Latest news with #IGNLive
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Last of Us Creative Team on How They Crafted Season 2's Most Crucial Episodes
Full Spoilers for The Last of Us Season 2 follow. At IGN Live today, The Last of Us Co-Creator and Executive Producer Craig Mazin was joined by several of the show's core creative team – including Ksenia Sereda (Cinematographer), Ann Foley (Costume Designer), Don Macaulay (Production Designer), Alex Wang (VFX Supervisor), Timothy Good (Editor), and David Fleming (Co-Composer) – to discuss the tremendous amount of work that went into the just-completed second season of the HBO series. As the panel began, Mazin remarked, 'The truth is that Neil [Druckmann] and I are vastly over-credited for the success of the show. We work really hard on it but these are the people that bring it to life and they deserve so much credit… All of it is necessary to make it what it is.' When the panel was asked to name their favorite episode from Season 2, nearly everyone named either episode two ("Through the Valley") or episode six ('The Price'), which made sense since they were such standouts - and segued nicely into the fact that these were the two episodes moderator Amelia Emberwing focused on for the conversation. "Through the Valley' of course had two monumental events, including the horde of infected attacking Jackson and, well… that other thing which we'll get back to. With footage of the massive attack sequence playing, Mazin noted that there were visual effects in basically every shot, saying, 'I think Alex had to touch nearly everything here.' Rewatching the attack on Jackson, Macaulay joked, 'All I can think about is the thousands of meetings we have,' saying they quite seriously probably had 10 meetings about how the barrels would be launched from the town gates into the horde. As he put it, 'Nearly every shot in this took 10-15 meetings. Craig loves meetings!' Even after all of that there was 'a lot of retrofitting on set. Lots of rooftops we weren't planning to do.' Foley said episode two was definitely the hardest part of the season for her as the costume designer because of how many actors and extras were in that episode working on multiple filming units - and that it was all taking place while they were also working on the Seraphite costumes for upcoming episodes. As she explained, this involved "65 people in three different areas.' Wang stressed that previs is crucial, and the many discussions they have about what Macaulay will build vs. what Wang will oversee being added digitally. It's a long process, with Wang noting, 'You're planning for success 6-8 months down the line' and that he's constantly in communication with Macaulay, the stunt team, and many more. Mazin joked that when he calls Wang in for one of his infamous meetings, 'His heart sinks because he knows he's about to go over budget again.' One reason the infected horde was so tricky was that it dealt with such a large army and as Wang explained, in the visual effects world, when you have a group that large 'repetition is usually okay,' since you have characters in the same costumes or creatures of the same type. Here though, Mazin wanted to sell that these were all originally different human beings who were different sizes and ages in different outfits before they were infected. As he put it, they nearly 'broke Wētā [FX]' over the specifics they asked for. Then there's Good and his crucial work as editor. He has to begin editing without the final effects in place, which can be tricky. And not just because, as he pointed out, in the early footage 'a Bloater isn't a Bloater, it's a green dot.' But after they may have cut of the episode they're happy with, 'we get the animation back and everything's changed. The motion's become faster than a human actor is able to do," so they have to re-edit to adjust. When it came to scoring the 'Through the Valley,' Fleming described it as particularly challenging, because Mazin asked him, 'How do we start this at 11 and then keep going up for the whole episode?' The idea was they were 'building up momentum so it just felt relentless relentless relentless. Then at the end, it was kind of the opposite with the pivotal scene with Joel.' When Fleming paused and said he'd been avoiding talking about how that episode ended for so long, Mazin couldn't resist chiming in: 'He died!' As Fleming explained, the original music for Joel's wrenching death scene was much busier but then 'Craig asked 'strip it back.' It was a less is more situation.' While praising the performances of Pedro Pascal, Kaitlyn Dever and Bella Ramsey, Good revealed that for Joel's death 'I actually edited it five times before I was ready to show it to Craig,' because he knew how important it was to get it right. As Joel's death scene played out, the panel couldn't help but become somber and when Mazin cracked, 'Let's talk about the golf clubs we picked out. They have lots of meaning" to release some tension, he then paused and added that actually, when it came to which exact club Abby would use to beat Joel with, 'There was a whole discussion!' The conversation then moved to episode six and its flashbacks to Joel and Ellie together set between Season 1 and 2. The sequence where Ellie climbs the dinosaur was shown and Mazin remarked, 'I love this in the game. I love that we got to do it!' He added that this was a funny situation where the actual dinosaur built for Ellie to climb 'was wobbling too much so then Alex stopped it from wobbling. But then it looked fake so we had to make it wobble [again] a little bit.' Discussing Joel and Ellie's clothes, Foley noted they did their best to match their looks in the game, though there might be slight changes occasionally for specific reasons. One such case was in the museum scene. In the game, Ellie is wearing a tank top in this sequence. However, on the show, they wanted to underline that Bella Ramsey was playing a more youthful version of Ellie in these flashback scenes, so they ended up making it a t-shirt because 'changing it from a tank to a t-shirt made it look baggier and make her look younger.' In general though, 'Joel and Ellie are in the same things they wear in the game because there's no reason to change it.' Ksenia Sereda said she was both excited and nervous about shooting the scene where Ellie and Joel go inside the space capsule, because 'the way it was done in the game was so brilliant,' including the close up on Ellie smiling, imagining going into space. Sereda joked the game provided 'the most expensive previs I've ever had to work with.' Mazin marveled how Sereda lit the screen so that all of the light changes on Ellie's face were done practically, without visual effects needed. Sereda explained how difficult it was, because 'the whole sequence is lit through this teeny tiny window on the side of the capsule. It was very challenging to find this whole look.' This sequence had particular significance to Mazin because 'This is the first thing that Neil ever showed me from the second game.' He elaborated that when he went to Naughty Dog to speak to Druckmann about turning The Last of Us into a TV show, the team were nearing the completion of The Last of Us Part II. When Druckmann showed Mazin the space capsule sequence, his response was, ''We're doing that!' In my mind, I was like, 'We need to do a good enough job for Season 1 that we're renewed [to do that].'" With Season 3 of The Last of Us now in the works, Mazin said he was eager to get back in the thick of it, turning to his fellow panelists and saying 'I can't wait to do that. I can't wait to do that with all of you.' He then proclaimed: 'Don, are we going to have meetings!!'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Cast Premieres the First 10 Minutes of the Game's Documentary at IGN Live 2025
