Greetings, Quickbeam here. Join me on a special behind-the-scenes tour of the upcoming video game from the fine folks at EA, where ‘The Battle For Middle-earth’ is taking shape before our eyes. This stunning RTS is proof of how true artistry has a place of its own in the video game industry, especially if you work for EA! [MORE]
Day: July 20, 2004
Where the Fine Arts Meets Electronic Arts
A Special Peek Behind the Scenes for EA Games’ The Battle for Middle-earth Game
Down in the depths of Southern California you will find an amazing place. The Electronic Arts L.A. Campus is designed to keep the resident video game designers very happy. Everything in the environment, from the shiny green landscaping down to the massive salt-water aquarium in the lobby, helps keep the army of people working for EA Games content through the long haul of production. The campus is both an artists’ studio and multi-leveled corporate playground all at once. Instead of sterile ‘cube farms’ you see in most offices, they have colorful hexagon cubicles, where many of the panels are forced open by employees so they can see, interact with, and throw paper balls at their neighbors. They have complete recreational facilities, covering all the bases. Their vibrant dining facility offers homemade breakfast burritos, cooked to order. They have their own gym, basketball courts, and soccer field (ready for a round volleyball).
The facility excludes such annoying distractions as corporate goons who love to pester the artists while they work, or shrill customer service call centers. Nothing like that here. This place is for gamers! One thing is for sure — this ain’t your Father’s office space.
Here there be many wondrous sights and secretive assets! My tour of the campus included a preview of hundreds of cool things related to EA Games that must, alas, remain secret. I was there to visit the Battle for Middle-earth production team — who are busy creating a new, virtual Middle-earth where the player controls the armies, strategies, and ever-changing shifts of power as seen in The Lord of the Rings films. Actually, you might play this Battle for Middle-earth game as either the Free People’s side or the Sauron side. Anything is possible. This is a real-time strategy game that promises to delight the hardcore gamer – and packs a big ‘Wow’ factor for Tolkien fans.
Mark Skaggs is a busy man these days. He is the VP and Executive Producer for The Battle for Middle-earth, and the buck stops with him. Overseeing a massive team of 80 different artists, drafters, animators, programmers, project managers, and the requisite marketing crew is what he simply calls ‘A Day’s Work.’ And seeing the strenuous efforts of his team going on all around me, as I walk the corridors of the Campus, it is suddenly very clear how similar to Peter Jackson he really is. Like the famed movie director, Mark must bear the brunt of huge expectations from Ringer fans — including myself — all the while attempting to orchestrate a swarm of people unified under his vision and guidance. I don’t envy him a bit, as he too is trying to handle one of the biggest fantasy franchises of all time.
Yet he and his team are doing it with finesse.
He proudly shows the assembled reporters a unique demo of the game, shown recently at E3. It begins with a stunning map that must have taken years to develop. It’s a gorgeous virtual rending of all the lands of Middle-earth that were involved in the War of the Ring, with exaggerated relief features, smoke rising out of Mt. Doom, and verdant forests. My hat is off Richard Kreegler, for it is one of the most stylish Middle-earth maps I’ve ever seen in any medium. This is the kind of artwork that should please Tolkien fans, while it’s not perfectly accurate in geographic detail, that’s not the point. It’s just so organic and inviting. This is indeed art.
You click on the map to enter the virtual locations where battle will be decided. As the camera moves down towards the city of Osgiliath, or wherever you might go, you certainly can expect beautiful visuals. And Howard Shore’s amazing score.
First we saw how an Orc Camp is created. For those non-gamers out there, the skill and challenge inherent in every Real-Time Strategy Game really boils down to managing resources. Units are built on the field where Orcs can create armor, weapons, practice their fighting maneuvers, etc. The same thing exists for the good guys, with stables, food storage, and barracks. It’s all about building the best army and deploying them with gusto. This is mighty cool stuff. The graphics are top notch, as everything is cut from similar cloth that WETA had already masterfully woven for the cinema version of LOTR.
Matt Britton comes in to explain how 35 supremely talented artists and animators put it all together. The EA team has full access to designs and assets from the WETA Camperdown Studio in Wellington. I’ve been there myself recently — shooting for the “RINGERS” documentary, and there is no shortage of magic inside the confines of that marvelous building, believe me. Pure unadulterated magic. And the production team from EA Games enjoys such a rich bounty of existing work; only to extrapolate those ideas for a new digital environment. They take existing architecture, creatures, and even “staged lighting” and make it unique for their game.
