
Still as a statue, quick as a rabbit—this was the best expression of Snake.
Of course, the way some players ruined Snake's character couldn't be considered here.
The second actor quickly performed the test.
He was slightly better than the first one, but still didn't reach Takayuki's standard.
He shook his head and continued to watch the next one.
Tukalev, standing to the side, tried to say something in defense of the actors, "Takayuki, these people should still be adjusting to this motion capture style of acting. They'll definitely improve as we go on."
Takayuki replied, "I know, I'm actually looking for the right temperament. That's even more important than acting skills."
The third actor started their performance. With the experience from the previous two, they were clearly more comfortable portraying the special forces role.
These actors did have excellent acting skills, and they kept improving in this situation. No wonder the quality of films in this world was generally high. It didn't seem like there were any time-traveling filmmakers here. People in this world were quite adept at cultural entertainment, and the lack of developed video games was purely coincidental—other entertainment sectors had monopolized the market.
Takayuki thought that even without time travel, video games would likely take off in this world within a few years.
"Alright, next."
As soon as the third actor finished their performance, the staff quickly ushered in the next person.
It was Joe.
He tried to calm himself down, then his gaze gradually steadied.
Perhaps because of his highs and lows in life, Joe's eyes had a certain weariness to them, and a detached, unspoken indifference.