dP Depicts War in the North
Dilated Pixels was honored to help defend Middle Earth from the grip of Sauron in the videogame trailer for Lord of the Rings War in the North.
The treatment for this game title was to differ greatly from what fans have seen in the past for Lord of the Rings titles: this was to be a hyper-violent, “M for Mature” rated title, and the action depicted was accordingly brutal. Blood splatter, dismemberment, explosions, and decapitation was the command, and dP responded. Elements of game player teamwork was also to be emphasized as well as how the different heros complimented each other. Mocap sessions were directed by the supervisors and performed by expert martial artists, acrobatic gymnasts, and stuntmen. While motion data was applied and edited, talented artists created an army of varied orcs and the nasty overseers of the evil plot being brewed, the Orc Casters. The heros were designed and outfitted in style. The finale troll was designed and brought to life with details such as skin wrinkles and a drooling maw.
In addition to the cast of heros, the other stars of the trailer were the set pieces: the ice orc shatter, the ballista explosion, the leader’s decapitation, and the gatecrashing cave troll. Each of these parts required extensive R&D and a custom approach for each. The intense deadline meant getting solutions from various software packages and making it all work together. This workflow had to be developed while the primary work was being carried out, a task Dilated Pixels performed with finesse.
