Post by Banana Cat on Mar 18, 2011 8:26:07 GMT -5
m.nctimes.com/mobile/article_360ac92f-0fb3-5262-9f7c-7798f779ec8a.html
Video-game actor Bell out to see if virtual skills can translate to NFL
BY CHRISTOPHER HADORN - nctimes.com
March 6, 2011
Over the last eight years, Kenny Bell has made a living off his juke moves, stiff arms and catches on the football field. He has even performed his share of zany end zone celebrations.
Although Bell's job description befits a professional football player, what he actually does is simulate athletic movements for video games. His most distinguished work has been for EA Sports' Madden NFL series, which is the top selling sports video game in the U.S.
But Bell, 30, still considers himself a football player. And more than eight years removed from his career as a wide receiver and kick returner at Hofstra he still wonders if his virtual skills will translate to the NFL.
To that end, he has put his career as a motion-capture actor on hold to train five days a week at Carlsbad's Velocity Sport Performance, which helps prepare budding professional athletes for job interview-type workouts in front of scouts. Bell plans to participate in San Diego State's pro day March 24.
"I took an absence from my job and stepped out on a leap of faith," he said.
"Even when I tried to walk away, get a normal job and just live a normal life, (football) just came knocking. I know it's something I have to fulfill."
Bell said his goal has been to play in the NFL since his senior season at Hofstra in 2002. But he went undrafted and has been rebuffed in every attempt since then, he feels, primarily because of his size (5-foot-9, 175 pounds). He was rejected in tryouts with the Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans before finding work with the Evansville (Ind.) BlueCats of the now-defunct United Indoor Football association.
"Height is a factor," Bell said. "Any sport that causes collisions or deals with longevity, they are always going to question your height. That's what I like, though. It's the underdog mentality. I wouldn't want to have it any other way."
Despite a lack of interest from the NFL, the Cerritos native stayed involved in football any way he could. He served as an assistant coach at Anaheim Servite High and Golden West College in Huntington Beach, and received his first motion-capture acting job when his former high school coach recommended him for a project involving the video game NFL Fever.
Since that first shoot, Bell has become the industry's go-to guy for football simulations and stunts. A member of the Screen Actors Guild who has done work for the NFL and ESPN, Bell is best known for his work on the Madden series.
"He can emulate pretty much every football player," Madden creative director Ian Cummings said. "Getting an athlete (like Bell) that can do everything is going to help you immensely in motion capture."
During a shoot, Bell wears a black suit that consists of dozens of white balls to record his movements. Bell's movements are later applied to the motions of computer-animated football players.
He has often risked his health for the sake of the video game, getting gang tackled by nine guys and diving into the path of tacklers to make a catch.
"Kenny Bell has never come up lame on any shoot," said stunt coordinator Mazio Royster, a former NFL and USC running back. "He's the most durable of guys, even though he's smaller and a compact guy."
At Velocity, Bell works out primarily with football players in their early 20s, such as former San Diego State wide receiver Vincent Brown, whose age alone makes him more attractive to NFL scouts than Bell.
"Athletically, he is in great shape and he's a specimen," Velocity director of business development Ryan Smith said of Bell. "That's why he's here. That is why he still has that chance to get picked up and play in the NFL.
"But the way the NFL works, it's what you have done for me lately. They're looking for the hottest new product to come out on the market. Typically, those sort of guys come out of a big-time (NCAA Division I) program every year."
Despite the long odds he faces, Bell has received support from several sources. Local apparel supplier Alpha Dawg Athletics is helping cover Bell's living expenses while he trains. And former NFL cornerback Charles Dimry, who owns Velocity, is using his connections to help land Bell an NFL tryout.
"You need to get a break, get an opportunity," Dimry said. "It's just getting that opportunity, that's the hard part. If we can get him an opportunity to be seen by somebody, I think he will definitely impress them."
Dimry says that Bell has the speed, agility and lateral movement that scouts look for in a player, but admits he is a tough sell.
One of Bell's inspirations is Michael Lewis, a former beer truck driver who broke into the NFL at age 30, played parts of five seasons as a kick returner with the New Orleans Saints and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2002.
