Animation for cinematic’s video game

What the talk is about

Delphine Zombo explains how to get strong animation for a video game's cinematics. She starts with the role of trailers and opening cinematics: they sell the game, introduce characters and the world, and the player should feel inside the game rather than like a viewer. She argues that motion capture alone is not enough, since it often lacks intensity, so animators should add details drawn from personal experience, observation and references from varied sources (animals, dance, music videos). She also stresses self-education, including studying facial expressions and micro-expressions: even two key poses can convey a strong emotion. In the Q&A she touches on cultural differences in animation and on choosing the most important scenes when time runs short. Useful for beginner animators and anyone working on cutscenes.