Creator’s Note
Ratten Reich Cinematic Teaser Art Direction
Introduction and Special Thanks
Hi everyone! It’s Nikita Vvedenskiy, the Art Director of the Argentum Studio, and today I’m gonna tell you a story about the working process on the Ratten Reich game project. It was full of little victories and challenges which I’ll describe to you further. But first of all – a few words about my humble person.
My journey as an art director began 2 years ago when I met with Argentum Studio founder – Germans Alekseikovs. At that time, the 3D artists team was finishing the first project for their portfolio. Germans found me in the “For food and affection” chatroom used by the artists to find their soulmates. They needed help with composing, editing and colour correction of their first CGI short film “Paper or plastic”. Germans showed me individual models, locations, animations and effects they were going to use in the project. I was completely blown away by the quality. We had one day to complete this project, since the studio was going to take part in the important 3D competition. We crossed all the deadlines, but we achieved the main thing – a high level of trust in the team. For me it is a very important relationship with an excellent team of responsive, creative and highly professional people.
My journey as an art director began 2 years ago when I met with Argentum Studio founder – Germans Alekseikovs. At that time, the 3D artists team was finishing the first project for their portfolio. Germans found me in the “For food and affection” chatroom used by the artists to find their soulmates. They needed help with composing, editing and colour correction of their first CGI short film “Paper or plastic”. Germans showed me individual models, locations, animations and effects they were going to use in the project. I was completely blown away by the quality. We had one day to complete this project, since the studio was going to take part in the important 3D competition. We crossed all the deadlines, but we achieved the main thing – a high level of trust in the team. For me it is a very important relationship with an excellent team of responsive, creative and highly professional people.
Nikita Vvedenskiy - Art Director | Ratten Reich
Now it’s time to begin the main part of the story!
Welcome to the behind-the-scenes journey of creating the cinematic game trailer for RTS Game called “Ratten Reich”. As the Art Director, it is my pleasure to share the intricate process that brings our vision to life and sets the stage for the gaming experience.
Welcome to the behind-the-scenes journey of creating the cinematic game trailer for RTS Game called “Ratten Reich”. As the Art Director, it is my pleasure to share the intricate process that brings our vision to life and sets the stage for the gaming experience.
How it Started
It was in 2023 when I finished several projects with guys and we wanted to collaborate with game studio and were trying to make full production for the cinematic video. We were sure that we had enough skills, abilities and ambitions. That’s how we connected with an indie game studio called Crytivo. The guys had already made several games for different platforms in different genres. After several conference calls we found out that the guys were planning to release the cool RTS Game in the First World War steampunk setting , and the main twist of the game was that the different nations were different species of animals. I thought it was a unique concept and I had never seen anything like it in this setting. So we have made the common decision to start the development of the trailer concept.
Concept Development
It was in 2023 when I finished several projects with guys and we wanted to collaborate with game studio and were trying to make full production for the cinematic video. We were sure that we had enough skills, abilities and ambitions. That’s how we connected with an indie game studio called Crytivo. The guys had already made several games for different platforms in different genres. After several conference calls we found out that the guys were planning to release the cool RTS Game in the First World War steampunk setting , and the main twist of the game was that the different nations were different species of animals. I thought it was a unique concept and I had never seen anything like it in this setting. So we have made the common decision to start the development of the trailer concept.It is also the most interesting part of the job, because you build a fully new world from the ideas in your head. To my opinion it is true magic. The concept development phase is the step where our vision begins to form.
Ratten Reich Concept in Miro
Understanding the Game
We frequently contact developers during video production. It is always important to understand how they see their world that they have created. This deep dive helps me and other artists to understand the core essence of the game—the emotions it aims to evoke, the story it wants to tell, and the unique elements that form the atmosphere of the game. In the example of Ratten Reich, the creators of the game worked in detail on the costumes of all factions, weapons, military equipment, etc. Each faction received its own individual style and this greatly inspired us and helped us in the development process. You can find more 2D Arts on the game studio Artstation.
