Creative Precarity in Motion: Revealing the Hidden Labor Behind Animating Virtual Characters

This paper illuminates the obscured labor and challenges of actors—those vitalizing virtual characters through their embodied performances through motion capture (mocap) technology. Mocap in the entertainment industry has amplified the presence of virtual entities across various media platforms. Despite the expanding influence of such technologies, the mocap actors behind them often remain unseen and, at times, under-compensated. Central is the paradox where the realism and vitality of virtual characters contrast sharply with the obscured, and sometimes undervalued, human efforts behind them. We present an empirical study based on semi-structured interviews with fourteen actors, offering a nuanced understanding of their lived experiences. We highlight the multifaceted precarity they face, which includes navigating the market, preserving artistic integrity, and vulnerabilities as employees. By juxtaposing these findings with established discourses on invisible labor, we discuss three major invisibility factors. Furthermore, we propose design interventions to empower and rightfully recognize human labor.