Fifteen years have passed since LA Noire left us speechless with its interrogations. Its MotionScan technology, based on 32 HD cameras capturing every micro-gesture of real actors, marked a before and after in facial animation. But the body of the crime, literally, was left without that attention: only the neck up was scanned.
The bottleneck of data and discs 💿
The flood of data generated by MotionScan was a logistical challenge. On Xbox 360, the game took up three discs; on PC, six DVD-ROMs. The only console that breathed easy was PS3, which used a single Blu-Ray. The character's body was animated using traditional techniques, creating a contrast between hyper-realistic faces and more rigid body movements. A technical division that seems archaic today.
When the body wasn't up to par with the face 🕵️
It's curious that, with 32 cameras for the face, no one thought to dedicate a single one to the hands. Watching Cole Phelps gesticulate like a rag doll while his face shows Oscar-worthy anguish is tragicomic. The technology was so cutting-edge that they forgot detectives also walk, not just frown.