There are so many types of army units you can choose from. There be Ents here! And Mumakil that threaten to stomp everyone in their path! When the Balrog appears, sheesh…. you might as well hang it up buddy, because you’re toast. All the best design elements are recreated in detail from what you’ve seen on the silver screen: from the Riders of Rohan and their equestrian motifs — down to the ugly, coarse brown hair growing on a Warg’s back. The “Army of the Dead” units have a very unique effect surrounding them, ghostly and surreal.
Some units are chosen individually, others are counted as “hordes” that allow you to chunk out huge portions of armies and deploy them en masse. Mark tells us about a new concept in developing your units (gamers call this “powering up” units) called “veterancy.” The characters and units you develop over time have increased power and effectiveness based upon their previous battles. Even the buildings themselves (such as battlements and armories) increase veterancy.
As the game demo progressed I realized that Warg pits are very fun indeed. Every kid should have one in his backyard. I feel sorry for city-dwellers like me who live in apartment without a nice yard. The Orcs of Isengard are shown furiously chopping at trees — however the catch for the Evil Player is to not rouse the Ents who are nearby! Something more appealing for you greenies out there: you can build your own Entmoot if you like.
I am so there!
We are treated to a special presentation by Richard Taylor. NO, not the same Richard Taylor over in New Zealand…. same name, different gentleman…. a very generous talent from American shores. Besides working on Star Trek, he was the Visual Effects Supervisor and concept designer for Disney’s TRON, that most nostalgic and groundbreaking of CGI films. Here at EA Games, Mr. Taylor creates stunning animatics that play during the course of the game. He is a film director of a special kind — making “mini-movies” that must meet the high demands of Tolkien’s universe. Saying to the assembled reporters, “Games have their own lives,” Mr. Taylor explains the agonizing process of storyboards, sketches, camera controls and angles; not to mention the endless man-hours needed for character movement. All for a 40-second clip that looks as good as anything you’ve seen from Hollywood. The disciplines of filmmaking are in full force here, and it’s remarkable to see it from concept to creation.
Dustin Browder, Game Design Director working on BFME, offers us some very cool game strategies and sage advice. He shows us the basics of going around the map and placing you bases in the best locations. Just like in real estate, it’s all about location. We also got to see a remarkable interface that uses the Palant’r concept. By looking at the lower-left of your screen, you can check on the prevailing status of your units and heroes. The design is elegant in the extreme.
Did I say “heroes?” Yes, there are major characters from LOTR in every aspect of this RTS game. You will witness the courage of Aragorn, Gandalf, Frodo, Sam, Theoden, etc., while the forces of Sauron command the Witch-king, the Balrog, and more. This game has the goods. And just wait till you sit down and play it yourself.
I hear you asking: On what platforms will BFME be made available? When will it come out in stores? Well, to find out you absolutely must visit the EA Games website for The Battle for Middle-earth [click here]. There you will find a plethora of information, discussion with other gamers, and even more previews of this utterly cool game. While you’re at it — don’t miss the “Video” page with promotional clips in glorious Quicktime! [click here]
It’s always good to know that artists, when given a good home and the right support, will wax creative in the extreme, producing the most awesome work that comes from pure inspiration. Over at the EA Games Los Angeles Campus, they make unprecedented efforts so their artistic team feels good about their work. This idea is borne out in full with BFME. This game is truly beautiful…. and now I can see why working for EA is the most desirable job in the gaming industry.
Much too hasty,
Quickbeam
Celebrated actor and activist Ian McKellen has provided a brand new interview for the upcoming feature documentary, RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS. Sir Ian showed his remarkable depth of understanding of all things related to J.R.R. Tolkien and “The Lord of the Rings.” His powerful portrayal of the wizard Gandalf in Peter Jackson’s epic film trilogy earned him his second Oscar nomination (Best Supporting Actor, 2002) and made him a cinematic icon to adoring fans worldwide. Sir Ian’s interview for Ringers reveals both his remarkable erudition and gentle humor which readers of Tolkien have always associated with their beloved Gandalf. [More]
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA — MONDAY, JULY 19, 2004 — Celebrated actor and activist Ian McKellen has provided a brand new interview for the upcoming feature documentary, RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS. Sir Ian showed his remarkable depth of understanding of all things related to J.R.R. Tolkien and “The Lord of the Rings.” His powerful portrayal of the wizard Gandalf in Peter Jackson’s epic film trilogy earned him his second Oscar nomination (Best Supporting Actor, 2002) and made him a cinematic icon to adoring fans worldwide. Sir Ian’s interview for Ringers reveals both his remarkable erudition and gentle humor which readers of Tolkien have always associated with their beloved Gandalf.
