Podcast
FAQ

The Making Of Kameo:

If you could be any of the Elemental
Warriors or other characters in Kameo, which one
would you be, and why?

Pummel Weed, no…Ash, no…Chilla, no…Oh that’s not a fair
question! Wait, no…it’s easy. I’d be Kameo, that way I get to
be all of them whenever I want.

Mike Cawood: Cinematics (2)

What was your greatest challenge while working on the
cinematics for Kameo?
Changes over the course
of the game’s development have made the sequences very organic.
Whether it’s the story, the lead character design, or the tiniest
little trinket that a character wears, I’ve had to stay on top of
the wave of changes while developing our workflow to deal smoothly
with any foreseeable alterations.

What has been your greatest joy?
Making it
look easy! When it all comes together and looks like we didn’t
struggle to get there, it feels great. The character animation is
the part where it really comes to life, where we can really get
inside the heads of these characters and make them actually “think.”
But it’s great seeing the final scene in the context of the game.
It’s like watching two small waves meet and form another bigger one
in perfect synchronization. The combination of the gameplay and the
right cinematic at the right time provides a ride for the player’s
emotions and when you get it right nothing else comes close!

If you have to name only one thing that you hope players
will appreciate about the cinematics in Kameo, what would
it be?
I’m loath to pick any single aspect, since you’ll
only scrutinize it and see the flaws! Although I’d like to think
I’ve pushed Kameo’s personality and her “cool factor.”

Kameo has an especially beautiful and voluptuous
3-D environment. How were you able to stretch your creativity on
scenery details and character cinematics within this
world?
Actually re-producing the game’s environment in
pre-rendered form was a major issue. There’s a lot of custom work
that goes into getting the best out of the real-time environments,
and it takes a great deal of effort to match those standards. But
there are a few key spots in these sequences where we pulled out all
of the stops and did our best to rise to that challenge.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to get
into a career doing what you do?
Funnily enough Art
isn’t everything. I’ve actually benefited from a strong background
in maths and physics from my early school days. On top of that I’ve
had to focus heavily on my animation and film making skills. But you
have to know a little or a lot about so many different areas that
it’s hard to pin it down. Hard work, talent and perseverance clearly
help, but the right attitude and really good training go a long
way.

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