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J.J. Abrams and Valve CEO Gabe Newell Discuss Storytelling in Film vs. Video Games

02.18.13 @ 8:33PM Tags : badrobot, cinema, film, gabenewell, interactive, jjabrams, software, storytelling, valve, videogames, watch

Nowadays, major franchises get the royal treatment upon release. Some video game series are expanded with original novels or comic books between release dates. The opening of many big films occurs with novelizations and video games accompanying them. The problem is, I haven’t seen many video game adaptations I’ve been able to appreciate as good films in their own right, and all the while games seem to be getting more and more realistic. How comparable, or even compatible is storytelling between video games and movies? If anybody could figure it out, it’d be “Star Wars Episode VII director” J.J. Abrams and Valve co-founder/CEO Gabe Newell. Check out their full D.I.C.E. 2013 keynote discussion below. More »

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Valve's Source Filmmaker Animation Software Featured in its Own Oscars, the 'Saxxy Awards'

08.21.12 @ 8:30AM Tags : 3D, animation, awards, contest, contests, postproduction, source, valve

Back in July we covered the release of Source Filmmaker, a powerful animation program that Valve uses internally to create movies and cutscenes for games like Team Fortress 2, Counter Strike, and Left 4 Dead 2. Originally released as a closed beta, the software has since been opened to the public and has been in the hands of digital filmmakers for a little over a month. To continue growing the user base of the tool, Valve has announced that Source Filmmaker videos will be able to compete in the 2nd Annual Saxxy Awards — a program run by Valve that is their own version of the Academy Awards (if Oscar wore a cowboy hat). If you’re wondering what Source Filmmaker is capable of, check out the video embedded below. More »

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Source Filmmaker is a Powerful Animation Tool Valve is Releasing for Free

07.1.12 @ 11:00AM Tags : animation, cgi, sourcefilmmaker, tutorial, tutorials, valve

Computer animation has come a long way in the past 20 years — to the point where hand-drawn animation is almost non-existent. Even most cartoons are digitally drawn and made to look like old fashioned paper drawings (how ironic — or maybe nostalgic?). Most animation starts from scratch, with new models and textures needed for every animation. But what if you didn’t have to start from scratch? What if you were an independent animator, and you could build off a world that has already been created for you? That’s the idea behind Valve’s Source Filmmaker. The tools they use to make cut-scenes and videos is being released completely free, along with the textures and models from Team Fortress 2. Here’s a look at what’s being released: More »