Barbie’s from Saskatchewan? In The Movies She is…

When you think of Barbie, Saskatchewan probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind.  But next time you watch a Barbie movie, it will be.

Why?  Because my friend Cailin Stadnyk, a phenomenal actress and musical performer who hails from Regina, has been playing Barbie for 10 years.

Now, I realise you’re probably thinking “How can that be?  The Barbie movies are all

animated.”  While that is true, Cailin is also Motion Capture performer.

Still confused?  I was too.  Motion Capture or Mocap is, Cailin says, “basically the process of recording movement and performances of people in order to translate those performances to a digital work.  In really simple terms, it is used when a very “real or natural” feel and look is required for animated movies, cartoons, and video games.”

“I got my start nearly 10 years ago when I was hired to become the “body and motion” of Barbie in the numerous Barbie movies that are out there now. I have now been in DOZENS and DOZENS of movies, games and series playing everything from princesses to butt-kicking heroines to zombies.”

Most of us have seen the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and sort of get that Gollum was a Mocap creation, but I still was a bit hazy on what the actors actually do and how they do it.

“Essentially, I “act out” the scenes you are watching in the movies and games,” explains Cailin.  “Mocap actors wear special suits, similar to skin tight leotards, and reflective markers are attached to these suits. The cameras are laser-equipped and pick up the motion of the actors.  The actors, basically, shoot the scenes of the projects just as if it were a normal movie.  Thi s footage then gets given to the animators to put together.  The animated models of the characters are “placed over top” of our motion and that’s what you see!  Sooo…if you’re watching an animated character in a game fight, run, jump or engage with another character in a scene, we actors did all that!”

Pretty cool. 

Cailin’s dazzled audiences on stages across Canada (including my own Nursery School Musical!!) She also has a very impressive TV resume.  I asked her what was the craziest/best/most outlandish fan moment she’s ever had.  Surprisingly, it was a marriage proposal yelled out at her on stage in the middle of a performance of Evil Dead the Musical.

You can see Cailin on stage this spring at The Arts Club Theatre Company in Vancouver.  She’ll be camping & vamping it up as “Velma” in Hairspray.  For now, she’s currently filming the new Barbie movie, but you can always catch her in favourites like A Fashion Fairytale and a Mermaid Tale, which are available everywhere.