Art Direction

Art Directors need leadership abilities responsible for building a team establishing their visual style and quality consistency. This can include overall game assets, environment lighting, character direction, menu HUD, websites and branding.
The job role of an art director is to communicate visual ideas to their team, through documentation, example assets, mood boards, key drawings, art style and colour swatches. This job is vital to the games fast progression and final end product, as each team member needs to have the same vision in mind when creating there characters and assets.
Art Directors also have the pleasure of recruiting potential art employees and outsourcing groups. Making this decision can have a good effect on the game, instead of being landed with a team you don’t know the potential of. They get to take control on whether your skills can produce what they envision.  Art Directors work with Senior Producers and Design Directors to ensure the art direction fits in with the overall project goals. 

The amount of responsibility and control art directors have over a game project expresses just how creative the role actually is.  The important decisions they make, involve setting the visual tone, quality, and style for the game, environment composition and the placement of each prop in the location. Does the prop support the story, the feel and impression of the game?
Good art direction can speak for itself, telling a story without words being spoken. It’s the same with a concept design. If the drawing, placement of objects within the piece, can tell a story to the viewer through image, then it’s definitely a good concept.

Not only does placement play an essential role in art direction, equally colour tone and texture does, as a colour pallet can represent feeling, whether it’s shades of orange, brown, yellow (warmth) or blue, green, black (cold). It gives mood in a scene, or even a character. Does the character wear bright colourful clothes, to represent their personality or dull mild tones?
All these things are what the art director has to think about, and can be the most creative role in the game industry.

The future qualities you would need to develop to be become an art director would be

·       A deep understanding of 2D and 3D software packages (Photoshop, 3DS Max, Maya, ZBrush, Mudbox)

·       Advanced understanding of Motion principles and Animation

·       +3 - 5 years professional experience in leading art production team in the game or film/TV Industry, as an Art Director or Lead Artist.

·       Solid communication and problem solving skills

·       Must be strategic, with an eye for detail, great commitment towards deadlines and delivering high quality art on time and within budget.

·       Experience managing multiple projects, motivational, priorities, schedule, and deadlines with a strong attention to detail.

·       Solid understanding of architecture, perspective, human character anatomy, gesture, clothing, art direction and storytelling/boarding

·       Broad understanding and interest in visual art outside of game industry world, e.g traditional art, photography, sculpting etc. 

·       Demonstrated ability to direct and multi-task effectively under pressure, while balancing speed and quality of the work.

·       Passion for making and playing video games, with an awareness of current titles and industry trends.

I bet you’re thinking.. wow that’s a lot right?
Art Directors have to oversee a whole team of individuals that produce and work on different mediums, whether its concept artists, character and environment modellers, animation team, audio team, visual effects, technical and graphic & user Interface artists etc. This means it’s very important to have insight on how everything works for the vision to come into play.  Not to mention the managerial role of delegating, problem solving, organisation, budgeting, deadline steadiness and keeping the art direction of a high quality consistency. 

Resources
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/jobs/bravo-game-studios/spain/uk-and-europe/art.-director-id46550

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/jobs/avalanche-studios/sweden/uk-and-europe/art-director-id45969

http://my.safaribooksonline.com/159200430X/ch11lev1sec2?portal=oreilly#

Gameplay

Even though next generation consoles keep drastically improving in overall performance, the basic objective “Character collects objects, evades, kills enemies” (Pacman) still runs through most platform adventure games as a basic principal.
Gameplay is what helps video games evolve into more exciting and complex situations, involving strategies to kill the enemy.

The job of a game designer isn’t just to create the idea of a game, but to define the Systems, Mechanics and Levels. A game designer can evolve around any media, from card games, social games and board games. Board and Card games are physically interactive, which gives the player more control after the rules have been set. Board games are less complicated, and are mainly for multiple players.
Most offline video games only cater for one or two players, with the exception of some.
Traditional board games in general like monopoly tend to make players wait their turn.