Brainstorming Sessions
As soon as the game concept is understood clearly I start to immerse myself in the game’s world by watching all kinds of media on the same topping and with the same setting. I also listen to a lot of music to get the right vibes and rhythm for the future cinematic. On this stage we meet frequently with the whole project team. Usually we meet with concept artists to make the main project vision, but 3D Artists also help us during the whole process.
Defining the Narrative Arc
The next step is outlining the narrative arc of the trailer. It’s the time to make decisions on the beginning, main part and the ending, and to think about the details which engage the future viewers emotionally. The main goal is to tell a mini-story within the trailer that hooks the audience and leaves them in excitement to know what’s next. I always write a script as a guiding line through the characters, location and their interaction with each other, as well as animation, important visual effects and other scene elements. You can see how the script usually looks below.
Visual Style and Tone
Simultaneously, we define the visual style and tone of the trailer. We select the colour palette, decide on the lighting style, and establish the overall mood. The visual style must align with the game’s aesthetics enhancing the trailer’s emotional impact. For the trailer, we settled on a monotonous, depressing atmosphere in the opening shots (which we ultimately implemented in the teaser), which was supposed to convey the general decadent mood of our main character, General Gavis. For the colour palette, shades of orange and red were chosen as the basis. This palette was dictated by the plot of the trailer itself, since in the story Gavis, with the last of his strength, goes to erect the flag of his country before his death after a bloody battle. The atmosphere was supposed to convey the danger and horror of the post-battle world.
We always create the full detailed storyboard to visualise our ideas. It helps us to refine our vision and pass it to the rest of the team without losing any details. Concept art is a reference for the whole team throughout the whole production process that helps everyone to stay focused on the same atmosphere and narrative. Storyboarding is where the magic begins. We sketch out key scenes, ensuring each frame tells a part of the story and evokes the right emotions.A lot of questions arise about the detail of the world often about the composition, camera movement, the frame, focal length of the camera, the length of the shots, VFX which should be used, etc. This phase is crucial for visualising the flow and tempo of the trailer, allowing us to see the whole scene and make necessary adjustments on the early steps.
The Full Trailer Concept
First, we came up with a full-fledged concept for a three-minute trailer, According to the idea, the trailer consisted of three parts:
- The opening part which became the final teaser, where General Gavis, with his last strength, raises the flag of the FMR army.
- Dynamic flashback where we show epic military episodes, where the FMR army won victories in various circumstances. We received the task from the developers for this part to show the game mechanics that they planned to implement including interaction with various military equipment and strategic solutions. We tried to implement those details in the storytelling carefully.
- Return to the present, where General Gavis is kneeling at the Angul Army flag with his last strength and the mysterious character General Tatsuo – the commander pf the faceless army – appears from the smoke. He approaches Gavis and executes him right next to the flag that was raised before.
Pitching the Concept
The final step in concept development is pitching the concept to the team and game developers. We present our storyboard, narrative arc, and concept art, explaining how they create a powerful and engaging trailer. This pitch is crucial for getting buy-in from the team and stakeholders, ensuring everyone is on the same page before moving forward. However, it is necessary to provide feedback on the work steps throughout the entire process of the video creation and even if at this stage team members or game development employees have suggestions or disagreements, we can continue to make changes, discuss and refine the concept until we get the “final” version.
Asset Creation: Building the World
With the blueprint in place, our artists start creating the assets. Characters, environments, and props are carefully designed to match the game’s aesthetic. Each asset is detailed, textured, and animated to maintain authenticity and depth, forming the visual foundation of our trailer. In this project, the main character was the General of the FMR (Angul) Army – Gavis. We planned many close-ups, so the game model wasn’t sufficient due to its low polygon count. Therefore, we created a full 3D model.
