WHAT IS MOTION CAPTURE: Motion capture cuts the costs of computer animation while creating more natural movement. Such systems work by tracking the locations of hundreds of reflective balls attached to a human actor. This permits the actor's movements to be sampled by a camera many times per second. But the digital record is limited to movements and does not include the actual appearance of the actor. These types of systems are limited in resolution to several hundred points on a human face.
TURN, TURN, TURN: For spins performed on the ice, the way a skater holds his or her body can affect the speed of rotation. Once in the air, a skater controls his or her rotation speed by closing or opening the body position. A closed position, with the arms and legs pulled in tight against the body, decreases resistance and increases rotation speeds. On the other hand, an open position, in which the arms and legs are allowed to swing away from the body, causes the speed of rotation to decrease. That's why ice skaters tighten their body positions when performing twists or jump turns.