Cutscenes animation directors share insights into 'Black Myth: Wukong'
Animation directors for the internationally acclaimed video game "Black Myth: Wukong" shared with players and fans the creation process at a culture salon in Shanghai.
The cutscenes animation directing team behind the internationally acclaimed blockbuster video game "Black Myth: Wukong" appeared at a culture salon at The INLET on Sunday, sharing insights into their creation and innovation.
Developed by Chinese firm Game Science, the game has recently won the Best Action Game and Players' Voice awards at The Game Awards 2024, known as the Oscars of the gaming world.
Although it failed to garner the most prestigious accolade of the Game of the Year, which went to "Astro Bot," "Black Myth: Wukong" has seen a huge surge in its number of players. On December 14, only one day after the awards, the single-player game's concurrent players count jumped to over 210,000.
The groundbreaking game stunned players across the world with the beauty of traditional Chinese arts and architecture, while its six ending cutscenes corresponding to the six chapters also attracted widespread attention.
Wu Yan, director of "Unfinished," a cutscene in the final chapter, gives a speech.
The artistic style of traditional Chinese comics inspired Lin Zhe to create "I See" in the first chapter.
A still from "I See."
According to Lin Zhe, director of "I See" in the first chapter, the cutscene created by the Shanghai-based studio FLiiiP Design was inspired by traditional Chinese comics and the animation styles of the classic works by the Shanghai Animation Film Studio.
"Through a control of transitions and rhythm, we tried to ensure an emotional coherence and the depth of the story," Lin said. "This work with a cinematic feel and visual quality also retains the realism flavor of the game."
"Deaf Ear," a stop-motion cutscene, is used to end the game's second chapter. Director Weng Jie talked about the charm and challenges of stop-motion animation.
Influenced by the 1955 Chinese color puppet animated film "The Magic Brush," Weng said that they innovated the use of varied materials to portray detailed facial expressions and a delicate feeling of motion.
The stop-motion cutscene "Deaf Ear" in the second chapter applied innovative use of various materials.
The White Dragon Horse character appears in "Unfinished."
Design drawings and stills from "Deaf Ear."
They used porcelain beads to portray the agility of a fox demon's eyes, and used transparent gel paste to depict the flow of water.
"Unfinished," a cutscene in the final chapter, was created by Wu Yan with traditional Chinese gongbi (meticulous painting) techniques to showcase the realistic charm of the details. Even the clouds, fire, and water in the cutscene impress players with their elegance and rich traditional cultural resonance.
All the animation directors said that they enjoyed much freedom in creation, which enabled them to adhere to their own styles and make full use of their imagination.
The cutscene collection is available on streaming platform BiliBili. Officials from the Hongkou District Administration of Culture and Tourism said that following the culture salon, they would strengthen their cooperation with the Shanghai Animation and Cartoon Association to promote the development and exchange of the animation and game industries in the future.
