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MI6 chatted with Dave Hare of Tigar
Hare Studios about creating the cut scenes for the
recent "Goldeneye Rogue Agent" videogame... |
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Tigar Hare Studios Interview
2nd July 2005
How were you approached to create the cinematics for GoldenEye:
Rogue Agent? How eager were you to work on the project?
We were contacted directly by Electronic Arts. This was a fabulous
project for us on many levels. I hope our high level of enthusiasm
was reflected in the cinematics.
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Rogue Agent is considered an adaptation
of the original Nintendo64 classic GoldenEye. Did you feel
any expectation to live up to the high standards of such
a well known and loved game?
Absolutely, we are always tying to push the limits but
we still have to be true to the game and the overall experience.
Were the storyboards or pre-visualization aspects already
produced by Electronic Arts? How much creative license were
you given to craft the scenes?
The storyboards were created by EA. However, we had a
huge amount of creative freedom especially with the outdoor
scenes that were not in actual game play, we tried to add
as much detail and realism as time would allow.
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What software did you use to create the scenes? What are
the disadvantages of 'off the shelf' products? What type of hardware
is needed to render and model such complicated scenes?
We used 3D Studio Max and Digital Fusion for composite shots.
Often we are confronted with challenges that "off the shelf"
software is not geared for, so we rely heavily on custom scripts
and plugins, these solve most of these problems.
As games adopt more and more complex storylines do you feel
the gameplay in general will suffer in any way?
The only down side I can see with increasingly complex storylines
is that it may take longer for the gamers to get into the game.
But if told well it should have the opposite effect.
How difficult was it to capture the feeling of a James Bond
scene? Rogue Agent paid homage to many great villains and henchmen
of the early James Bond movies, did you relate to any of these movies
when trying to make the cinematics realistic?
One of the more challenging aspects of GoldenEye was dealing
with animation of characters that we have seen in the past, and
make sure we are true to the original films.
We watched all the old films many times to see villains such as
Goldfinger, Scaramanga,
Dr. No to name a few. We wanted
our animators to understand how they thought, their temperament,
to help us and bring the animation alive in such a way that these
iconic villains were immediately recognizable.
How challenging is staging a scene that involves character
dialog and motion compared to an action or driving scene?
Staging a character scene is generally simpler with regards
to camera choreography.
Do you think there are any disadvantages in using higher polygon
models just for the cinematics, instead of using the relatively
low polygon in-game versions?
From the perspective of the player if the high polygon cinematics
are hugely different from game play, you can potentially disconnect
the two.
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the time restriction during the project? Did any major cutbacks
have to be made to meet the deadline?
We had a very tight schedule we created nine minutes
of animation in six weeks. Very little was scaled or cut
from the initial boards, actually we added more content
and detail than we took away, but isn't that how it usually
works!
Is there anything you would have liked to have changed
in the cinematics but couldn't because of restrictions?
Due to the rating of the game, we would have liked to
add more realism ( skeletons vaporizing, melting flesh,
etc. ) when the Guards were vaporized by the omen effect.
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As the next generation of console and computer technology draws
near, do you feel the need for pre-rendered cinematics will decline
as more and more can now be done inside the game engine itself?
The new consoles will provide realism unlike anything we have
today, But I think story telling will be the main factor that
drives weather to use in-game vs. pre- rendered cinematics.
To see more stills check out the GRA
Cut Scene Gallery
| 00-Seven Questions
How were you involved in the Bond series?
We completed the cinematics for GoldenEye: Rogue Agent
What was your first ever Bond experience?
GoldenEye: Rogue Agent.
Which is your favourite
Bond game?
GoldenEye: Rogue Agent!
What did you think
of the last film, "Die
Another Day"?
It was a blast!
What is your favourite
Bond film?
Goldfinger.
Which Bond girl should
come back?
Pussy Galore.
What is your favourite
Bond moment from the series?
It would be too difficult to pick one, but I always
look forward to seeing Q and all his gadgets. |
Many thanks to Dave Hare. Images
courtesy of Tigar
Hare Studios.
Related Articles
"GoldenEye:
Rogue Agent" Coverage
"GoldenEye:
Rogue Agent" Cut Scene Gallery