The cast of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 stopped by IGN Live to not only discuss the beloved new game from Sandfall Interactive, but also to exclusively premiere an over 10-minute look at the game's making-of documentary. The exclusive clip, which you can see below, begins by putting the focus on the developers of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 on the day before launch. It then takes viewers behind the scenes of motion capture performances, including how that emotional opening scene between Gustave and Sophie came to life and another fun moment between Monoco and Verso. While the documentary is still a work in progress and the full video may change, we were able to chat with Jennifer English (Maelle), Ben Starr (Verso), Shala Nyx (Sciel), Kirsty Rider (Lune), Rich Keeble (Monoco), and Maxence Cazorla (Esquie) about their work on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. "We were all really excited," English said of the time before the game launched. "We weren't as stressed as the developers were, but I was dead nervous about it because we put all our love and heart into it and hope it pays off - and thankfully it did." "You can do whatever you do in the studio, but then it stops being yours," Starr added. "You don't know what it's going to become. There are so many circumstances that go into the release of a game, and I felt, personally, there was a huge amount of pressure. It's a game I wanted to be good for the team because they had put so much work into it, and because we didn't just come into it, we were an additional part of it." English then went on to discuss what it was like recording for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and video games in general, and it was a fascinating glimpse behind the curtain. "I get so lonely in the booth," English joked. "You have to pretend. It's very rare in video games that you get a playmate. I think it's happened once or twice that I've had another actor in the room, so it's a real honor when people think you were together recording. Video game acting is the Olympics of acting. If you can do good acting in video games - there is some bad acting, but not in this game – you can do anything." Nyx then shared how many people have reached out to her about how her character, Sciel, has helped them with struggles in their own lives. "It's so cinematic," Nyx said. "It's just so wonderful to be the voice and body of a character that is so rich and has so much emotional depth. I've had so many people reach out to me about how my character has helped them with their depression and helped them with their mental health. It's so ephemeral and every moment is so rich and that's a testament to the writing." Lastly, Starr spoke on the emotional impact of the game and why we care so much about these pixels that became characters that mean a lot to us. The reason you cry is because there is so much joy to be lost," Starr said. "You can't have something that's just morose all the time. If these people who are so vibrantly brought to life by these actors, if we lose them, then you lose everything." For more, check out our Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 review and how the game sold 3.3 million copies in just 33 days. Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst, Instagram, and TikTok, and listen to his show, Talking Disney Magic.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Fan of Fun? IGN Live Returns June 7-8 in Los Angeles
PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing. Mark your calendars, because IGN Live is officially returning to Los Angeles on June 7-8, 2025. The show celebrates everything you love about video games, comic books, collectibles, movies, and TV, making it a fantastic venue for getting hot news about your favorite hobbies. Last year, I enjoyed the fan-centric weekend at IGN Live 2024, which included hands-on time with upcoming games, developer presentations, awesome swag, and celebrity appearances, such as Casper Van Dien from Starship Troopers and Alexey L. Pajitnov of Tetris fame. It was a terrific way to kick off the summer in place of the now-defunct E3, and I highly recommend attending. IGN Live takes place in downtown LA at the Magic Box @ The Reef, and tickets are on sale now. You also enjoy an early bird discount if you visit and purchase tickets between now and April 30. If you plan to attend the show, check out the ticket price breakdown: Basic, single-day tickets purchased between now and April 30 are $15. You can upgrade your IGN Live experience by purchasing a $30 VIP pass between now and April 30. It includes admission for the entire weekend, plus a goodie bag filled with event exclusives. After May 1, single-day tickets go up to $25. VIP passes rise to $40. You may also purchase tickets at the door. Single-day tickets at the door are $30, and VIP tickets are $45. IGN Live is partnering with many studios and publishers this year, with brands including 2K, Arcade1Up, Lenovo, and Netflix. More companies will be announced soon. If last year's show is anything to go by, IGN Live 2025 should be outstanding. IGN Live 2024 had more than 10,000 giveaways and 100 partners over the two-day event. Last year's show was a multi-hall spectacle, featuring a main stage for presentations and giveaways. Spaces were also available for game demos, classic arcade gaming, souvenirs, and refreshments. IGN Live 2024 was a lively show and a fantastic way to spend the weekend. You can expect PCMag to cover the show again, adding our expert insights to the happenings. In 2024, I got hands on with many demos and products at last year's IGN live. There was , a colorful acton-adventure game that paid homage to the Gameboy Advance and The Legend of Zelda in one colorful, sprite-fueled package. I also interviewed developer S-Game after the team's spectacular , and I eagerly await more news about this bombastic martial arts title. I even got hands on with the iconic Pip Boy 3000 Mk V by The Wand Company and chatted with the company's co-founder. Of course, there were too many excellent reveals to count, but we highlighted IGN Live's and the weekend's . Don't fret if you can't make the trip: IGN Live will livestream the weekend event across its many platforms, including , , , Twitter/X, and more. Stay tuned for more information about what to expect from IGN Live 2025, and be sure to check out and for the latest details about the event! (Editors' Note: IGN is owned by Ziff Davis, PCMag's parent company.)
