Low budget films such as ‘Flow’ and ‘The Brutalist’ or video games such as ‘Clair Obscur’ compete with large productions thanks to accessible tools such as AI and free ‘software’
Every year the Pentresse, a gigantic painter, writes a number in a kilometer monolith that was interviewed on the horizon, and all the people who are the age of that number dies, suddenly turned into a knead of ashes and petals. Fed up with this situation, Gustave and his friends begin an expedition to end the curse. Is the starting point of Clear obscure: Expedition 33the best valued game of the year in the Metacritic notes. And a sales success: in its first month (it went on the market two months ago) sold 3.5 million copies. By visual invoice, for aesthetics, due to ambition and by game systems, no one would think that it is not one of the most expensive blockbusters in the world of video games, which increasingly exceed the most expensive films (it is not uncommon for the most anticipated video games of the year to exceed 200 million euros of budget). However, the game has only cost about 10 million euros.
The one of Clear It is the last example of an increasingly visible and more impact trend: how technology lowers works that, until not so ago, would have cost authentic fortunes. From software Free to artificial intelligence, through democratized graphic engines, technology is rewriting the rules of the game in industries such as cinema, animation or video games.
“The animation has always been close to technology,” says José Luis Farias, director of Nextlab, an incubator of emerging technologies projects applied to animation. “What happens is that these changes had always been gradual and are now very fast,” he explains, and remains importance to the two most used words when talking about this: “More important than artificial intelligence is the change in operation in animation companies,” he says. “Companies are beginning to use dynamics of the start ups and technologies that are not specific to animation. For example, video game graphics engines such as Unreal or Unity. And then, the distribution: now we have a big data that allows us to know the spectators better. ”
The winner of the Oscar Prize throughout Animation this year was Flowa Latvian film with a budget of about three million euros created with Blender, a free animation tool. Farias lists some of the most leading animation technologies: Krita, Godot, Grease Pencil … and speaks, of course, Blender, a software 3D animation free that has the Blender Foundation, a non -profit organization that is improving the day -to -day tool with user community contributions. And indicates a rising phenomenon: virtual reality technology, but not to visualize the content, but to create it, so that artists can clever In space. “It is more natural to use glasses and hands, because in the end the keyboard and computer are not the natural element to draw. There are studies that speak of animation companies that use virtual reality save by 40% of the production time.”
‘Flow trailer, a world to save’
n “}},” video_agency “: false,” alt_image “:” trailer of ‘flow, a world that Save ‘”},” URL “:” https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/k5gnsekrq5ev5bdrdek4tdoal4.jpg?auth=a213180486 9DFA859A319BDF3972A2668FD43E027A8C007643A9FEE3AB9145B & WIDTH = 1200 & HEIGHT = 675 & SMART = TRUE “,” ALT “:” TRAILER of ‘flow, a world to save’ “,” ogwidth “: 16,” ogheight “: 9});
Could be Flow A point and apart that indicates the address where the world animation is directed? “It is clear that large companies take longer to adapt to new technologies. But little ones can risk, and with small equipment you can achieve incredible things,” says Farias. “The best, however, is what is gained in creativity. Innovation in peripheries, because when you are away from the usual production and financing centers, you have to be creative. Flow It is a product of a very small team in Eastern Europe. Recently, it would be unthinkable. ”This use of technologies is not exclusive to animation cinema: in the world of real image cinema, The brutalist It is another revealing case. The film, winner of three Hollywood statuettes this year, was created with a budget of only 10 million dollars, a modest figure, in which AI was used for the creation of images of some buildings, which increased the visual packaging of the film.
“The advance of technology makes more and more softwaresand more accessible. And the democratization of knowledge makes you now can do video games, music, animation or films with less budget and minor equipment, ”says Fernando Rodrigo Olalla, professor at the University Center for Digital Arts Voxel School.“ Today you can reach new models, which optimize their resources and, therefore, can assume more creative risks. Small companies have less filters when making decisions, so the decisions they can make are more risky. And consumers often reward that risk, because many of these games have very good sales, ”explains who has also worked as a video game producer and developer.
Optimize resources
“We use some of AI, but not much,” says El País by videoconferencing François Meurisse, producer of Clear. “The key is that we were very clear about what we wanted to do and in what to invest efforts. And, of course, technology has allowed us to do things that were recently unthinkable,” explains Meurisse. “The tools and assets Unreal Engine 5 have been very important to improve graphics, playable and kinematic aspect. ”When he talks about assets It refers to the 3D elements that are already made (a house, a tree, a road) that are used to model three -dimensionally, thus lowering the production process.
In video games it is not something so rare that a masterpiece has emerged from a small group or even from the mind of a single person. Undertalede Toby Fox (2015); Stardew Valleyby Eric Barone (2016); Return of the Obra Dinn (2018), by Lucas Pope, are examples of works unanimously acclaimed by criticism that, however, can be attributed to a single creator-worker. But in these cases they were projects indies in which the visual section was much more content: almost always in pixel art or with two -dimensional designs far from the packaging of the large three -dimensional blockbusters.
Clear No; It is a visually raptor game, with an blockbuster aesthetic. The game emerged in principle as a solo project of Guillaume Brooche, which in 2019 began working with the tools of the Unreal graphic engine. In the end, the team was composed only of 30 people. “It was not easy,” Meurisse confesses with a smile, “but technology now allows, if you are clear about what you want to do, you can do it with few resources.”
“Very rigid infrastructure stop creativity, but they are understandable with great expenses. Today there are alternatives to make original and fun products, optimizing the expense if knowledge and good business vision meets,” concludes Professor Fernando Rodrigo Olalla, who overlooks a phrase that synthesizes everything: “That technology advances and is more accessible to the user, in any sector, it causes it as much as we can do more.”
Your subscription is being used on another device
Do you want to add another user to your subscription?
If you continue reading on this device, you cannot read in the other.
Why are you seeing this?
Arrow
Your subscription is being used on another device and you can only access El País from one device at the same time.
If you want to share your account, change your subscription to the premium mode, so you can add another user. Each will access with their own email account, which will allow you to customize your experience in the country.
Do you have a company subscription? Access here to hire more accounts.
In the case of not knowing who is using your account, we recommend changing your password here.
If you decide to continue sharing your account, this message will be shown on your device and in the other person who is using your account indefinitely, affecting your reading experience. You can consult here the terms and conditions of the digital subscription.
About the firm
Editor of El País that since 2014 has passed through, culture or international. He is an expert in digital culture and disseminator in radios, talks and exhibitions. Bachelor of Journalism from the Complutense and Master of El País. In 2023 he publishes ‘The Century of Video Games’, and in 2024 he received the Rabine Prize for his work as a technological disseminator.
More information
