Platige Image created an epic and cinematic vision to the latest trailer for Company of Heroes 3 - North Africa trailer, adding more than just their usual CGI wizardry to the piece. Previously the studio had produced the CGI for the original Company of Heroes, fast forward to the latest addition, and now it was also responsible for most aspects of the production, from casting and filming to digital VFX work and full CG scenes.
Platige Image are no strangers when it comes to creating game trailers working with big Triple A game publishers, including Ubisoft, Activision, Smilegate, and CD Projekt Red. So when it came to crafting the latest trailer for Relic Entertainment and their real-time strategy game Platige Image brought their A-game. Produced by Platige and directed by Tomek Suwalski, winner of the Young Director Award at Cannes, the trailer blends live-action footage with VFX to offer an interpretation of real-life events in the 1940s during the North African campaign. The entire piece feels like a large scale picture from the likes of David Lean, taking you on a wild adventure.
“The project was a truly unique opportunity for us because we could draw on our core competencies in animation and direction and our broad experience in film production,” explained producer Hanna Drewek. “It ought to be noted that our live-action film was a complex undertaking, unfolding across the realms of traditional cinematography, post-production and VFX, and CGI and animation. Each of these aspects had its own discrete requirements.”
Platige Image worked on pre-production, post-production, storyboarding, previsualization, and casting. In addition, the studio led location scouting and principal photography in collaboration with Tango Production Dubai. While Relic handled sound design and music production. Platige received extensive documentation to draft a preliminary list of prospective shooting locations in Dubai - later used to quickly identify appropriate settings for the shots envisioned in the script.
“In the CGI trailer, we showcased a heroic military action, but this time we’re focusing on the civilian aspect of the war,” noted Suwalski. “We witness a Berber Jewish woman getting caught in the crossfire while carrying a gift back to her hometown. Company of Heroes is a strategy war game, yet the brand is exceptionally aware, and talking about the devastating aspects of war is part of the story, especially with what’s happening in the world today.”
The unpredictable desert weather caused various production challenges as one could imagine, so Platige Image drafted a shortlist so the crew could move swiftly and effectively around each location. Filming involved numerous cinematography techniques with cameras mounted on steadicams and the use of cranes, drones and various rigs and sand buggies.
“The desert landscapes and the female lead were filmed in a traditional manner, while 3D assets such as the Panzer IV and Churchill tanks, in operational and destroyed versions, were developed by our animation department,” shared Paweł Orzechowski, VFX Supervisor on the project. “Additional digital assets include the Opel Blitz trucks, P-47 Thunderbolt fighters, the notorious German Flak 88 gun, and background assets such as bullets, explosions, smoke, sparks, and dust.”
The live-action trailer dropped on July 12. Company of Heroes 3 is coming in November.
Credits
Client: SEGA, Relic Entertainment
DIR: Tomek Suwalski
Produced by: Platige Image
Production Company Reps: Lemonade Reps
DOP: Piotr Uznański
Executive Producer: Piotr Prokop
Producer: Hanna Drewek
CG Supervisor: Paweł Orzechowski
Head of Production: Aga Górna
Head of CG: Marek Gajowski
Production Service Company: Tango Production