Gameplay involves player interaction with a game to overcome its objectives, as opposed to non-interactive reading books and movies.

A key skill a game designer should have is communication; they may be working under their Lead designer/Producers, and will also have to communicate their ideas across to the Artists, Programmers, Audio team and even PR Business and Marketing.
Each individual will think differently and always have something to bring to the table. It is vital they can take constructive criticism and change or be done with an idea that will not work.
Personal attachment needs to be left at home.

The game design process starts with an idea/pitch which may entail information such as platform type, audience range, stylisation, concept, plot ideas, who and how many staff needed, timescale among other things just to get the ball rolling.
Whether the pitch is accepted is another entirely different matter. Things to take into consideration are feasibility of deadline completion, scope and budget.
A game documentation is then made in more detail, which is continuously edited throughout the game creation process.

In early video game history, programmers took the job of the game designers as the designs were very simple and limited in the 1970s.
As consoles and software improve overtime, game graphics, story and game play become more complex needing team members solely for game design, instead of being shared with programmers.
Today, games designers share this responsibility with game design producers, lead designers and general game designers as the workload is increasing with the ever growing facilities.

For me, game play can make or break a game no matter how good the visual experience of the world environment and characters appear.
It is very easy, to make gameplay simple and repetitive with the objectives given.

“Find this crate, kill 7 rabbits that drop this?, then kill another 10 birds that drop this”

I find, it becomes tedious, and lose interest..
I prefer when the objectives start to actually mean something, when it’s incorporated correctly within the story.
E.g “Distract the guards, spike the guards drink, search guard for key, key opens prison cell to your freedom”
It becomes less of an implanted game objective, and becomes a fight for survival to protect your character.  It is something you want to do, rather than something it’s telling you to do that has no purpose.

Yakuza Game Review

The storyline of Yakuza was accomplished by having a well-known famous Japanese novelist Hase Seishu write the story script instead of game producers. For me, this is what kept me playing; you want to find out what happens next which really was the main success for the game including the cinematic cut scenes which carried the storyline flow in more depth.    After being purposely framed for a crime he did not commit, Kazuma Kiryu’s released out of jail 10 years later. He finds out things have changed; his journey has just begun.

The free roam is a core part of the game, allowing you to explore the Tokyo like town which has been created from licensed shops specifically delivering an authentic feel of realism, freely without being stuck in one certain place. This allows you more freedom and choice with where you want to go next, and what you want to do however this is where random encounters appear from yakuza thugs, street gangs, or random hooligans that want your money. At the beginning you will find yourself constantly smashing the square button, however as you progress through the plot and storyline that hooks you in, the game play fighting method's and strength build up, allowing you to train multiple techniques.

In part of the game you have to look after a little girl you’re protecting that is vital to your main end mission, taking her to fun places for example the batting cages. Beating your opponent will gain loyalty with the girl, which when filled up unlocks special items, taking her to arcades, winning a certain teddy bear, using photo booths, and buying her, her favourite food and drinks. I believe special inputs like this, which is not relevant to main game play, allows you to explore the extra fun areas of the game that make it less repetitive, also letting you build a friendship with the character. If you take her to a secret gambling joint behind the lotto bar she helps you win a lot of money. A side mission I came across outside a Strip club was helping the owner guard her entrance working as a bodyguard from hooligans. After beating numerous bad guys you receive a generous sum of money which helps you on your main mission. The extra missions keep the game interesting.

The game became so successful with RPG/Action Adventure players the company later produced a sequel Yakuza 2 for console Playstation 2 released in Japan on December 7^th 2006 and have developed a further two sequels for console Playstation 3.

Game Reviewers

Issues reviewers face

Game reviewers face many different issues when writing for magazines, papers etc. They are given strict deadlines so time is very limited, giving a lack of depth to the review that can change viewer’s perception of the game being reviewed. Magazine companies may have short funding, which affects how many staff they can recruit. Low workforce affects the amount of workload the current staff has to handle between them; therefore, the quality in review is damaged.