"This whole journey, whether it works out or not, it's worth it," Bell said. "I like the fight."
BY CHRISTOPHER HADORN - nctimes.com
March 6, 2011
Over the last eight years, Kenny Bell has made a living off his juke moves, stiff arms and catches on the football field. He has even performed his share of zany end zone celebrations.
Although Bell's job description befits a professional football player, what he actually does is simulate athletic movements for video games. His most distinguished work has been for EA Sports' Madden NFL series, which is the top selling sports video game in the U.S.
But Bell, 30, still considers himself a football player. And more than eight years removed from his career as a wide receiver and kick returner at Hofstra he still wonders if his virtual skills will translate to the NFL.
To that end, he has put his career as a motion-capture actor on hold to train five days a week at Carlsbad's Velocity Sport Performance, which helps prepare budding professional athletes for job interview-type workouts in front of scouts. Bell plans to participate in San Diego State's pro day March 24.
"I took an absence from my job and stepped out on a leap of faith," he said.
"Even when I tried to walk away, get a normal job and just live a normal life, (football) just came knocking. I know it's something I have to fulfill."
Bell said his goal has been to play in the NFL since his senior season at Hofstra in 2002. But he went undrafted and has been rebuffed in every attempt since then, he feels, primarily because of his size (5-foot-9, 175 pounds). He was rejected in tryouts with the Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans before finding work with the Evansville (Ind.) BlueCats of the now-defunct United Indoor Football association.
"Height is a factor," Bell said. "Any sport that causes collisions or deals with longevity, they are always going to question your height. That's what I like, though. It's the underdog mentality. I wouldn't want to have it any other way."
Despite a lack of interest from the NFL, the Cerritos native stayed involved in football any way he could. He served as an assistant coach at Anaheim Servite High and Golden West College in Huntington Beach, and received his first motion-capture acting job when his former high school coach recommended him for a project involving the video game NFL Fever.
Since that first shoot, Bell has become the industry's go-to guy for football simulations and stunts. A member of the Screen Actors Guild who has done work for the NFL and ESPN, Bell is best known for his work on the Madden series.
"He can emulate pretty much every football player," Madden creative director Ian Cummings said. "Getting an athlete (like Bell) that can do everything is going to help you immensely in motion capture."
During a shoot, Bell wears a black suit that consists of dozens of white balls to record his movements. Bell's movements are later applied to the motions of computer-animated football players.
He has often risked his health for the sake of the video game, getting gang tackled by nine guys and diving into the path of tacklers to make a catch.
"Kenny Bell has never come up lame on any shoot," said stunt coordinator Mazio Royster, a former NFL and USC running back. "He's the most durable of guys, even though he's smaller and a compact guy."
At Velocity, Bell works out primarily with football players in their early 20s, such as former San Diego State wide receiver Vincent Brown, whose age alone makes him more attractive to NFL scouts than Bell.
"Athletically, he is in great shape and he's a specimen," Velocity director of business development Ryan Smith said of Bell. "That's why he's here. That is why he still has that chance to get picked up and play in the NFL.
"But the way the NFL works, it's what you have done for me lately. They're looking for the hottest new product to come out on the market. Typically, those sort of guys come out of a big-time (NCAA Division I) program every year."
Despite the long odds he faces, Bell has received support from several sources. Local apparel supplier Alpha Dawg Athletics is helping cover Bell's living expenses while he trains. And former NFL cornerback Charles Dimry, who owns Velocity, is using his connections to help land Bell an NFL tryout.
"You need to get a break, get an opportunity," Dimry said. "It's just getting that opportunity, that's the hard part. If we can get him an opportunity to be seen by somebody, I think he will definitely impress them."
Dimry says that Bell has the speed, agility and lateral movement that scouts look for in a player, but admits he is a tough sell.
One of Bell's inspirations is Michael Lewis, a former beer truck driver who broke into the NFL at age 30, played parts of five seasons as a kick returner with the New Orleans Saints and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2002.
"This whole journey, whether it works out or not, it's worth it," Bell said. "I like the fight."