Runway Unveils Act-One: A New Tool for Generating Character Animations

Runway has introduced Act-One, a groundbreaking tool that generates expressive character performances using basic video and voice inputs. This new feature, available within Gen-3 Alpha, marks a major advancement in leveraging generative models for both live-action and animated content, offering creators more expressive and controllable options.

Simplifying Character Animation

Traditional facial animation workflows are often complex and intricate, involving motion capture technology, manual rigging, and multiple reference sources to capture an actor's performance in 3D models. These processes aim to maintain the emotion and nuance of live performances but can be cumbersome and time-consuming.

Act-One eliminates the need for complex setups by using a different approach. It relies solely on an actor's performance captured on video, without requiring additional equipment. This simplified method still delivers high-quality, nuanced facial animations that capture the full emotional depth of the source performance.

Versatile, Realistic, and Cinematic Output

One of Act-One’s key strengths is its ability to work with a variety of reference images, while preserving lifelike facial expressions. Even when the animated character has different proportions from the original actor, Act-One translates the performance into a believable, expressive result. This makes it ideal for creative character design, allowing for a range of animation styles, from cartoonish to realistic.

The tool also excels in producing cinematic-quality results, maintaining robust facial animations across different camera angles. This allows creators to craft immersive narratives with dynamic, emotionally resonant characters, enhancing the storytelling experience.

Transforming Dialogue Animation

A particularly exciting use of Act-One is its ability to generate multi-turn, expressive dialogue scenes. With just a consumer-grade camera and one actor performing different roles from a script, creators can now produce sophisticated narrative content that was previously difficult to achieve using generative models. This new capability opens the door to innovative forms of creative storytelling.

Commitment to Safe and Responsible AI

Runway is committed to the responsible development of tools like Act-One. To ensure safety and ethical use, the platform includes a suite of moderation features and precautions, such as:

• Advanced systems to detect and block content attempts involving public figures

• Verification measures ensuring users have the right to use voices they generate with Custom Voices

• Continuous monitoring to prevent misuse of the platform

These efforts are part of Runway’s broader Foundations for Safe Generative Media, guiding the company’s approach to building future tools.

Looking Ahead: New Opportunities for Creators

As Act-One gradually rolls out to users, Runway is excited to see how artists and storytellers will use this innovative tool to bring their characters and stories to life. By simplifying facial animation processes and offering new ways to create expressive content, Act-One provides a powerful resource for a broader range of creators.

For more information and to view video demos of Act-One’s capabilities, visit Runway's website.