GDC 2008: The Making of a Star (craft)
There are many things that make GDC great and being able to meet and get some insight from someone who created perhaps the most talked about cinematic of the summer was definitely today's highlight.
Nick Carpenter, director of cinematics for the incomparable Blizzard Entertainment, gave an interesting, if not a little mundane, talk on just how the STARCRAFT II cinematic teaser came about and just how difficult it was staying true to the game while creating a new concept and excitement.
A Used Future
Throughout his talk, Carpenter would always refer to what he calls, "used future." You'll notice in the trailer, that everything looks like it has gotten the crap beat out of it. There is no doubt that shiny things, pardon the pun, are duller than worn things and this has an effect on the way a viewer understand the world that is being portrayed - and a main character that is rendered with 1.9 million polygons and 688 individual pieces.
"I really wanted to try to bring some understanding to this design," Carpenter said. "I really wanted to push the detail on this character."
As Carpenter spoke it became evident that there can be no substitute for the real world. The production team toured a local refinery and got ideas for what they needed. More importantly, the team received justification for the colors the artists wanted to use.
A rusty bucket or fence cannot be exaggerated because its right there - you can't make what happens around us up.
"Every object tells a story," Carpenter said.
