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Tag: REALTIME

What video games can learn from TV  

Video games might be the relatively new kid on the block when compared to film, TV, and music, but it has quickly become the most profitable industry. While video games have always trended upwards, the recent COVID pandemic certainly put more wind in its sales and drove it to new heights. 

But despite being the biggest entertainment industry around, it’s built on a foundation created by its peers. Would video games be as successful as they are without the lessons it learnt from TV or film? I’m not so sure. So, let’s look at what video games can and have picked up from the more senior industries… 

Pushing boundaries 

As technology has advanced, so too have video games. We’re a million miles away from the likes of Pong or Pac-Man. With the release of the latest generation of consoles – along with the reveal of what Unreal Engine 5 can do – we can push the boundaries of what games can achieve. 

How we tell stories has only become more refined as the room to do more has expanded. And you only have to look at film and TV to see where we’re drawing inspiration from. Some video games want that same level of prestige; to be a defining moment. Today, video games are full of spectacle and drama, pushing more and more. The narrative drives the gameplay instead of vice versa. 

Some have even adopted an episodic format to mimic TV. Where were you when the first season of Telltale’s The Walking Dead released episode by episode? It was a moment in the industry where everyone was hooked by the story of Lee and Clementine, and it’s because of its TV influences that it managed to be such a hit. 

There’s a bit of Indiana Jones in Uncharted. There’s a touch of Star Wars in Mass Effect. We even see video games cross the boundary to become TV shows and films themselves; HBO’s The Last of Us is sure to be a heart-breaking must watch.

Technology 

Part of this drive for more emotive narrative is our ability to better capture the drama. Taking a leaf from Hollywood’s book, motion-capture technology allows us to bring an actor’s exact performance to the game. How they move and how they emote are transferred to the game flawlessly. 

We’ve just wrapped on a series of dramatic cut-scenes for a game releasing this summer. Our mission was clear: we wanted to capture the actors’ performance and translate that into the game. Using innovative performance capture technology from our friends Di4D, we were dedicated to getting as realistic performances as possible to translate to the screen. We wanted to tell a story and bring the players into it, too. 

The technology also means the actors can be, well, actors. They can make character choices that reflect who they think they are. It goes along well with the maturation we are seeing in some series. Just look at God of War, which went from a gore-fest hunt for gods to an emotionally driven gore-fest hunt for closure. 

Saying all this, technology isn’t a requirement for a compelling story. The fact that creating a game is more accessible means the doors are open to countless indie developers who can tell the story they wish in a more lo-fi way. Something like Undertale or Disco Elysium are built on a strong narrative foundation and don’t have the same bells and whistles other AAA titles do. Because they don’t need them. It mirrors indie movies, which do exactly the same. 

Video games have taken what TV and film have created and ran with it. Those industries walked so video games could run. And we’re extremely thankful for it. They say we’re in a golden age of TV and film, but I would say we’re in a golden age of games, too. Who knows what the future holds; all I know is I’m excited to see where it goes. 

At REALTIME, we know the importance of a strong narrative, both in your game and in your trailers. To discuss how we can help you, reach out to me at [email protected] 

The Year Automotive Events Went Digital

We absolutely love a motor show and are really excited to be back at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this week, which is allowed to go ahead at full capacity as part of the UK Government’s pilot Events Research Programme. In the run up, we look back at how successfully the automotive industry embraced digital events last year, and what the future of motor shows looks like now.

Last year, the events industry took a massive hit. It is a significant contributor to the global economy. As per the report published by Allied Market Research, the global events industry was valued at $1,135.4 billion in 2019, with corporate events & the seminar segment holding the highest market share.

That was before the pandemic. With a sudden lockdown, every physical event was thrown up into the air. Like many other industries, there was no consensus on how to handle this unfamiliar situation. Eventually, with the writing on the wall, the events industry had to make a choice: cancel outright or move to digital events. The automotive industry was no different.

But with digital events being the only alternative, did the automotive industry take advantage of everything they had to offer? And did those that took up the challenge succeed in providing a worthwhile experience? And what will happen in 2021 and beyond for motor shows? Read our brand-new E-Guide on the subject and let us know your thoughts!

4 ways VFX recruitment is changing

As we all know, the last year introduced a new world of lockdowns, social distancing, and remote working. And everyone can see how it has changed our lives. 

