Source Engine Being Used To Create Animated Film
"9" director Shane Acker is using the Source engine and tools to create his next movie, "Deep."
Here's an interesting turn for Valve Software: Not only is the Source engine being used to create an animated movie, the film itself may be partially distributed on Steam. What's more, virtual production sets will be converted into playable levels for a videogame version.
Variety reports that Shane Acker, the director responsible for "9" (2009), which was produced by Tim Burton, has teamed up with Ireland's Brown Bag Films to create the post-apocalyptic film "Deep." The team is using Valve's Source engine to cut production costs and to "amp up" the project's overall flexibility.
"Deep" was written by Jack Barton Mitchell and takes place after World War III. The main protagonist, a man named Sullivan who captains a nuclear sub, makes contact with a group of superior scientific intelligence called the Wayfarers. They have the power to save the earth, but it may come with a high price.
The Source-powered movie will be produced by Brown Bag's Darragh O'Connell and Gregory R. Little, who heads Brown Bag's L.A. production office. According to O'Connell, Valve's tools and technologies will provide Acker and Brown Bag real-time rendering and editing, simplified character animation and economical lighting,
Currently the movie is in its pre-production stage, and Mitchell is working on the screenplay. The working budget is a mere €15 million ($18.7 million) which is high-end for Europe but low for the U.S. Brown Bag has begun talks with potential distributors and sales agents, O'Connell said.
Brown Bag's previous work includes Academy Award nominated toon shorts "Give Up Yer Aul Sins" (2002) and "Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty" (2010). Its most recent project is the TV series "Doc MacStuffins" seen on Disney Junior.
It also runs well on virtually any modern system.
Making a movie out of it will be interesting to say the least.
I'm going to see the movie when it comes out, just out of curiosity anyway..
true dat.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wM4k06rZeY
xD
Now see...that's exactly the kind of thing for which the CryEngine should be used. Not for games, of which they have had only mediocre entries.
In fact, companies can make twice the profit, because the game "map" is already made.
I might have crapped a little bit.
Not because it is the source engine but because it is going to open the door for better engines to be used for the same thing!
OR games just keep getting more cinematic in a sense of fuck it I'm not interesting in 'playing' and I'd rather just watch a 12 hour long movie with hundreds of dynamic points (but no main character deaths or bugs screwing up suspension of disbelief).