Management, depending on who they are, can be in favour of certain video games, or companies, which have a biased view on what they want to portray in their review. i.e. if they have connections with the game company. This means the journalist has to write one-sided as it is their job and they are being paid for it.

Ranking systems

I feel the only way you can make a reasonable ranking system is to sort by game genre.
People generally have certain tastes whether it be Fighting games or Racing, so comparing different genres together doesn’t give an accurate outcome.

There needs to be a mix of Objective and Subjective ranking as a one-sided viewpoint does not explore all the possible flaws/problems or positives other people could not see.

A less experienced game reviewer may only put forth their subjective views and feelings towards the game from their experience playing it, which does not help the general public wanting information about that game to ensure it is worthy of purchase. The objective details being left out could be of vital importance.

Media Resources

Finding reviews about video games via Magazine or Internet. What would you choose?
Magazines cost money, traveling to a shop to buy it takes time; however, the Internet is free/something you have already paid for, and is easily accessible. Which type of information suits you best? Magazines are written to a better quality as they employ experienced journalists, however will take longer to composite, publish and print. Internet sources, which could be written by anyone, qualified or unqualified, so finding quality or depth can be hit and miss. However it is instantly available for viewing and is easily accessible.

Gaming reviews are important for the selling market launch as soon as a game is released.
Bad publicity rating can be fatal to sales plummeting in disaster.
Gamers who rely on these reviews who are oblivious of the games potential or failure, may already base there assumptions on the review or ranking.
There are many different types of review styles and formats which vary from game related websites like game spot and IGN which are more objective based on a ranking system 1-10 which any user can review as well as the critique staff from other websites.
Other forms of reviews are based no video animation skits grounded upon humour, this is deemed very popular upon gamers choice, as I found out in college.
 
The Escapist - Zero Punctuation

 

I personally do not peruse any of these forms of media to gain information about a game as if find reviews are based largely on opinions and can be biased. Whether you agree or not each individual are different as each game caters different tastes.

Resources
http://gillen.cream.org/wordpress_html/?page_id=693

http://gillen.cream.org/wordpress_html/?page_id=3
http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=62798

Christmas Cupid Review

 Christmas Cupid Trailer

“Sloane is beautiful, stylish, and on the fast track to success at her public relations firm. After her client Caitlin dies and becomes her own personal ghost of Christmas past, present, and future; she finds out first hand that her unethical ways needs to change and reuniting with a past jilted lover may be the answer”

“Sloane wanted to be the Vice President of her Publicity Agency, but that was not the most important part of the story. Since she was taught from a young age not to marry because of love, she only looked for men with money and power. This left her missing out on her one true love.

Sloane got to see that her actions didn't only affect her. By focusing on being with someone with power and money, she lost out on all the small moments that really meant something. Sloane spent so much time at work, with her boyfriend that she was ruining her friendship with her best friend. By only thinking about what was her next step in success, she was causing others to lose out on being with their friends and family.”

Source - http://www.suite101.com/content/christmas-cupid-movie-review-a322267

I watched this movie last night, and I was kind of disappointed.

In the trailer, your expectations lead you to think you’re going to witness Sloane’s (Christina Milian) journey using a modern version of Christmas Carol, Scrooge/ghost path to finding her true love again.
However, I found no chemistry between Sloane and Patrick (Chad Murray). They hardly did many scenes together or explored their bond, to get to this “true love.”
You are shown some clips from the past, but you see more of Sloane’s current boyfriend Andrew.

 

In storylines, you want to feel something for the character as you learn more about them. If they get hurt you get sad. If they get in a fight, you want them to win. You know there is a good connection and depth of script/characters, if the story is written in a way that makes you cry or show emotion.
It’s a lot harder to get this in a movie that lasts 1hour 30min than a drama that lasts seasons long, but written and acted well it is achievable and is what separates the good movies from the bad ones. (In my opinion)

This can relate to video games, and is why I love the story plot in them. I very rarely come across a decent one like Final Fantasy 7 when Aeris dies near the end of disc 1..
You get so sad, after you learned so much about her; after you saved her from the Turks; being her bodyguard; staying at her house; taking you through the slums; dressing you up together as a girl to get you into the mansion to save Tifa; learning about her ancient past and connecting a bond with Cloud in the Gold Saucer theatre.
Aeris was one of my favourite characters to play, as she has good healing limit breaks and magic based attacks overall, so when she died for the 1^st time.. I was crushed!

