Mocap is short for motion capture, the process of creating digital characters for 2D or 3D computer animation by attaching reflective markers to an actor and having them move in front of a green screen while information about those movements is recorded. The Motion Capture Society has compiled a collection of slang used this industry. The reflective markers are referred to as dots or jewels. Those dots must remain in place, and if they fall off, the action may be stopped with a cry of Marker Doon! A hitchhiker is a marker that’s transferred from one actor to another but hasn’t fallen off, and a fear stick is a large stick with a pool noodle on the end of it, used to hit actors in order to make them react appropriately during a fight scene. This is part of a complete episode.
What makes a great first line of a book? How do the best authors put together an initial sentence that draws you in and makes you want to read more? We’re talking about the openings of such novels as George Orwell’s 1984...
To slip someone a mickey means to doctor a drink and give it to an unwitting recipient. The phrase goes back to Mickey Finn of the Lone Star Saloon in Chicago, who in the late 19th century was notorious for drugging certain customers and relieving...
Subscribe to the fantastic A Way with Words newsletter!
Martha and Grant send occasional messages with language headlines, event announcements, linguistic tidbits, and episode reminders. It’s a great way to stay in touch with what’s happening with the show.