For fifty years Ian McKellen has enjoyed a far-reaching theatrical career in England and abroad, where his most enduring Shakespearean roles were crafted in collaboration with legendary director Trevor Nunn for the Royal Shakespeare Company. A true master of theatrical disciplines, Sir Ian was lauded by critics worldwide for his role as Edgar in Strindberg’s Dance of Death, which went from Broadway, to London’s West End, and on to Sydney, Australia. Sir Ian has earned more than forty major international acting awards including a Tony Award for Amadeus, the Screen Actors Guild Award for The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of The Ring, a Cable ACE Award for And the Band Played On… and a Golden Globe Award for Rasputin. He received his first Academy Award nomination playing James Whale in Gods and Monsters; with a continuing wave of popular success with Apt Pupil, X-Men and X2: X-Men United. His newest feature, David Mackenzie’s Asylum, will debut October 29, 2004, in select U.S. cinemas.
About the documentary:
Very funny yet often moving, Ringers: Lord of the Fans shows the hidden power behind Tolkien’s books — and how after 50 years a single literary work continues to spark the minds and hearts of millions, across cultures and across time. Ringers explores the real foundations of Middle-earth; a community of true fans who share a common bond. Moving beyond “cult classic” and over several different generations, the film unearths academics, musicians, authors, filmmakers, and a plethora of pop junkies — the people gathered under the banner of ‘Ringer.’
RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS spent 16 months shooting on three continents. Produced in association with the popular Tolkien fan-site TheOneRing.net, Ringers stands as the most comprehensive film document of the ongoing fandom of “The Lord of the Rings.”
“Ringers” Official Website:
Current “Ringers” Interviewees include:
Actor – Sir Ian McKellen, Actor – Dominic Monaghan, Actor – Andy Serkis, Actor – Sala Baker, Author/Filmmaker – Clive Barker, Writer/Director/Producer – Cameron Crowe, Actor – David Carradine, Author – Terry Pratchett, Author – Peter S. Beagle, Author – Terry Brooks, Musician – Lemmy Kilmister, Musician – Geddy Lee, Tolkien Scholar – Dr. Jane Chance, Chairperson of the Tolkien Society – Christine Crawshaw, Author – Colin Duriez, Filmmaker/Critic – Chris Gore, Writer/Publisher – Forrest J. Ackerman, Actor – Bill Mumy, Author/Broadcaster – Brian Sibley, Illustrator/Author – Colleen Doran, Illustrator/Author – Jill Thompson, Great-Grandson – Royd Tolkien, and hundreds of Tolkien fans!
Two more VERY detailed reviews of the LOTR concert in Seattle. Take a look at our good friend Arwen‘s report and one recently sent in from Red Giant. [More]
Arwen writes: Between July 15 and July 17, 2004 Seattle residents and visitors alike were offered an amazing gift: the chance to attend not just one, but four concerts conducted by the Award-winning maestro himself, Howard Shore, and performed by the Seattle Symphony at Benaroya Hall. The fans were invited to celebrate the event in true hobbit, elf, or ranger fashion, by attending an Open House reception organized by Linda “Laurelinda” Teller, Founding Member of the Northwesternesse Fan Group on Saturday the 17th between the matinee and evening concerts. Linda had planned the event for almost a full year and worked out all of the details to make sure all of her guests had the best time not only at the concert but also during their visit to her city. She was the most patient and graceful host, and all attendees were very thankful for her hard work.
Having spent most of Saturday taking in the sights of lovely Seattle, I arrived at Benaroya Hall around 6pm, and was greeted by Linda. The event was taking place on the first floor balcony overlooking the main lobby. Costumes had been encouraged, and gentle lads and ladies dressed in their best hobbit, elf or ranger outfits (as well as more conventional 21st century clothing) were hanging out and socializing while munching on savory cold cuts and veggies, and washing it all down with beer, wine, and even soft drinks J Many of the attendees had elected to attend both the 2pm and 8pm performances, and everyone was very enthusiastic about the matinee, which seemed a very good sign for the evening concert. Around 7:50pm everyone made their way into the concert hall and took their seats.