You don’t get that emotion in many games..  unless you’ve been on a journey with that character and built a friendship/understanding, without a good plot/storyline/script I don’t feel that.

This really relates to the talks from Blitz studios. The 3 Important things I wanted to put into my work: Reaction, Feeling, Emotion …

Overall..

Would I still watch Christmas Cupid if I knew what I was getting myself in to?

YES!  

Even though.. it's predictable, and been used before in “Over her dead body" with the never ending “Christmas Carol, Scrooge usage.”
I don’t know why.. but these are my kind of movies. I think I’m just a sucker for romantic happy endings^

Plus the fact  Christina Milian and Chad Michael Murray are my favourite musicians/actors.
I was surprised by Caitlin (Ashley Benson's) performance playing the dead ghost after she dies. I think she played it really well, and it was believable. You know she’s in character when she holds the vodka glass in her hand.

  

Would I recommend it to anyone?..




Probably Not



 

 

I have.. odd taste, not to everyone’s liking~

Deadliest Artist

Blitz Game Studio Talk

Daryl Clewlow and Simon Ible, compared by Jolyon Webb

Blitz games studios artists could have easily given a presentation showing what their passion and enthusiasm was via Photos and explanation.
However, making it into a rivalry gave it a competitive edge, and made the artists genuinely interested in their passion as they wanted to win your vote as well as demonstrate what drives them.

Blitz always look for the artist in any 3D modeller – their visual decision making and artist's eye is what separates you from your competition that wants the same job. It is what they are looking for. I particularly liked Simon's choice – Ryan Woodward animation
I didn’t like the background music- but he makes the girl character disappear into snow- from action to action- it flowed into a story without words.

Daryl Clews war photography inspiration made me relate to the recent assignment given about character design. The emotion, what they’ve been through, expression and subtlety portrayed in these photos is what makes an interesting character come to life.
I want to use this in my future character designs – giving my characters meaning.. what makes you feel something about them – and ask questions.
They have a story to tell.



Jolyon Webb especially gave me a better grasp of what to put into my portfolio – what kind of things I should be working on to create towards it -

3 Important words come out to me today

Reaction
Emotion
Feeling

The Atmosphere you create in your environments should make the onlooker have these 3 things in mind when viewing it, with the use of lighting, placement, and reasoning using art direction and visual decisions.

End of 1st Semester

End of 1st Semester - 

I feel I work to slow,  I notice when I concentrate on one subject “Game Production” –  My Visual Design suffers-  and Visa-versa.

I noticed with a lot of my previous Visual Design work- Its very.. technical and boring
I think I got to carried away with the ruler :/

The windows in Pilot shopping building were so cluttered, I found it hard to draw everything inside proply. I decided to wait till the shutters go down.

I took along time on this my space center final peice maybe to long !

In the Brigate Park sketchs, I didnt use a ruler and felt a more natural result come of it.
In my 2nd semester I plan avoid rulers~

Life drawings..
I never draw the face, hands or feet.. as I don’t feel confident in drawing them yet.  
Flaws I need to practice

Architectural Old Toilet Building
I wished I picked a more interesting building- even though I think the toilet has character- Its very small..  I should have gone for a bigger scale size, to test my modelling abilities.
There was extras I took photographs of like park bins + Direction arrows- trees.. I could have added to the environment to make it look more interesting and not so basic.
To anyone looking.. It just looks like a toilet.
If I added more Brigate Park extra features around it, people may recognise a link to where the buildings come from.
In my free time, I will find another building to model and texture.

I need to work harder!