Dschoint Ventsch and indie game studio Blindflug Studios are collaborating with filmmaker Samir to join traditional filmmaking techniques with the tools of Unreal Engine.
The Miraculous Transformation Of The Working Class Into Foreigners is a new documentary movie in which Samir uses animated sequences that represent his own memories of growing up in a working-class environment in Switzerland. Rather than tackling this project via traditional animation routes, these scenes will instead be produced within Unreal Engine.
By utilising Unreal Engine’s capabilities, the usual frame-by-frame method used in more traditional animation can be avoided, and instead “virtual sets” can be used in engine that grants the filmmaker freedom of movement with the camera tools. Motion capture can be used to bring movements to life and 3D assets fill out the scene.
Once all of the assets have populated the set and the correct characters are imported the filmmaker is then allowed total control of the scene, from camera position to lighting sources. By using Unreal Engine the process is deemed quicker, flexible, and more cost-effective than that of traditional 2D or 3D animation.
Bringing the film and games industries together
The director of the movie, Samir states that “I have been drawn to the new technological possibilities created in the game industry for quite some time. It was a stroke of luck that the professional game specialists at Blindflug Studios in Zurich were willing to cooperate. I’m happy that we’re both moving into new territory and creating a bridge with this work in the two previously separate fields of ‘audio vision.”
The President of Blindflug Studios also commented on the collaborative effort saying, “I have always been very interested in producing cinema and games from a single mold and merging the two media. With this project, we’re one step closer to this great goal.”
Unreal Engine is one of the most used video game engines and grants users flexible tools for world-building and blueprinting methods to bring functionality to the game. Game engines have been used in the past to create a drafted version of a scene so film and TV show producers can visualise moments before recreating them in real life. HBO’s Westworld is one such show that used Unreal Engine to utilise its real-time special effects tools to help create lighting in a scene.
Paige Cook is a writer with a multi-media background. She has experience covering video games and technology and also has freelance experience in video editing, graphic design, and photography. Paige is a massive fan of the movie industry and loves a good TV show, if she is not watching something interesting then she's probably playing video games or buried in a good book. Her latest addiction is virtual photography and currently spends far too much time taking pretty pictures in games rather than actually finishing them.
