PRODUCTION // DIRECTING | BETA
title, collaborating with US game directors Darragh O’Farrell and Julian Kwasneski. “Directing the interactive is fucking awesome. And the skill there? It’s about working around players having choice, and delivering that illusion; the illusion of choice in a game world.”
That illusion of choice is a point of much academic musing; as games become more dynamic and interaction seeps into their every fibre, how much control the developer has is open to much debate – a topic explored with grace and humour in indie hit The Stanley Parable. But ultimately, a studio in almost every case sets the boundaries of their game, and conducts the player experience. “That’s why the illusion of choice is the craft of directing the interactive,” interjects Thomas, as discussion turns to games with branching narratives, and making each player choice feel equally an act of interactive freedom and a carefully controlled vision. “It’s about giving the player that illusion of choice, and that they are in total control. That’s the skill. The illusion of choice is like the magic of cinema; it’s about giving the player the sense that they are free to choose, to do as they want, and are unrestricted in the game world, even if it is quite different in reality.”
GETTING PRACTICAL
To a certain extent, then, the role of a traditional director in contemporary games seems clear-cut. That role, though, is just the beginning. Making it work practically is another matter altogether.
In film, TV, and theatre, there is a clear guide to that process; a path all can agree on, be they director, actor or set designer. “It is the scripts,” says Thomas. “The script is the bible. And that’s what I thought when I started to work with games. And then you see what a game script is.”
To the untrained eye – and often the trained eye – a game script appears to be a mess. It can be vast, disjointed and bewildering. “You have to approach scripts differently for games. For a director of a game, context of a script is everything,” states Estdale. “There are some developers that are really great in that regard. They have a very strong vision, and a micro-level understanding of their game that they can communicate to a director really well. They join you in the recording studio, and they know what they want.
“But oftentimes you just get thrown a script and told ‘record this’, which just leaves a director with their experience of the conventions of the genre. To really direct a performance, you need more. And I feel sometimes the writing of the game, however good, is also often done without that context.” That is why, says Estdale, that same mantra that applies to so many other elements of contemporary games development is relevant to direction.
Quite simply, the sooner a director steps on board, the more of that cherished context they can apply to a game’s world, which they can then communicate to actors, be it in the voice over booth or on the motion capture stage. A good two years ahead of release is best, so says the consensus, with directors made aware of lighting, environments, pacing and everything else that has existed since the dawn of theatre direction.
As games become more ambitious and narrative driven, more and more directors from film and TV are taking charge of telling the game’s story, often performed through motion capture (above)
Traditional directors also have another challenge, according to Estdale, Dower and Thomas, and it’s a somewhat delicate matter.
THE ENDOF EGO
For those that reign supreme in the television studio, film set and stage are the undisputed rulers of their respective kingdoms, and used to having the last word. They are, points out Dower, specifically trained to be project leaders and primary creatives; something they may have to unlearn in the game studio.
The illusion of choice is like the magic of cinema; it’s about giving the player the sense that they are free.
Delyth Thomas, director
“It’s really important for directors to talk to everyone working on a game; designers, animators, even the testers,” he says. “If you don’t, you’re a fool. That’s especially true for cutscenes, where an arrogant director could really have things backfire on them.” But according to Thomas, that is already changing over in the world where she honed her craft, as visual effects – and sometimes interactive content – continue their advance into television shows and movies.
“In a world of digital and special effects, directors have to leave their egos at the door,” she says. “That’s a good lesson for working in video games.”
It seems clear that the work is there for directors, and progress is being made with how to best apply and make use of the skillset. But there’s also the matter of structuring the working relationship.
RELATIONSHIP BUILDING
For now, a director’s relationship with a given game project is often through a temporary contract. Arguably, those contracts need general adapting to better serve the needs of a director, but what of the potential for the on-staff director in a permanent position at a game studio? Estdale isn’t so sure. “We’re starting to see some studios employ a permanent director on staff, but I feel it could be stifling,” he suggests. “I love the variety of serving so many different games as a director. And as much as you want to get involved in a creative process nice and early, you don’t want to become too entrenched.” Some things, it seems, directors want to stick to. But they are certainly interested in working in games, and have much to bring with them. They can prevent cutscene from being too much like inelegant pastiches of cinema, help a voice actor contextualise a world, better choreograph and tune the performances, cast the right talent, and lend an expertise numerous decades in the making.
JULY 2014 | 25
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