Unlocking 3D Digital Practice in Hair, Makeup and Prosthetics for Performances in Virtual Production

Project partners: London College of Fashion, Copper Candle, Imogen Fox, Anette Ollerearnshaw

XR Network+ has awarded funding to a research and development collaboration between London College of Fashion (LFC), live virtual events makers, Copper Candle, digital designer Imogen Fox, and undergraduate students from BA Hair, Makeup and Prosthetics for Performance at LCF. 

The project will address a knowledge gap in the design and application of hair, make-up and/or prosthetics for digital characters in digital performance, including 3D animation, gaming and live 3D, interactive performance events. 

The collaboration will develop workflows that can unlock creative digital practice for learners in this field, leading to the creation of more engaging, innovative characters that not only inhabit and embody their story-worlds, but also feed into industry practice.

The project will enable the creation of performance characters that will feature as part of an interactive “live” event experience in Fortnite. Digital attendees at the event will be able to play within the experience and watch performers, artists and musicians creating dynamic storytelling with non-linear narratives. 

In addition to performance characters, the team will also develop an audience avatar prototype as a reflection of a real-life person visiting the digital world, whilst also considering the ethical implications of portraying real-life humans in digital experiences. 

The project team will consult and share findings with wigs, hair and makeup (WHAM) industry consultant Anette Ollerearnshaw, who specialises in knowledge exchange and the transference of skills that can nurture future industry talent.

Research findings will be presented back to cross-industry participants attending the Beauty and Gaming Symposium at LFT East Bank in March 2025. 

The project is one of four initiatives supported by the XR Network+ Prototyping, Impact and Acceleration (PIA) round two funding call, with grants of up to £10,000 awarded to researchers at UK universities to develop new ideas and complete existing research related to VP. 

 

Categories: Arts, Games, Performance, Research, Technology