I’ve been going through some of the lessons here and it got me thinking—can studying camera work in video games actually help improve real-world cinematography skills? I’ve noticed some games use really smooth tracking shots and framing that feel almost film-like, but I’m not sure if that translates well in practice. Has anyone here tried analyzing games this way, or is it better to stick strictly to films?
Check out the camera direction of the cinematics in Rockstar Games. Their games have plenty of missions/levels, so you can see a variety of examples throughout.
Red Dead Redemption 1 is notable for its cinematics having to be completed in a single take, as the mo-cap technology at the time prevented splicing different takes together. Thus, the actors had to hit their marks and nail their performances precisely or they’d have to start over. While Rockstar Games have improved over time in their cinematic direction, they are an excellent example of for studying direction of actors and camera. For simpler examples, check out Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, but I wouldn’t go earlier. For more complexity, check out their newer releases.
GTA V is a great example too because the player can play as multiple characters and eventually their storylines will overlap, so it’s almost like studying two storylines which eventually come together. I bring this up less for cinematography but more for blocking and and seeing how two stories came come together (more so in the intro chapters).
Red Dead Redemption 2 is peak though. Do GTA SA for basics of blocking for characters and camera. GTA V for writing and scene direction. RDR2 for all of the above, but especially its cinematography.
You can also check out Telltale’s The Walking Dead because those are essentially interactive movies, where the player chooses the dialogue. God of War (2016) is great for blocking of actors and camera movement because it’s meant to be all in one take, so its cinematics would be great to study too.