But now we’re faced with even more change. A “new normal,” as more people are vaccinated and consider returning to how life used to be. Now, the question is, how much will our world resemble what it did before this all happened? Is remote working here to stay? And, significantly for the VFX industry, is relocating new hires going to be a thing of the past? Suddenly remote working gives studios the opportunity to recruit from halfway across the world. 

What will VFX recruitment look like in the coming months? 

Office vs home 

Perhaps the biggest challenge is going to be how to get people back into the office. We’ve not had a long, expensive commute for over a year now, will people want to go back to that full-time? It’s also allowed for flexibility, which has long been lacking in the industry. 

That’s not to say the office is obsolete. The VFX industry is a collaborative one. We want to be able to welcome clients into a studio space and get our teams together to brainstorm in a nurturing environment. Zoom calls are great – but they aren’t the same as having people come together in one room. 

So, one massive change we’re likely to see is a more fluid way of working. Companies will have to consider how they cater to both crowds, and this might mean shaking up our idea of what an office is. We think that we’ll see a blended working week, with hotdesking picking up, more communal areas for people to mingle and share ideas. A more open approach might be just what’s needed to get people excited about coming in again. In short, we need something at the office that we can’t get at home. 

Pulling from the same talent pool 

In a similar vein, remote working will benefit studios when recruiting, as people don’t have to be geographically close to the office. They could be on the other side of the country, if not in a completely different one altogether.  

So how will companies differentiate themselves from the crowd? They have to offer something more. And if we see a boom of freelance work, that’ll be even more important. We might see companies more open to listening to potential employee’s demands and offer more flexible options. Smaller studios might fare better as they can offer a more intimate environment that values all voices, one where everyone knows everyone else.

Changing priorities 

Something we’ve seen improve over the last year is the prioritisation of employee care. Since lockdown was tough on all of us, conversations about mental health and wellness are more common. That’s something we love to see. 

Now workplaces have to continue putting people first, where everyone feels appreciated and a valued member of the team. It also means offering a more fluid way of working. The traditional 9 to 5 doesn’t work for everyone, so a smart company will offer flexible hours. It means people can fit their personal life around their work. Take an extra hour at lunch and make it back later. Go and pick your kids up from school. And if you need a mental health break, take it. We wouldn’t be surprised if that kind of corporate attitude becomes more common.

Technical challenges 

Working from home presented its own unique technical challenges. Not only did we have to up our game with video conferencing software, the industry had to make sure that staff could remote into their computers in the office via a VPN and remote desktop application. 

To support remote working at REALTIME, we made several changes. We installed a 10 Gigabit internet connection in our two studios, invested in our GPU rendering capabilities, and worked hard to increase our security – as a result, we are well on our way to becoming TPN (trusted partner network) accredited.   

So, what do VFX recruiters want? 

If you’re looking to get into the VFX industry, or simply just want to move somewhere new, hopefully this gives you an idea of the shifting priorities. And while you have some say in how you work, they’ll still be looking for your best work. So, what do you need to show? 

For us, it isn’t just about what looks good. That’s great – we love to see amazing work. But we’re focused on you. Don’t forget that you’re one person applying for the role, not the whole team. What did you, the individual, do? What can you point to, even a rock or a tree, that you can say is your work? 

And what was your process? Some companies don’t want to see the entire working out, but there still needs to be a sense of where your ideas came from. How have you made your projects work? Why did you make the decisions you did? VFX is art, and every piece of art is made up of thousands of micro-decisions, so let that thought process speak for itself. It’s not just about high-quality work, but also high-quality thinking. 

So here we are, about to enter the second half of 2021, and we’re not sure what the future holds. But something we do know is the VFX industry is changing. And we can’t wait to see where it goes. 

REALTIME is always looking for bright minds to join our team. If you think you’re a good fit for our team, reach out to our recruitment team at [email protected]

REALTIME team up with Ukie to #RaiseTheGame on diversity

The #RaiseTheGame pledge, an initiative from UKIE, is a collaborative and high-impact commitment to improve equality, diversity and inclusion in the games industry — creating cultures where everyone belongs, voices are heard and ideas can thrive.

We are proud to announce that we are supporting the #Raisethegame initiative by pledging to create change within our own organisation.

