The Lincoln Center brings together 70 young theatre directors from all over the world every summer for a 3 week intensive exchange of ideas. If you look carefully you can see me in the 3rd row to the left.
70 Directors from all over the World.
I'm now officially a Labbie or an official Member of the Lincoln Centers Directors Lab
Anne Cattaneo in front of the 2014 Lab
New York!
It didn't take long for people to start uploading all the cinematics from the game. These aren't the best quality cinematics and Aiden often is wearing stuff that isn't the standard costume, but you get the general idea - In total I directed close to 2 hours of cinematics for the game. There are better captures of individual scenes in the work section of my website.
Ok, so the reviews for Watch Dogs were a bit mixed, but the ones that concerned my bit - the direction of the Cinematics were actually remarkably good:
Thanks to: Aiden Pearce/Noam Jenkins, Clara Lisle/Isabelle Blais, Poppy/Wendy Olunike Adeliyi, Iraq/Jerod Haynes, T-Bone/John Tench, Jordi/Aaron Douglas
“[The Cinematics] are exceptionally good on both a technical and a dramatic level.”
“The character modeling, clothing, and use of lighting all feel very next generation, and the mostly high quality voice acting and beautifully subtle motion capture really bring the characters to life. ”
“, the whole thing is reminiscent of a styled action-thriller from the cinema, dramatic camera movements and excellently edited and dialogue.
Especially Aiden’s hacker friends are some very interesting people and make a charming impression. In addition there is the cinematic direction. However, it is precisely these successful achievements that make the mistakes appear even stronger.”
“Watch_Dogs does a terrific job in making you feel emotionally involved with its cast. This is something that very rarely happens with me: I tend to see cut scenes more as justification for what I’ve done or what I’m about to do. But in this game, they’re so much more than that. I’m interested to hear what the characters have to say, what their decisions and actions reveal about themselves, and how they relate to one another – which in this game runs the full emotional spectrum. In some cases, there’s even the hint of chemistry here and there – something that I think is a quite astonishing achievement for a game.”
“It’s an immersive, intelligent tale that has a fabulous supporting cast in it. Among my favorite personalities in Watch Dogs are Jordi Chin and Damien Brenks,
Damien had a certain level unpredictability that made me think of The Dark Knight’s Joker. ”
“Initially, Aiden’s motives seem cut-and-paste but his interactions with the other NPC’s bring a genuine warmth and emotion to the medium I’ve yet to experience anywhere else. This is especially prevalent in the earlier cutscenes, with a conversation at a child’s birthday party that made me double-take; while the graphics were not life-like, each character spoke and moved with feeling. A graveyard scene later on had genuine pathos and a brutal killing by a gang leader made my skin crawl. Ubisoft should be commended for this alone.”
“The story cutscenes, the big ones, look gorgeous. Fully animated and detailed, you can see some absolutely stunning effects and details in folks faces and movement. ”
“The voice work for the main characters in the game, however, are absolute top notch. Noam Jenkins hands in a rock-solid performance as Aiden, Aaron Douglas plays Jordi Chin (a fellow Fixer) is one of the high points of the game), and I’m not sure who plays Clara Lille but her voice is pure silk. The only person I felt fell a little short was Anna Hopkins as Aiden’s sister Nikki. During a certain sequence of the game she goes from screaming in terror to joking with Aiden in the span of a single phone call and it comes across a little weird. Other than that, her performance is solid.”
The game is finally coming out on May 27th. I really look forward to being able to show my work.
You can see glimpses of it in the storytrailer here:
The view from the Service doors at the 109th floor.
I have a big fear of heights, but how often do you get a chance to do this - hanging out of the 109th floor at the Burj Khalifa. All part of the shoot for the new On The Top Experience with GSMPRJCT
Scouting in the Al Faqa Desert
I'm currently in Dubai shooting for an installation to be placed on the top of the Burj Khalifa (the highest tower in the world)
I'm working on a really cool little short.. Looking forward to sharing it with you.
The Costume drawings for one of our two characters. Thanks Henry Fong and Lou Rigidou for all the hard work.
I'm currently directing all the cinematics on the game Watch Dogs.
Osmos will be part of the exhibition Spacewar! Video Games Blast Off at the Museum of the Moving Image:
“did I mention the graphics and audio are both pretty sweet? I can’t tell if the letter background is supposed to be tiled peacock feathers or a roulette wheel, but whatever it is, it’s cool.”
“QatQi is a roguelike with words, and by the time it dawns, this ferociously smart game will have you hooked.”
“It’s challenging and addictive fun but what makes it even better is the thought that has gone into the design. I’ve been playing QatQi for a week and I’m addicted”
“With visual trimmings by the same artist who worked on Osmos, QatQi looks as good as it plays. If you’re into word games, be sure to give this one a shot....and it’s a looker, too. There’s a familiarity to its stylings, a psychedelic bubbliness that was last seen in Osmos . Coincidently, the game’s artist is Kun Chang, who worked on that very title.”
“Just when you think there can’t be much more new ground to be broken in the word-games genre, along comes something like QatQi”
“QatQi seems like a game that should have never been made. That’s not to say it’s bad; actually, it’s so original, we can’t believe someone thought it up.”
I was in NYC at the Museum of Modern Art in early October for the opening of the Exhibition Common Senses where Osmos is featured.
