Games vs. Film

There's another place that lighting is really important of course, and that's in film. In the early days of games, little could be done with lighting, as game technology was too new and too rudimentary. But as technological advances to computers, graphics cards, and game engines have advanced, we have the ability to get more and more realistic with the look of the lighting in games, and we start using some of the same techniques that have been used in film for decades.

 

The advances made by early pioneers in Computer Graphics allow us to make some pretty cool things these days. (Left: Carl Machover, a computer graphics pioneer. Right, a scene from a cinematic from 343 Industries "Halo 5: Guardians."

 

This also means that as we gain the ability to use more advanced and realistic lighting techniques, Lighting Artists that have previously worked in film are starting to be seen more at game studios. Many of the techniques and tools for lighting are very similar, whether working on films or games.

So many of the lighting decisions we make while lighting games come in part from the work we've seen in film. Much of the terminology is the same, as well as the workflow itself. Much of the lighting "storytelling" we use has been established for a long time now, and we try to convey that into the world that takes place inside the game. Both film and games of course also draw from real life, so in a sense lighting is a universal language.

One big difference is that there is frequently a lot of post work done in film. Although there is sometimes post work done on cinematics in games, it's usually simpler, especially if the cinematics are rendered in-engine.

The main difference however, may be one of aesthetics vs. performance when it comes to games. That's because in the film world, performance isn't an issue. The film is pre-rendered, and plays back at a given speed. Whereas in games, there is a constant balance and trade-off of trying to create the best lighting possible, while working within the constraints of the game engine and the technology being used.

There are still games that use pre-rendered cinematics, and in those cases performance is not an issue. But in games where cinematics are "live" or real-time, you've got to be mindful of the performance in the cinematics, as well as in the game itself.

 

Next: Environments and Cinematics