Adapting Digital Cinematography Techniques for Game Development

Speakers: Jerry O'Flaherty

Track: Visual Arts

Format: Lecture

Experience Level: Intermediate

Description: The rendering power of next-gen game engines has essentially eliminated the quality gap between live gameplay and cinematics. It's now entirely possible to use in-game assets, and in-game tools, to create cinematics that rival pre-rendered quality, including the most compelling techniques of digital cinema.

This session will discuss the control and power that in-engine tools with non-linear editing capabilities, such as Unreal Engine 3's Matinee, can give the director, cinematographer and editor in creating effective cinematics.

The Speaker will break down a scene from the recent Xbox 360 title, Gears of War, and step through the process to take it from an initial script, to motion capture, to the final in-game cinematic. Special attention will be paid to the work done in-editor, from changing the layout per shot, to tightening edits, to lighting and post process controls.

Idea Takeaway: Attendees learn the processes of blocking and directing actors for a cinematic motion-capture session. The speaker will then go through the process to build a scene in-engine using an in-engine non-linear editing cinema tool. The intent is to demonstrate basic techniques in concert, proving the power of simultaneously being the director, cameraman and editor for in-engine cinematics.

Intended Audience: This session is geared towards artists who want learn new processes for creating cinematics for next-generation games. While this session uses Unreal Engine 3's toolset as a driving example, the principles are applicable to any game technology. The target experience level is artists with a foundation of filmmaking and editing techniques, but beginners will be made to feel welcome.