GAME ENGINES
Why the likes of Unity and Unreal Engine are becoming an increasingly common part of production pipelines
In recent years, filmmaking has more fully embraced what can be offered by game engine technology to create environments and characters. Two notable feature films that showcased the methodology and storytelling opportunity were The Jungle Book and The Lion King.
MPC in London were key to both projects, and in a conversation with 3D World at the time of The Lion King’s release, VFX supervisor Elliot Newman commented: “The camera and focus-pulling, all of those moves were recorded from the virtual camera. We built master scenes; we’d stage this, Jon [Favreau, director] would put VR goggles on and they animated master scenes, then working out the shots would be done from pre-animation in Maya and exported into Unity.”
Jumping ahead to 2023, game engine applications have become increasingly applicable to a range of projects of varying scales. Miguel Ortega, the co-director of animated short The Voice in the Hollow, says: “Digital technology has provided limitless possibilities for those eager to harness its potential. Now, a single individual can create a high-quality film from the comfort of their living room, achieving a level of excellence unimaginable just a short time ago. All it takes is a strong desire to excel and the determination to succeed.”
Ortega also explains the benefits of working with Unreal. “Realtime
rendering is undoubtedly the future, as evidenced by the remarkable progress from Unreal Engine 4 to 5. The Path Tracer is a particularly exciting development, and we’re already employing it in our new film, achieving mindblowing results.
“Advancements in tech are reconnecting VFX crafts to their roots. Animation and motion capture are reminiscent of theatre, while programs like Zbrush have restored the tactile essence of sculpture to 3D modelling. Real-time cinematography has revolutionised lighting and rendering, allowing us to discover exceptional angles and lighting setups spontaneously, just like a cinematographer would on-set.”