Arts - Immersive and Invisible, the Art of Camera Placement and Movement in Games (Simon Unger - Sony Santa Monica)
Training created on 7/24/23. Last update on 11/25/24.
Programme version: 1
Training programme
Learn how to combine compositional and visual storytelling techniques with gameplay and narrative requirements to create immersive and impactful experiences. We will build off of a foundational understanding of effective visual composition and animation techniques and work through some common challenges faced when creating interactive games. We can’t always control what the user will be looking at, but through some basic visual principles and practices we can ensure that the information we want to convey is understood and creates a meaningful experience. We will use games, film, and TV studies as well as hands on exercises to leave each attendee with a comprehensive set of “lenses” with which to view the storytelling and interactive challenges that making games presents.
Objectives of the training
- Establishing a common understanding of composition and effective rules and techniques for effective visual communication.
- Animation fundamentals as game and cinematic cameras are rarely static.
- Mechanics of camera movement and settings and shared language and skillset to approach more complex challenges.
Profile of beneficiaries
- Animators
- Designers
- Narrative Designers
- Cinematic Animators/Directors
- Basic understanding of Maya (we will cover skills needed to perform exercises)
- Interest in improving skills related to camera movement and placement
Training content
-
Camera Fundamentals (part 1)
- Composition basics (framing, screen position, understanding intent)
- Scene Elements (environment, lighting)
- Exercise (composing a static image, reviews/feedback)
-
Cameras and Movement
- The language of camera movement
- Screen space vs World space
- Framing movement
-
Gameplay
- Game types and camera roles
- 3rd person
- 1st person
- communicating what’s important
- feedback loops
- game states and how they can affect treatment
-
Cinematics
- Narrative on and off the sticks
- telling story through sequences
- editing
-
Camera Fundamentals (Part 2)
- understanding camera spaces and their uses
- lenses
- rigs and movement models
-
Pulling it all together
- building a cohesive experience. How all departments contribute to the success of the final product
- competitive study: breaking down existing work using our new set of tools
Simon has been working in games since 2001 in both Animation and Art Leadership roles. Past studios include Electronic Arts, IO Interactive, Phoenix Labs, The Coalition, and several more. He is currently a Lead Animator at Santa Monica Studios, known for their most recent release: God of War: Ragnarok. Along with working in the Game Industry, Simon has also been active in the education side of animation. Working as an instructor at Gnomon, iAnimate, and the Vancouver Film School teaching classes in animation, cinematography, game animation, and acting for animators. Simon has also spoken at many industry conferences such as GDC, Promised Land, and Pixel Quebec on animation in games, animation pipelines, and motion capture workflows.
- Feuilles de présence.
- Questions orales ou écrites (QCM).
- Mises en situation.
- Formulaires d'évaluation de la formation.
- Certificat de réalisation de l’action de formation.
- Accueil des apprenants dans une salle dédiée à la formation.
- Documents supports de formation projetés.
- Exposés théoriques
- Etude de cas concrets
- Quiz en salle
- Mise à disposition en ligne de documents supports à la suite de la formation.
Quality and satisfaction
Certification procedures
- Délivrance d'un certificat de réalisation