Just found this nice little article on Edge Magazines website. Some choice quotes.
http://www.next-gen.biz/features/art-cg-cinematics
"Movies based on games are rubbish. Movies based in games are incredible."
"It stands to reason that as games approach realtime parity with cartoons, live action drama and Hollywood special effects, the job of the CG video maker might diminish. Why sacrifice a consistent look and a degree of creative control when you can keep it all 'in-engine'? But of course it's not that simple. So long as there are genres that can't emulate cinematic storytelling - the RTS, rhythm action game or gawky deathmatch shooter, for instance - the need for pre-rendered video remains. "
"...the job of the CG maker to react to unpredictable changes."
"There's always the temptation to hold back on work in progress, to fine-tune elements and make 'wow' moments for the client. But that can be a dangerous strategy. The reality is that most productions are against the clock, and there's little point polishing something to near-perfection if the client's going to turn round and ask for changes"
"The skills and software can seem similar, but the economics of CG are markedly different to game dev."
"Bear in mind that typically we'll have just a dozen weeks to create a movie that's representative of a game that will be in development for well over a year. So our economy is very much centred around our artists' time."
"A CG company knows exactly where its cameras will be looking from one frame to the next. It doesn't have to build entire scenes to be explored: "if it isn't seen on camera," says Jones, "we don't built it. View points are locked down very early in production."
"We're always very conscious of render times," says Jones. "The majority of final rendering and compositing happens in the last four weeks of a job, so where possible we're always trying to reduce the amount that's needed. Some of the tech we use to streamline rendering is very similar to what's used in-game. We use normal maps to create the illusion of detail, we bake lighting into environments where possible, and we pre-calculate complex simulation."
"By focusing [the developer's] attention on these movies, we were able to concentrate what usually takes months into just a few weeks," says Jones. "Working with their various departments, we helped identify and resolve questions about content, gameplay and 'look and feel'. The movies were both great marketing videos and valuable development tools."
http://www.next-gen.biz/features/art-cg-cinematics
"Movies based on games are rubbish. Movies based in games are incredible."
"It stands to reason that as games approach realtime parity with cartoons, live action drama and Hollywood special effects, the job of the CG video maker might diminish. Why sacrifice a consistent look and a degree of creative control when you can keep it all 'in-engine'? But of course it's not that simple. So long as there are genres that can't emulate cinematic storytelling - the RTS, rhythm action game or gawky deathmatch shooter, for instance - the need for pre-rendered video remains. "
"...the job of the CG maker to react to unpredictable changes."
"There's always the temptation to hold back on work in progress, to fine-tune elements and make 'wow' moments for the client. But that can be a dangerous strategy. The reality is that most productions are against the clock, and there's little point polishing something to near-perfection if the client's going to turn round and ask for changes"
"The skills and software can seem similar, but the economics of CG are markedly different to game dev."
"Bear in mind that typically we'll have just a dozen weeks to create a movie that's representative of a game that will be in development for well over a year. So our economy is very much centred around our artists' time."
"A CG company knows exactly where its cameras will be looking from one frame to the next. It doesn't have to build entire scenes to be explored: "if it isn't seen on camera," says Jones, "we don't built it. View points are locked down very early in production."
"We're always very conscious of render times," says Jones. "The majority of final rendering and compositing happens in the last four weeks of a job, so where possible we're always trying to reduce the amount that's needed. Some of the tech we use to streamline rendering is very similar to what's used in-game. We use normal maps to create the illusion of detail, we bake lighting into environments where possible, and we pre-calculate complex simulation."
"By focusing [the developer's] attention on these movies, we were able to concentrate what usually takes months into just a few weeks," says Jones. "Working with their various departments, we helped identify and resolve questions about content, gameplay and 'look and feel'. The movies were both great marketing videos and valuable development tools."
"A CG company knows exactly where its cameras will be looking from one frame to the next. It doesn't have to build entire scenes to be explored: "if it isn't seen on camera," says Jones, "we don't built it. View points are locked down very early in production."
ReplyDeleteWhich, of course, is the whole point of pre-viz etc. Not to make work, but to 'not' make it.
Thanks Tom - lots of wisdom here.
a really interesting read, some of the things in here we begin to learn at uni, thanks god!
ReplyDeletenice work!
ReplyDeleteit's really informative nd learning too....
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Amazing Post interesting to read. You’re doing a great job. Thanks for Writing.
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