Throughout early access and the release of Baldur’s Gate 3, many of the game’s voice actors have engaged with fans on social media. These interactions aren’t just coming from Origin characters and the game’s narrator, Amelia Tyler. Performers playing major antagonists and Tavs (custom characters) are joining in on the fun too. In addition to serving as the voice and body of Tav No.1 (of seven), Joshua Wichard worked as a performance director—and a motion-capture (mocap) actor for most of the game’s sex scenes. Frequently teasing a version of “yes even that one”, Wichard has been very open with fans. This includes answering questions about what it’s like to shoot such blush-worthy cinematics.
Wichard took to TikTok early in 2020 to document his time as a mocap performer. However, since BG3‘s release, his posts have centered on his work in the Dungeons & Dragons computer RPG. On August 8, Wichard opened up about his participation in the romance scenes. Specifically, on how they compare to filming intimate scenes for film and TV. Between then and a follow-up video on September 30, he revealed a lot about his experience with Larian Studios and mocap work.
@joshwichard Me talking about me doing the intimacy motion capture for Baldurs Gate 3. Thats right. All of it. The bear, the emperor, the companions. #baldursgate #baldursgate3 #bg3 #dnd #dungeonsanddragons #videogames #videogame #gaming #mocap #motioncapture #voiceacting #actortok ♬ original sound – Josh Wichard
After working with Larian as Tav No.1, they approached Wichard about acting in the game’s steamier shoots. These scenes would include an intimacy coordinator, a (relatively new) industry standard for TV/film, but unheard of in video games. Until this point, he’d never worked with an intimacy coordinator before. Since he enjoyed working with Larian, Wichard agreed to join the team bringing those romance scenes to life.
“My thoughts were that is was going to be probably less awkward than TV intimacy because I don’t actually have to be naked. I’m wearing a motion capture suit and you soon discover it’s still awkward … just in its own unique way.”
Pre-game stretch
**Spoilers for Baldur’s Gate 3.**
Some of the characters Wichard played (in mocap) in these scenes included Wyll, Astarion (“including the leg thing“), Harleep, The Emperor, Minthara, and the human Halsin. If you’ve seen more than one character’s romance scenes, you’ll know they range greatly. Some are sex straight out the gate, while others are quiet moments of clothes-on vulnerability. The challenge and fun for him started with the first shoot. Wichard revealed his first intimate scene was playing The Emperor—foam tentacles and all. He noted that he’s “not sure the behind-the-scenes of that one will ever see the light of day.”
Before they began the shoot, the performers got a buffet of breath-fresher options. Also, they received time with the storyboards by artist Dave Stokes. Wichard expressed gratitude in viewing Stoke’s art because it helped give clear directions of what Larian needed from the shoots. He shared that in other projects, (including with major studios like Warner Bros.) storyboards frequently include stick figures on Post-it notes. This especially helped during complicated scenes like Gale’s god mode.
@joshwichard I can’t find the comment of who asked for this – but here is a quick video about the amazing storyboard artist Dave Stokes, and his amazing work on Baldurs Gate 3! Go follow him on instagram! #voiceactor #videogames #videogame #gaming #baldursgate #baldursgate3 #bg3 #dungeonsanddragons #dnd #motioncapture #mocap ♬ original sound – Josh Wichard
Wichard explained that each shoot featured three people besides himself and Saskia Allen (the performance partner). This line-up included a performance director (usually Greg Lidstone), a mocap engineer, and an intimacy coordinator (Enric Ortuno or Asha Jennings-Grant). This group is very small as opposed to TV where “lots more people [are] kind of hanging around.” That added some ease to the tense situation.
The nitty-gritty of motion capture sex
“Doing motion capture intimacy is very weird because you just don’t feel very sexy at all. [You’re] wearing a skin tight suit covered in dotes. You’ve got a bunch of people watching. There’s like four people watching. […] You finish the scene and you’re missing dots and you know, they’ve got dots on them that are yours.”
After the scene and ending T-pose is complete, there’s a period of time where they just give each other one another’s dots back. Because of the constant close proximity and the dots secured by Velcro, their dots need to be sorted after each shot. Then, they go over to a large TV screen to watch the scene as a group that begins with a T-pose before the scene begins.
They aren’t looking at video of themselves, but a character model rendered to their movement. Wichard explained “It’s not like you’re watching it back and saying ‘God my stomach looks awful’ or ‘God, I really thought my finishing face wasn’t quite that anguished’ so it’s definitely “easier” for use because there’s less pressure.” They take notes, direction, and just repeat it again. Wichard admitted that it sounds awkward, and it is, but “that awkwardness fades away.”
Echoing others like Neil Newbon (Astarion), Wichard attributed comfortableness and success to the work environment. He repeated that from the inclusion of the intimacy coordinator to the feedback, the experience was collaborative and respectful.
Working with Larian Studios
@joshwichard A reupload from yesterday! Me talking about the spicy scenes in Baldurs Gate 3. The brilliant intimacy co-ordinator I mentioned is @Jessica Steinrock (sorry I butchered your name). Any questions, don’t hesitate to drop them in the comments below. #voiceactor #videogames #videogame #gaming #baldursgate #baldursgate3 #bg3 #dungeonsanddragons #dnd #motioncapture #mocap #astarionromance #halsinromance #wyllromance ♬ original sound – Josh Wichard
The studio gave performers the “beats” of the scene, i.e. moments Larian wanted the performers to hit. However, Larian allowed them to feel their way through each scene. Wichard shared they’re allowed “a fair amount of freedom.” When he and others had suggestions, Larian always said a version of “Let’s try that.”
“That was another thing I loved working with Larian. Not only did they make it a safe environment, it always felt like when we worked with them that we weren’t working for them. We were working with them. That was the same not just in the intimacy scenes. They were kinda like ‘what are you thoughts here’ [and] ‘what do you want to do here?'”
In many of these videos, Wichard sang the praises of the other people on the team of the project. (Not just all the people this article mentioned above, but also a person named Rick.) Wichard shared how grateful he was that intimacy coordinators were included, and that coordinators like Jessica Steinrock on TikTok educate people about their valuable work. To those who may have barely heard of this role because of him, Wichard explained in detail and encouraged wide adoption of IC work in gaming. Intimacy coordinators serve as advocates for the actors, especially women and others often taken advantage of in entertainment. Wichard also added later that he loved having an intimacy coordinator present to answer his “awkward questions.”
(via TikTok, featured image: Larian Studios screencap by Alyssa Shotwell)