It was great to see Andy and Eddy again - Especially now that Eddy is living on the other side of the country and I rarely get to see him.
By the way, the checkered shirts were not planned ;-)
One of my jobs was working with Danny Marcoux and Jean-Philippe Leroux on the lighting for this shot.
Watch Dogs was finally revealed at E3 winning tons of nominations and awards. This is the super secret project I have been working on for the last 6 months. I directed the opening and all of the cinematics and also worked as a realization director on the demo.
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2012/06/07/e3-2012-why-watch-dogs-is-my-game-of-the-show
That’s me having fun at the opening of Tapis Rouge Danois here in Montreal. It was an weekend of Danish films in Montreal...and as a Dane I was invited to speak a bit about Danish cinema and comparing it to the Canadian and Quebecois cinema.
I picked up some cheap plastic model sets and with the creative input of my 4 and 7 year old nephews (hence the many guns and missiles) we set out to destroy the original planes and create something else.
This was one way we designed pod-racers on Star Wars and it was a lot of fun to do again.
I’m nominated for an award as Visual Artistof the year at the Canadian Game Developers Awards.
“9/10 - Editor’s Choice Award - “The best iPad game yet”
“5/5 stars - Macworld Editor’s Choice - “One of the best games we’ve played so far this year. An utterly serene, yet fiendishly complicated game that deserves a place in every iPad owners collection.”
“An evolutionary step… What iPad Gaming Should Be All About”
“4/4, Must Have - “We are more than overwhelmed by Osmos for iPad… The game design is thoughtful and intuitive, new level structures are flawless, and the visuals are stunning yet simplistic. For half the price of the computer version, every iPad owner should have Osmos on their device. You just won’t find another experience quite like it.”
“9.5/10 and 9/10 - It’s an awesome, awesome game. This might be the iPad game of the year.”
“Osmos HD is THE game for the iPad.”
“This game may look like Pac-Man or Flow; it actually plays like a next-level Katamari Damacy in which the small objects you can pick up may themselves coalesce into a mass that could roll you up. This game is pure gameplay, something you haven’t done before, can’t imagine in any other medium. Justify your iPad purchase and play it”
“A, Highly Recommended - “Osmos merits our extremely rare flat A high recommendation, and should be a must-see for iPad owners who appreciate originality and class in game designs.”
“Osmos is a must-play on the iPad… It’s the best iPad game on the App Store right now and should be purchased by anyone who picks up the device. Even if it’s not yours. Trust me, the owner will thank you”
“Grade “A” - “In a word, remarkable. Osmos is an absolutely essential purchase for anyone with an iPad.”
“5/5 - Excels on every level. Osmos will definitely be in the discussion for best iPad games by the end of 2010. If you are into strategy, puzzle games and testing your patience, download it immediately. Your family and friends will probably stage a gaming intervention.”
“When a game looks as amazing as Osmos and begins by quoting Isaac Newton, you know it’s going to be good.”
“4.5/5 stars - Osmos for iPad is a game that plays as beautifully as it looks… this may just be the first great iPad game”
“The first proper breakout hit for the iPad… Shows off the sort of experiences the iPad can so easily pull off. Osmos feels so natural and enjoyable to play, even when the difficulty ramps up and you find yourself repeatedly careening into a giant gaseous enemy”
“5/5 stars, Absolute Must - Osmos is an absolute must for $4.99 that will change the way you think of games, and what you expect from them”
“Brilliantly clever… The game is almost as enjoyable to watch being played, as it is to actually play — something which you might say is the hallmark of an ambient game. It’s going to be fascinating to watch variations on this theme develop”
“5/5 - “Its immense polish shines as you become absorbed in the game for hours on end. This flawlessly controlled game is a sign of the amazing iPad games to come, and the absolute best buy you can currently get for your begging iPad”
“If you’re looking for a great, original gaming experience on Apple’s magical tablet, Osmos is it.”
“4.5/5 stars - Osmos for iPad does a spectacular job of utilizing multitouch controls, trance-inducing visuals, and dynamic audio. Not to mention the addictive gameplay that offers up plenty of variety and challenge”
“Its combination of smart control, surprising depth and no-brainer $5 price makes it perfectly suited for the system.”
“This is one beautifully addictive game. If you have an iPad, this is a no brainer, just get it.”
“Osmos is more than simply a spell-binding, addictive video game: It’s a new-genre game that makes you feel relaxed rather than anxious playing it.”
“[The] gameplay mechanic works extremely well on the iPad, and is expertly paired with some fantastic mellow electronica that does a great job of setting the mood of the game”
“Overall, Osmos is a great game that I highly recommend for anyone with an iPad.”
“17/20 - Osmos HD s’impose d’ores et déjà comme une référence sur l’iPad. Ce jeu innovant et addictif vous donnera du fil à retordre!”
My doc: Pickpocket King that follows Bob Arno and his quest to find the world’s best pickpocket is being shown across the world. The US premiere will be in December.
Eddy Boxeman and I gave a small talk about how we created and designed Osmos and took it from a rough idea on Eddy’s PC to the iPad and winning the Apple Design award. (if you look back in the posts here you will see a screenshot of an early version)
It was a great evening and it was really interesting to have to dig up old drawings and sketches and see how far we had come.
