Written by Cole Mihalich. Photo by Ally Abruscato.
Picture this: In a “The Wizard of Oz” remake, Toto is replaced with a hyperrealistic computer-generated dog. Now imagine Daniel-Day Lewis plays the dog. Any questions?
Writer-director Henry Campbell examines these ideas in his upcoming senior-thesis film, “MOCAP Dog.”
“MOCAP Dog” follows an up-and-coming actor who has just landed a role that could be his big break. Unbeknownst to him, he’ll be working with one of the greatest actors to ever live. That actor, dawning a motion-capture suit, will be playing the dog.
This unique student film is turning heads. But where did this idea come from?
“I was hanging out with some friends and one of them had just gotten a dog,” says Campbell, a senior Film and Television major. “I remember looking over at my friend and noticing that when he was with his dog he started acting like a dog. He picked up on it and started doing these different things. Then began the ‘what if’s?'” Campbell slept on the idea and then it came to him. What if a man was playing a dog in a film? What if that man ruined someone’s day? What if he’s in a motion-capture suit?
“Later my friends asked me to come to the senior pitch and to pitch my film,” says Campbell. “I was nervous to share my idea in front of all these people.” After the pitch, Campbell’s team started to grow, and so did the excitement.
In order to produce a senior thesis, the team first needs to raise money. Campbell and his team had a few unique ideas.
“We did two big fundraising events. One where we sold these ‘dog treats’ we’d made– they were good… well, not terrible. Actually, they were pretty gross,” Campbell laughs. “The other fundraiser was essentially a junk auction.”
At the event, Campbell, his friends and his team sold a menagerie of items to peers and passersby. Events like these generated even more excitement, not only among the team but also in the public.
“Our core team was consistent but as more people heard about the idea, the more people wanted to help out,” says Campbell. With the pieces and plans in place, the team was ready to begin their shoot. “The night before the shoot I was pretty calm,” says Campbell. “But, there were definitely peaks of anxiety where I’d think back at all the preparation we’d done and it was all leading to tomorrow.”
After months of planning, Campbell called “action,” and it began.
“The first hour is always the hardest. You need to get back into the rhythm of directing and telling people what the vision is,” says Campbell.
Over the next three days of shooting, the team plowed ahead, finishing ahead of schedule each day. “Everybody talks about movie magic, but it’s not magic. It’s reality at its limits. You’re trying to control reality even when it’s so uncontrollable. If anything, life itself is already magical, but trying to translate it is the greatest struggle.”
Now, Campbell and the team are in the editing phase, with plans to premiere at the upcoming Senior Showcase in late May.
For information and updates on all things “MOCAP Dog” follow @mocap.dog.film on Instagram.
Cole Mihalich is a Contributing Editor at SCAD District. He is a senior majoring in Film and Television, and minoring in Dramatic Writing. When not writing for District, he can be found writing for other things, reading, or watching paint dry.
