Mike Cawood: Cinematics (2)

What was your greatest challenge while working on the cinematics for Kameo?
Changes over the course of the game’s development have made the sequences very organic. Whether it’s the story, the lead character design, or the tiniest little trinket that a character wears, I’ve had to stay on top of the wave of changes while developing our workflow to deal smoothly with any foreseeable alterations.

What has been your greatest joy?
Making it look easy! When it all comes together and looks like we didn’t struggle to get there, it feels great. The character animation is the part where it really comes to life, where we can really get inside the heads of these characters and make them actually “think.” But it’s great seeing the final scene in the context of the game. It’s like watching two small waves meet and form another bigger one in perfect synchronization. The combination of the gameplay and the right cinematic at the right time provides a ride for the player’s emotions and when you get it right nothing else comes close!

If you have to name only one thing that you hope players will appreciate about the cinematics in Kameo, what would it be?
I’m loath to pick any single aspect, since you’ll only scrutinize it and see the flaws! Although I’d like to think I’ve pushed Kameo’s personality and her “cool factor.”

Kameo has an especially beautiful and voluptuous 3-D environment. How were you able to stretch your creativity on scenery details and character cinematics within this world?
Actually re-producing the game’s environment in pre-rendered form was a major issue. There’s a lot of custom work that goes into getting the best out of the real-time environments, and it takes a great deal of effort to match those standards. But there are a few key spots in these sequences where we pulled out all of the stops and did our best to rise to that challenge.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to get into a career doing what you do?
Funnily enough Art isn’t everything. I’ve actually benefited from a strong background in maths and physics from my early school days. On top of that I’ve had to focus heavily on my animation and film making skills. But you have to know a little or a lot about so many different areas that it’s hard to pin it down. Hard work, talent and perseverance clearly help, but the right attitude and really good training go a long way.

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