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MI6 caught up with Alexander L. Fernández,
and the team at Streamline
Studios, creators of the superb cinematic sequences
in NightFire for the PC...
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Streamline Studios Interview (2)
21st January 2003
MI6 caught up with Alexander L. Fernández, and the team
at Streamline
Studios, creators of the superb cinematic sequences in NightFire for
the PC...
Continuing...
If you were given more time to spend on the cinematics,
what would you like to change or improve?
More compositing, use of global illumination and subtleties
of characters. Like all art studios, we look at our past work
and see things that weren't as good as we wanted them to be.
However, we're proud of the work created and feel that it was
a step forward for our company as a whole.
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How hard was it to capture the feeling of a James
Bond scene? Did you find it any different to creating
cinematics for any other, original storyline game?
We're avid Bond fans. What better way to get the
feeling of Bond then to sit around with some beers and
study the best reference available. We watched a few of
the movies and got back into the mood before working on
the cinematics. Creating the cinematics for Bond were like
the ones we've done previously. It was important to get
into the proper mindset and the rest was a matter of production.
Were there any problems concerning the time restriction
during the project? Did any cutbacks have to be made
to meet the deadline?
The best secret of the project was how the cinematics
were produced with such a short turn around time. The project
called for all cinematics to be complete in under eight
months, with the last two weeks for change requests.
Nightfire on PS2
UK
- MI6 Price: £14.99
USA
- MI6 Price: $19.99
Left: PS2 cover art |
The challenge here was logistical as well as in terms of production.
Bond's head was replaced once and Mayhew went from a decrepit
old man to a younger 50 something character. It was challenging
having to do head replacements when you are 95% of the way done.
No cutbacks occurred, but that was due to our teams dedication
to the project and the fact that we worked through the weekends
to get it done. It's no wonder that most of us were useless for
a month or so afterwards.
NightFire was crafted to a format convincingly similar
to the Bond movies, did you relate to any of the Bond
movies when trying to make the cinematics realistic?
Amongst watching the movies we had one guy attempt to be Bond like at
a club and was shot down horribly. He was a bit shaken, but not stirred
and got back up on his feet like a good lad and found the next best thing
to a Bond girl. What happened next isn't fit to print. Kidding.
We watched the movies to get an accurate feeling for Pierce,
but also the overall Bond universe. It's tricky trying
to get it to work correctly, but with games we're exploring
a whole new medium in which to express a successful franchise
so liberties are allowed
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Above: Streamline Studios, based in Hilversum, Netherlands |
What are you most proud of with the cinematics? If you had
the chance to work on another Bond game, would you approach
it using the same methods you have with NightFire, or would
you like to approach different methods of production?
We're proud of the quality and dedication the team showed during the production.
Our ability to complete a project on time and within budget received a booster
shot with this project as well as serving as a jewel on our crown. If we were
to work on another Bond game we would bring the knowledge and love we have
for the franchise as well as some new technology and methods we've developed
since our last involvement. All we can say on that is, muscle systems. MGM,
and EA, let's have another dance!
Many thanks to Alexander and the team at Streamline
Studios
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MI6 "NightFire" Coverage
Interview
- Streamline Studios (Part 1)