Companies signing up to the pledge work towards:

  • creating a diverse workforce by recruiting as fairly and as widely as possible
  • shaping inclusive and welcoming places to work, by educating and inspiring people to take more personal responsibility for fostering and promoting diversity and inclusion
  • Reflecting greater diversity within games at every level from game design and development through to marketing and community engagement.

REALTIME joins developers, publishers and other companies associated to the video games industry who have also signed-up to the pledge, including Xbox, Mediatonic, Rare and EA.

Says Tony Prosser, Managing Director of REALTIME, “We wholeheartedly support the principle of equal opportunities and nurturing a diverse and inclusive environment within our business. Signing up to Ukie’s #Raisethegame pledge is a hugely exciting step for REALTIME; diversity in our workforce ensures diversity, innovation and resilience in our work, which is a vital to our company culture.”

From concept to completion: Dragons in The Watch

In early 2021, BBC America aired the fantastical new Terry Pratchett adaptation – ‘The Watch’. A fantastical world as rich as Terry Pratchett’s Discworld required some innovative VFX work to bring this adaptation to life, especially the dangerous Noble Dragon that threatens its world and the cute, but fiery, pocket-size dragon Goodboy. 

REALTIME was a key creative partner on the series, creating a range of 2D and 3D VFX, including for the two very different dragons. Uniquely anarchic and thrillingly entertaining, the character-driven drama follows several of Terry Pratchett’s best-loved creations on a riotous and emotional odyssey.

But how did we approach such a task? In part one, we’re going to run through the initial stages as we worked to meet this unique brief. Let’s run through our VFX journey…

A tale of two dragons

This project presented two specific challenges: creating the smaller Goodboy, a dragon who fits in the palm of your hand, and at the other extreme, the colossal Noble Dragon, a creature the size of a jumbo jet, with enough firepower to destroy a city.

From the brief, we had to create something never seen before. With two distinctly different creatures to create, we started with the concept art. It’s at this stage we began to sketch out the look of the dragons, building an idea of how to bring them to life in 3D. In an age of Game of Thrones and other high fantasy, dragons have become part of the zeitgeist. Our goal was to make something brand new that gave the series two unique dragons of its own.

The production team had originally wanted to use a real gecko to ‘act’ the part of Goodboy. The wings and fire breath would just be added in post-production. In practice, this was a very challenging task to accomplish on set, as we saw when we suggested production do a camera test early on. It proved too difficult to work with a real lizard. This meant Goodboy needed to be a full CGI creature, but also work with the budget limitations of the series.

We still wanted to have the feel of a real-life lizard, so drew inspiration from the armadillo lizard. As we would be getting much more up close and personal with this creature, we had to focus on bringing life to it, capturing his personality and character. We visualised a rescue puppy to help us understand the kind of emotional response we wanted Goodboy to elicit from viewers, adding details like his broken wings and scars.

Goodboy might well be the cutest character in the series – just watch him sing – but he also has a dangerous side as a hand-held flamethrower. There’s a lot of personality to Goodboy that had to be brought out through the VFX work. He needed a cheeky personality with an expressive face, but we had to be mindful of budgetary considerations when designing his body and rigging his face. 

In the grand finale of the series, Goodboy takes centre stage to stop the rampage of the Noble Dragon. Without spoiling it for you, it proved a great opportunity to bring some of Goodboy’s personality to the forefront and finish the series with a bit of Pratchett-esque tongue-in-cheek wit. He is quite a young and inexperienced dragon, and we played this up in his attempt to fly. He launches off with a running jump, but his flight is very bumpy as he has to learn as he goes. 

For the Noble Dragon, with its awe-inspiring size, we needed a different approach. To make it feel different to the dragons featured in other popular fantasy series and films, we wanted to give it an ethereal, smoky quality. This meant it would need to go through multiple stages and be highly FX-driven.

When we designed the Noble Dragon, even though its scales wouldn’t be seen by the audience, we still rendered a version with them because we need to know how it looks and operates. 

But we’ll talk about the Noble Dragon in more detail in part 2 when we dive into the pre- and post-vis processes. This is where the two dragons really came to life. Stay tuned for part 2!

REALTIME has a team of highly creative individuals who can elevate your project with fantastic ideas and visuals. If you would like to find out more, get in touch with me at [email protected].