The Gold Road game cinematic takes the viewer on an adventure through four environments with the three original Elder Scrolls heroes. This quest involves two opposing sides searching for the imprisoned Daedric Prince, Ithilia. While there is no big battle, the film focuses on the adventurous journey through beautifully crafted environments. It becomes apparent that neither side will succeed, as Ithilia controls her fate, leaving the audience with a thrilling sneak peek into the world and sparking curiosity about the game's adventures for players to explore.
Brief: The Mill was tasked with creating a CG game cinematic from script, storyboards, concepts, animation, music, and SFX to the final film, giving the viewer a glimpse into the world of Elder Scrolls Online and the new adventures in the new chapter, without revealing too much.
Approach: The Mill worked with the client to design the story, did a small virtual production during previs to test mocap, then did a three day mocap shoot to capture all the performances while building the environments in CG and designing the elements and building the hero characters. The characters Ithilia and Torvisar from scratch while building on the High Elf, the Nord, and the Breton to bring them to 2024 game cinematic quality.
Impact:
2.6M
Views on Youtube
AICP Post
Winner of Game Cinematic
Clio Entertainment
Gold in Game: Audio Visual: CGI Spot
Silver Game: Design: Computer-Generated Imagery
Ciclope
Gold in Animation for Video Games
We did a lot of work with FX and Hair simulations that really shined on this project, it leveled up the animation of the shots tremendously. Everything was lit and rendered in Houdini using Arnold, which was new to some of our lighters' hands, but once comfortable with the tools, the process became incredibly efficient.
The project's themes played a crucial role in the storytelling, requiring us to convey the look and feel in an authentic way, especially in the environments. Our artists engaged in extensive concepting upfront, laying a solid framework which they could build upon. We crafted a sequence that maintained the desired vibe while introducing a distinct visual style that complemented the overall narrative.
2D Lead Artist, Lane Jolly
