Animation
How Faceware became Contiloe’s ‘Vighnaharta’
While it may seem extremely cool to don a helmet with a head-mounted camera and shoot, motion capture is a technique that involves an entirely different level of complexity. James Cameron’s Avatar beautifully used the technology for the CGI created characters of the Na’vi tribe; and the Planet of the Apes series exploited the technique successfully with Andy Serkis’ Ceaser becoming the most memorable character in the film.
With the amount of research, training and skilled execution that comes with using this technology, it is an equal amount of dare to execute it for a TV show. And this dare has been taken up by Abhimanyu Singh’s Contiloe Pictures for their upcoming mythological TV show Vighnaharta Ganesh, making it the first TV show in India to use motion capture.
Why Motion Capture (mocap)
“Whenever Ganpati has been shown on screen, you will see makeup done to convert his human face to an elephant face,” said Contiloe Pictures CEO Abhimanyu Singh. “It looks odd,” he added, and argued that the form of an elephant’s face cannot be done just by applying makeup on human’s face. “That is why we have used mocap.”
The technique is used for the elephant head of Ganesh in the show, and will be seen from the third or fourth episode.
For detailed story, read here:
Exclusive: Contiloe recreates the elephant-lord in ‘Vighnaharta Ganesh’ with MOCAPtivating technique
MUMBAI: History is getting a fresh rewrite this time with code, creativity and a longer arc in mind. Lens Vault Studios has announced its first original production, Bal Tanhaji, marking the official entry of the newly launched, tech-driven studio into India’s evolving entertainment landscape.
Arriving six years after the box-office success of Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, the new project expands the universe rather than revisiting familiar ground. Bal Tanhaji explores uncharted narrative territory, signalling a clear shift from one-off cinematic spectacles to long-format, world-building storytelling designed for digital-first audiences.
At the heart of this ambition is Prismix Studios, the in-house generative AI and technology arm powering the creative engine behind the show. The studio’s approach blends storytelling with next-generation tools, aiming to reimagine how Indian IPs are created, scaled and sustained beyond theatrical releases.
For Lens Vault Studios chairman Ajay Devgn the new venture represents a deliberate step beyond traditional cinema. The focus is firmly on building long-form intellectual properties across fiction and non-fiction, tailored to changing viewing habits and platform-led consumption. He said the studio intends to explore formats that remain largely untapped, while drawing on the team’s experience with large-scale cinematic storytelling.
Lens Vault Studios founder and CEO Danish Devgn echoed that sentiment, describing Bal Tanhaji as the studio’s first generative-AI-led IP and the starting point of a broader vision. The aim, he noted, is to carry forward the legacy of the Tanhaji universe while connecting with younger audiences through a blend of powerful narratives and emerging technologies.
With Bal Tanhaji, Lens Vault Studios is planting its flag early not just launching a show, but signalling a larger play for cinematic universes that live, grow and evolve across platforms. If this debut is any indication, the future of Indian storytelling may be as much about imagination as it is about innovation.