Howard Shore was greeted like a rock star by thundering applause and cheers, and the concert soon started. As much as I enjoyed and admired John Mauceri’s performance of the FOTR score two years ago at the Hollywood Bowl, I must say that is quite an entirely different experience to watch and hear the composer himself conduct his work. It was extremely powerful and I was soon overwhelmed by emotion. The concert was divided in 2 parts – the first part being most of the score from FOTR EE, with the second part (after a brief intermission) covering selections from TTT and ROTK. Throughout the performance, drawings and sketches by Alan Lee were projected on a giant screen above the orchestra. The selection of artwork was subtle enough not to overpower the live performance, it was more like a subtitle, a parenthesis to the music. In addition to being awed by Mr Shore’s maestria, we also greatly admired the soloists, in particular young boy soprano David Farris, and most of all the delightful Sissel, whose pure, beautiful voice brought a lot of Ringers (including myself!) to tears. She delivered wonderful renditions of both Gollum’s Song and Into The West, quite a feat considering how different both songs are. When the very last notes of Into The West died down, with Howard’s right hand raised above his head, almost frozen in time, there was an amazing silence in the entire hall, as if the entire audience were holding their breath, so enraptured we all were in the moment. Howard lowered his hand slowly, turned towards us and the entire hall erupted in overwhelming applause and cheers, giving both the maestro and the orchestra three lasting standing ovations.
After the concert, Linda and her group of Ringers headed to the Artists’ Entrance to wait for Mr Shore and give him a few gifts as a souvenir of the event. One of them was Bilbo’s Red Book, into which the fans in attendance had written a personalized message for Howard; and another was a framed picture of Howard on his arrival to TORN’s One Party two years ago, waving his first Oscar in the air, climbing the stairs of the Hollywood Athletic Club. After a relatively short wait, Mr Shore came out under yet more applause and cheers, a large smile on his face, and proceeded to sign autographs and pose for pictures, to the delight and gratitude of all the fans assembled.
Truly, a spectacular night in a long series of memorable fan-organized events. If Mr Shore conducts the LOTR Symphony in your town, do not miss it. Congratulations to the Seattle Symphony who gave us such a wonderful performance on the night of Saturday July 17th. And many thanks to Linda “Laurelinda” for organizing the event and taking such good care of us all. A few pictures of the event will be coming soon.
—–
Red Giant
I took my girlfriend to see the LOTR symphony Sat July 17 in Benaroya Hall in Seattle. Keep in mind that I had also been on the Red Carpet Tour last Nov-Dec in the Gondor group that went to the world premier of ROTK and also experienced Howard Shore’s debut concert in six movements. It was of course an awesome collection and everyone loved it, and the final standing ovation for something like 8 minutes was the expected and well-deserved ending to the performance.
A few differences and yes some nits I want to point out, since otherwise what can I say other than the perfect concert. I was entertaining myself to collect these little gems since I know all the music by heart so well, so here goes:
GENERAL
There are many times throughout the symphony where Howard would slow down the pieces to – and I am not exaggerating – half the tempo we are accustomed to hearing them at. Two examples: the Beacons as the music swells to show the pairings light across the various peaks was painfully slowed down, the “Behold the dwarf city of Dwarow-delf” grand entrance into the chamber was very slow, and the one that was most jarring was the extremely slow pace of the whole “Forth Eorlingas” ride out of Helm’s Deep and Gandalf’s charge. I know a lot of my pace expectations were from familiarity with the scenes and such, but then again who’s wasn’t? It just made me antsy to “push” the music somehow, will it along to match my images I was seeing. And I now it was Howard’s doing since they were just following his lead, but I wonder why that was done that way; to space out the music to make it last longer, cover last-minute or planned cuts to other songs (see below)? No idea.
FOTR
The man playing the pan pipes and Hobbiton-evoking sounds was excellent, did a great job throughout all the movements when called upon.
Good addition – they added in the violin bit that swells as the Fellowship leaves Rivendell shown only in the EE. From the point where Gandalf says “The Fellowship awaits the ringbearer” until they walk through to the “left” side (ha ha) and out, that was a surprise and good choice as it is probably the single best additional EE scene score-wise in FOTR. It was the most (if not only) notable piece from an EE-only scene I recall.
The boy doing the high-pitched humming was great, but he did have one quick hiccup and recovered perfectly thereafter: in the bit as the Fellowship exits Moria having just lost Gandalf, the second verse of humming which features that initial high-note to lead it off (highest single note in the entire riff), he cracked a little as he clearly strained to hit it, but to his credit hit it he did and from then on it was perfect.
