CINEMATOGRAPHY

Trevor Hogg examines the worlds of live-action, animation and video games through a virtual camera lens

When you’re learning how to tell a story, Ira Owens points out that it is film language, screen direction, and the camera that he kept in mind when working on Ghost of Tsushima

Image Courtesy of Sony Interactive Entertainment and Sucker Punch

Even with the dominance of digital E photography, there is still a push to reflect the grounded philosophy from the film era – though this traditional approach is changing as several generations have grown up with a video game console in their hands, and smartphones have led to the global proliferation of cameras. As a result, the criteria for what is considered to be believable and attainable imagery is being redefined, and causing a reshaping of the cinematic visual language.

“There’s got to be a knock-on effect from people growing up with that sort of world,” observes Oscar-winning cinematographer Greig Fraser who shot the pilot for The Mandalorian, which sparked the virtual production craze. “I don’t think every film in 25 years will be a first-person shooter but we’re seeing that with films, like The Revenant, which is immersive and wide angle. I believe that there’s going to be a place for a lot of different styles without a shadow of a doubt.”

In the past, getting access to camera equipment was an expensive proposition, but game engines such as Unreal Engine and Unity are making the virtual alternative an affordable and accessible option. “The best training tool that I could possibly imagine would be someone being proficient in these programs where they can experiment and play to their heart’s desire,” believes Fraser. “And then apply what they’re learning to the real world, but they’ve also got a huge base of knowledge when they get into the virtual world, and know what’s possible and what’s not possible.”

Tools in virtual cinematography are appearing in the real world.

“FPV drones can fly through the legs of people and into bowling alleys,” Fraser adds. “They can do things that a camera has never been able to do.” VR scouting is also an indispensable tool. “You can be in a set months or years in advance without the set being built, and be talking about what you would be exploring the day before the shoot. You can refine the parts of the set that you need and what the shots are. On the day, you are able to get through the work quicker and with more precision. And it costs peanuts compared to a day on a film shoot, where you’re spending hundreds of thousands of dollars every single day you’re standing there. Of course, on the shoot day everything decided on the VR scout can change, but it provides knowledge and information that makes you more prepared.”