TECHNOLOGY company Oxford Metrics Group has invested £150,000 in research on new motion capture systems for a government-backed project that involves Hollywood studios such as Disney.

Chief executive officer Nick Bolton said he was excited about the project, which commenced ten months ago.

He said OMG, which is based on Minns Business Park, West Way, Oxford, was “developing some new technology” for the Innovate UK initiative, which aims to develop advanced motion capture products.

OMG, which has four offices in the UK and two in the United States, specialises in motion capture and facial capture systems that have been applied in Hollywood movies such as Hollywood Sniper, Gladiator and Titanic, as well as home-grown hit Paddington.

Mr Bolton said: “Digital acting is about how you capture the genuine acting performance that comes through on the screen.”

OMG’s deal with Innovate UK involves matched funding by the two partners.

OMG chief financial officer David Deacon said the company had already spent £150,000 on research for the project in the six month to March 31, 2015.

The project required additional costs that impacted on the performance of OMG’s main business division, OMG Vicon, in the first half of the 2015-16 financial year. OMG Vicon’s revenue fell 7 per cent on the prior corresponding period to £7.7m, while adjusted profit before tax was down 22 per cent to £1.8m, according to the company’s financial report released on Tuesday.