The woman doing the “lament for Gandalf” from Lothlorien looked to be middle-eastern or possibly Indian herself, which I thought fit the style of the music since it also has that quality. Her voice was not quite ethereal and high-pitched and light enough for it as it was in the movie or in NZ’s version of it, but it was still very well done.
Ending of FOTR, as they played the music that saw the Three Hunters leave to “hunt some orc” and Frodo and Sam walk up onto the mountain ridge to gaze out over the Emyn Muil and to Mordor – they forgot to play the light background drumbeat that permeates that piece, which IMO adds a lot to its concluding qualities to the epic first movie in the trilogy. The drummers were there for other pieces needing them like the arrival of Rohan in ROTK and other such battle pieces, but were MIA here for some reason. I kept looking at the drummers who held their sticks expectantly during that whole piece but they never used them.
TTT
Missing music – they only played the very beginning from TT up until the camera starts approaching going inside the mountains for the tumultuous Gandalf vs. Balrog fall. THEY DID NOT PLAY IT!! I could not believe they cut this in favor of some other things (such as the Treebeard buuuuu-dum! Buuuu-dum! weird music). The chanting choral effect alone should qualify this piece to be played, as it was played in New Zealand. I did not like this omission, and in fact the program stated the first song in the second Act was “Foundations of Stone”. Someone needs to remind them that that *is* that portion of the music, not the 45-second French horn introduction to the movie (the mountain fly-over which is great as well).
The first violin playing the Rohan theme (and some others, but this is where I noticed it) seemed to be ad-libbing a little. He added some little transitions that I know are not part of the music as Howard wrote it or at least conducted it in the movie and CD versions. He also was drowned out too often when he was supposed to carry the main tune of a piece. They need better mixing/amplification control or something.
I can’t figure out why a concert would spend time playing that Treebeard hollow-wooden and tuba sounding slow piece, it dragged and on-screen it showed a picture of Treebeard (more of a concept sketch, just like one that appears in the ROTK credits) and simply zoomed in on it in a quirky way and panned around it like 10 times – the same sketch while the song played; I would gladly have traded that time out for any of the other noted missing pieces. It also didn’t sound very good, as it is a very hard piece to play live and with a smaller and unfamiliar orchestra than the larger London or NZ ones. Oh, btw the Seattle Symphony was missing a good 20-30 people, possibly due to needing the space for the chorals (some 200 people).
ROTK
Also missing: ROTK’s Minas Tirith!! How can they leave out that?! When Gandalf and Pippin approach and climb the walls of MT that is a monumental piece, but MIA in the concert (again, in NZ they played it). They cut in after the climactic crescendo at the top with the White Tree (they came in with the softer bit after Pippin says “it’s the tree”, with no sign of the main theme played). They did play the Beacons at least shortly thereafter.
I was hoping for a Billy Boyd-ian solo but was not surprised they did not include that, although I had hoped it would be done by a guest artist.
Speaking of chorals, great job overall as others have pointed out. But the men were definitely not loud enough when they needed to pound out dwarven chants, and the entire chorus should have been much louder (and the voices were entirely drowned out when it should have been vice versa) during the entrance of the Nazgul to Pellinor as they fly down (you know, the awesome screaming moment in the film just after Gothmog spits on the rock that almost landed on him).
The guy in the back right doing Viggo’s chanting at the coronation was way too low (couldn’t’ even hear him although it was clear he was straining to be heard better) and he also had too much of that professional “let me use my vibrato to impress you” for that bit – it is a straight chant, as Viggo himself performed it in NZ at the premiere. I got the distinct impression this fellow didn’t even practice or listen to how Viggo did it, but maybe it is just his style (although I would argue this symphony is larger than anyone’s “style” and they should mold themselves to it, not it to them).
They showed sketches of the Grey Havens from many angles during the Grey Havens and Into The West songs. That was a great move. Back in NZ they only had some arch sketches and maybe 1-2 others, here they had many of the entire Havens area including the surrounding hills and peaks that you can’t even see in the movie.
I wanted to point out these small flaws as they really stood out to me, since I have seen the films an average of 20+ times each. But regardless of any nit-picking, this concert was excellent for anyone of any age. I was very glad to be able to see it again and share it with my girlfriend who absolutely adored it too.