Animation: Bringing Characters to Life
Animation is where our assets become alive and get their own personality, but this time it was hard to get to the point. We had a couple of problems with animation Ratten Reich due to the fact that all studio participants work remotely, which made it difficult to explain the final task to our animator. In a shot where Gavis appears sharply in the frame, leans on a tree and gathers his strength, it was necessary to animate the full-fledged acting of the 3D model in close-up. Besides that, our animation team carefully crafted each movement and expression to resonate with the game’s emotional tone. Every action is designed to involve the viewers into the world we’ve created, making them feel a private connection to the characters and story.
CFX
CFX is a very important part of storytelling, which helps to convey the atmosphere of each frame. It was very important for us to convey the strongest flow of wind that flutters his cloak from side to side while Gavis continues to walk towards his goal without stopping. According to the idea, this should better convey the character’s uncompromising nature and conviction in his goal. His main goal in the teaser is to raise the flag of his army on the battlefield. The flag itself was designed so that it was completely torn to shreds, which would symbolise the torn internal state of General Gavis and the external state of his army after losing the battle.
VFX
VFX is an important part of storytelling, shaping the atmosphere of individual shots and the story as a whole. When developing this project, we needed to convey the feeling of apocalypticism after a huge battle, so it was important for us to show many effects that help convey this feeling: wind, fire, sparks, hot earth, reflection of water, smouldering wood. When we were receiving the final render, we had problems with simulating fire, since the intensity of the fire did not coincide with the general atmosphere, for this reason we had to increase the FPS of the fire effect itself, which gave the necessary result. All the effects were made with Houdini software.
Cinematography: The Art of Visual Storytelling
I always think that cinematography is essential in forming the trailer’s mood and impact, that’s why we focus on camera placement, movement, focal length of the lenses, light quality, light contrast, visual progression, light colour contrast, direction of the light, etc. All this work is done to create dynamic and visually stunning scenes. In this project, our goal was to convey the visual tension of what was happening on the screen using all of the above tools. Light – hard shadows, animated burning effect, silhouette images in the background. Camera – progression of camera movement, use of wide and long lenses, use of different depths of field. Every shot is composed to highlight key moments and enhance the overall narrative.
Sound Design and Music Score
Sound design is crucial for creating immersion. Our sound designers meticulously craft a soundscape that complements the visuals, from subtle ambient noises to dramatic sound effects. Each sound is chosen to enhance the atmosphere and emotional impact, creating a richer, more immersive experience.
The musical score is the emotional backbone of our trailer. Collaborating with composers, we create a soundtrack that captures the game’s essence. The music guides the audience through the trailer’s emotional journey, building anticipation and excitement, and leaving a lasting impression.
The musical score is the emotional backbone of our trailer. Collaborating with composers, we create a soundtrack that captures the game’s essence. The music guides the audience through the trailer’s emotional journey, building anticipation and excitement, and leaving a lasting impression.
Post-Production: Refining the Masterpiece
In post-production, we bring all elements together in harmony. Colour grading, visual effects, and final edits are applied to polish the trailer to perfection. This stage is where the trailer truly comes to life, transforming individual components into a cohesive and compelling narrative. This moment is always very exciting, as all the elements come together like Lego and finally there will be an opportunity to see all the work done together.
The Grand Reveal
Finally, the moment arrives to share our creation with the world. The release of the trailer is both thrilling and nerve-wracking, as we eagerly anticipate the audience’s reaction. A successful trailer not only generates excitement for the game but also stands as a testament to the artistry and dedication of our entire team.
Creating a cinematic game trailer is a complex, collaborative process that combines creativity, technical skill, and passion. The role of the Art Director in guiding the team through this journey is a privilege, which allows to craft a visual narrative that ignites the imagination and anticipation of gamers around the globe.
Thank you for joining us on this journey. We hope our trailer gives you a glimpse into the captivating world of our game and leaves you as excited for its release as we are.
Creating a cinematic game trailer is a complex, collaborative process that combines creativity, technical skill, and passion. The role of the Art Director in guiding the team through this journey is a privilege, which allows to craft a visual narrative that ignites the imagination and anticipation of gamers around the globe.
Thank you for joining us on this journey. We hope our trailer gives you a glimpse into the captivating world of our game and leaves you as excited for its release as we are.