Action Sequences/Transcript

This is the transcript of "Action Sequences," part of The Making of Heavy Rain.
==Transcript==
(An ESRB logo appears, followed by the PlayStation logo. An Origami Murder Bird appears on a white background, and black ink runs down to reveal the phrases "THE MAKING OF HEAVY RAIN" and "THE ACTION SCENES.")
(Video footage from "The Old Warehouse" plays.)
Narrator: Given that the story of Heavy Rain takes place in a very realistic universe, the action sequences had to be as realistic as possible. We did not want our characters to be supermen versed in the martial arts.
(Video footage from "The Shark" plays.)
Narrator: Ethan is a family man, and has no training in the martial arts.
(Video footage from "Sexy Girl" plays.)
Narrator: And although Madison is a sportswoman, she's no fighter.
(Video footage from "Mad Jack" plays.)
Narrator: Jayden has received different types of training from the FBI, but he's really not an on-the-ground man.
(Video footage from "Face to Face" plays.)
Charles: Don't come near me, or I'll shoot!
Narrator: Shelby learned to fight in the street, and proves to be a man of great brute force.
(Video footage of a stunt coordinator in the motion-capture studio plays.)
Narrator: When we had defined the profiles of the characters, we called in a stunt coordinator to work on the choreography. We called on Oliviere Schneider, a stunt coordinator who is used to working for film and who already worked for us on our previous game.
(Concept art and pages of the game's script appear.)
Narrator: It all begins with a document describing the action sequences in the game. Then, we get together in the mocap studio in a rudimentary version of the set in order to elaborate the final choreography. It is a real joint effort, with Oliviere contributing his knowledge of different combat techniques and situations, and us contributing the constraints that are specific to video games.
(A side-by-side comparison of the stunt choreography for Scott fighting Gordi Kramer's bodyguards and the finished sequence is shown.)
Narrator: The main difficulty in the exercise is that, for each blow in Heavy Rain, we had to allow for the possibility that the blow is successful or that it fails, while making sure the different options are compatible.
(Video footage of the stunt choreography for Madison's scenario in "The Old Warehouse" plays.)
Narrator: This is also where we work on safety problems -- positioning mattresses, protection for stuntmen, et cetera.
(A side-by-side comparison of the stunt choreography for Madison's fight with Adrian Baker and the finished sequence is shown.)
Narrator: When it comes to shooting the choreography, everything has been worked out. All the stuntmen have to do is give it all they can.
(Video footage of Steve Kniebihly plays. The caption "Assistant Director Steve Kniebihly" appears.)
Steve Kniebihly: The action sequences in Heavy Rain were a pleasure for the cameramen to direct.
(Video footage from "Mad Jack" and "The Shark" plays.)
Kniebihly: The variety of situations, close combat and gunfights, make it a pure pleasure for us movie lovers. 
(Video footage from "On the Loose," "Covered Market," and "Face to Face" plays.)
Kniebihly: These are very interesting sequences to film, and a game like Heavy Rain allows us to explore a whole range of situations, all of which are very different. In film, the sheer scope of things involves the prevention of accidents and damage to sets, and can place severe restrictions on actions. Once a scene has been filmed, it is very difficult to reshoot it. Curiously enough, the advantage of video games lies in the non-continuity of the filming. The freedom offered by the real-time camera animation tool, which was specifically developed for this game, enables us to completely redo the direction of a scene several months after it is shot.
(Video footage from "Sleazy Place" plays.)
Kniebihly: Nothing is fixed. We can explore new ideas and improve directions. However, the constraints lie elsewhere.
(Video footage of stunt choreography for "Sleepless Night" plays, followed by the finished sequence.)
Kniebihly: Having spectacular action is not enough. The player must feel completely immersed in the experience. That means that we are often forced to make compromises on framing or editing, to ensure that the player always has the information needed to understand the action required. The real job between the camera and the gameplay teams is to find the right balance between spectacular direction and the player reading the scene.
(The Heavy Rain logo appears, followed by the tagline "How far will you go to save someone you love?". The PlayStation 3 logo appears, followed by the Sony logo and a copyright notice.)
Category:Transcripts