Vactors in Feature Films (2010-2013)

This article describes a segment of data produced as part of an ongoing research project that attempts to catalogue the performance of every vactor (virtual actor) in feature films from 2010-2019. Vactors are computer-generated (CG) characters that produce performances alongside profilmic elements. While vactors are increasingly common in films, they are poorly catalogued and often regarded among both academics and film critics as disdainful, monolithic performance strategies. A comprehensive list of vactors can be used to extract trends about the number of vactor performances by year, as well as how certain vactor performance styles become more or less predominant with time. By expanding on prior research that focuses on vactor performances from 2010, this article explores trends in vactor performances across multiple film genres between 2010-2013. By analysing this data, this article suggests that vactors are not monolithic but rather encompass a wide variety of roles featuring various degrees of performance nuance and complexity.

本文介绍了一项持续进行的研究项目所产出的部分数据集，该项目旨在对2010至2019年院线电影中每一位虚拟演员（virtual actor）的表演进行系统编目。虚拟演员是指与实拍元素协同呈现表演的计算机生成（CG）角色。尽管虚拟演员在影视创作中愈发普及，但目前相关编目工作仍较为薄弱，且常被学术界与影评界视作一种遭轻视的同质化表演策略。构建完整的虚拟演员表演名录，可用于梳理不同年度虚拟演员表演的数量趋势，以及特定虚拟演员表演风格随时间推移的主导性变化情况。本文在2010年以来针对虚拟演员表演的既有研究基础上进行拓展，针对2010至2013年间多部不同类型电影中的虚拟演员表演趋势展开探究。通过对上述数据集的分析，本文提出：虚拟演员并非同质化的存在，而是涵盖了一系列具备不同程度表演细腻度与复杂度的角色类型。