The boundaries between cinematic storytelling and interactive gaming are dissolving faster than ever, as creative minds from both disciplines increasingly rely on shared technology, talent, and production pipelines. During a panel discussion at the View Conference in Turin, prominent figures from blockbuster gaming franchises and major film productions detailed how visual techniques now move seamlessly back and forth between cinema and game development.
Cinematic Cameras and Virtual Scouting Across Mediums
Speaking on the "Ask Me Anything about Games, VFX and Animation" panel, Sony Santa Monica Studio game director Bruno Velazquez explained how Hollywood filmmaking directly informed the recent mainline entries in the "God of War" series. To achieve the aesthetic of an uninterrupted, continuous single take with a handheld feel, the game development team turned to cinema hardware. Velazquez revealed that the studio acquired one of the virtual cameras utilized by James Cameron on "Avatar" and brought it directly onto their motion-capture stage, allowing operators to capture virtual camera movements alongside the physical actors.
Meanwhile, Industrial Light & Magic animation director Hal Hickel shared how film crews are adopting cutting-edge interactive hardware for productions like "The Mandalorian and Grogu." The production utilized virtual reality to scout digital environments and assess how scenes would look from various seats within an IMAX theater. Hickel noted that the Apple Vision Pro became an essential tool for gauging physical scale and determining which set pieces needed practical construction versus digital extensions before building began.
Adapting History and the One-Way Flow of Intellectual Property
Cross-medium influence is also playing a significant role in Paramount's upcoming adaptation of Gabrielle Zevin's novel "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow," directed by Siân Heder and starring Daisy Edgar-Jones. Visual effects supervisor Tara DeMarco explained that rather than applying modern visual tricks, the production is consulting gaming historians to authentically replicate 1990s and early-2000s video games, compiling specific guidelines on resolution, gameplay mechanics, and period-accurate pixel art.
Guerrilla Games studio director Jan-Bart van Beek, whose team develops the "Horizon" franchise, observed that while gaming technology like LED volumes now regularly impacts film sets, the movement of intellectual property has largely reversed compared to previous decades. Pointing to high-profile adaptations like "The Last of Us" and "Fallout," van Beek noted that movie-based video games have become rare, while Hollywood now actively mines games for story material. However, he cautioned that translating interactive worlds to film remains tricky because player agency and interactivity cannot easily be replicated on screen.
Balancing Technological Tools, Craft, and the Rise of AI
Despite the power of modern tools, the panelists emphasized that high technology cannot replace core artistic sensibilities. Hickel highlighted this delicate balance regarding Grogu in "The Mandalorian and Grogu," pointing out that ILM intentionally preserves the character's practical puppetry because audiences respond emotionally to that specific tactile quality, applying digital fixes only when necessary to clean up movement.
Addressing industry anxieties surrounding artificial intelligence, the creators shared varying perspectives. Velazquez compared the rise of AI to earlier fears that computer-generated graphics and motion capture would erase animation careers, stressing that artistic soul and human collaboration remain indispensable. Van Beek voiced a more cautious outlook, warning against the potential exploitation of artists' work, while Hickel remained confident that technological shifts will never halt human creativity, even if industry structures shift.
The conversation, which also featured Lola Visual Effects supervisor Trent Claus and Skydance Animation production designer Noelle Triaureau under moderator Wieke Schrakamp, closed on a practical note about the industry's workforce. Panelists agreed that as cinematic and gaming pipelines continue to overlap, soft skills such as clear communication, adaptability, and constructive collaboration will remain far more valuable than technical ability alone.
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Source: Variety
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