To further expand my first post about Concept Art, I would like to talk about the term I have been using for myself to describe this phenomenon: Concept Art Animation. In my second year, I already researched this subject quite a lot. It came from a more simple point of view: I wanted to translate the designs I love the most into motion. I made a few experiments with this, and quickly came to the conclusion that drawing individual frames would greatly distort the viewing experience. The painted frames would often differ too much to provide any visual clue about what was happening on screen. So, I translated this into an easier concept: multiplane images. All the images I loved (usually movie and game concept art) all had enormous depth and atmospheric perspective. So, I began translating known concept art into multiplane animations: pans. To experiment a bit with the possibilities, I also made a few zooms, but they were a bit harder to execute.
What I found was quite beautiful! I found that the translation of 2D artwork into a moving image enhaced the image's initial feel of depth and immersion. This was due partially to the fact that digital images make use of transparency more often and more easy than the traditional glass panes. This transparency fades the clear defined layers of perspective, and blends them into an almost single view. Secondly, the addition of 'time' to a still frame really gives the work a heart. So when I finished my paper about that subject, I left it at that. How horribly shocked I was when I found out that games started to use this method with their own concept art! They used it in cinematic scenes, where their art was even animated! It hardly took time to find out their trick: After Effects' Puppet Tool. A classmate of mine uses it often, and sometimes with surprising results. I used it for a couple experiments in my group project, and was awed by the possibilities. (I think I even talked Ronimo into using this..! Hah!;)
Now, more and more games try to use their enormous source of (unused) concept art, and translate it into fast and useable animations to enhance their product. And, in my opinion, with great success. The liveliness of the images and the graphic quality truly marvel from your screen.
Above, the intro trailer from the game Anno 1404 (truly beautiful graphics, by the way, and I believe the art is even made by the company from an ex-HKU-student (Floris Didden)). And below the intro from Guild Wars 2.
Where Anno would not need more elaborate animation, the Guild Wars' animation is at times truly poor. Sigh. Game industry still has a lot to learn...
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