Master Chief John-117 may have spent the majority of his video game career hidden behind thick armour plating, but in Halo: Fall of Reach we see the iconic hero unmasked - both figuratively and literally. It was up to Sequence Group and Faceware to ensure Master Chief's facial animation - as well as that of the diverse Halo cast - delivered the strong sense of personality that has seen the character endure for over 15 years.
Behind the mask
In the sci-fi future of Halo, humanity has colonized the stars, spreading into the Orion Arm of the galaxy in search of new worlds and resources. When the far-flung colonies rebel against Earth's control, the United Nations Space Command (UNSC) responds with a top-secret super-soldier initiative: Project: SPARTAN.
Though created to suppress an insurrection that threatened to unravel civilization, these next-generation warriors are among the first to face the onslaught of the merciless Covenant, a collective of alien species that quickly makes its intentions brutally clear: the eradication of humanity. The Spartans hold the line when all else fails, matching the Covenant's superior technology with grim determination and unflinching resolve.
For fans of the top-selling first-person shooter Halo, this is a story as well-known as any childhood fable, given that it gave birth to the Xbox's number one mascot - the super-powered Spartan, Master Chief.
Now the Master Chief's story has been given new life in Halo: Fall of Reach, a high-quality animated series created to support the launch of the Xbox One tent pole release, Halo 5: Guardians.
Based on Eric Nylund's novel of the same name - Halo: The Fall of Reach covers the origins of the Spartan program, the story of how the Master Chief came to lead Blue Team, and shows their daring first strike against a seemingly invincible alien warship in the opening days of the Human-Covenant War.
In order to bring such an ambitious story to life, 343 Industries brought full-service Vancouver production studio The Sequence Group on board. With support from Faceware, Sequence worked to shed light on this chapter in the Master Chief mythology.
In Sequence
With extensive experience in video games, television, design, commercials and feature films, The Sequence Group knows how to create attention-grabbing CG features. This experience came into play for Halo numerous times in the past, with the studio contributing to such endeavors as the Terminal' cutscenes featured in Halo 4 and Halo 2: Anniversary. As such, Sequence was more than a suitable collaborator for 343 Industries on the Fall of Reach project.
From simple logo animations to 65-minute 3D long forms, we relish an opportunity to creatively collaborate and contribute to the Halo universe, begins Daniel Sioui, lead producer at The Sequence Group.
Originally 343 had reached out with the possibility of producing a shorter motion comic to coincide with the release of Halo 5, but the team at Sequence was eager to produce something more ambitious that we felt would be more engaging for the audience, he explains. It was decided that the Blue Team origin story The Fall of Reach would be perfect to showcase John-117's history and provide additional insight into the established Halo mythology.
Alongside the Master Chief, Halo: Fall of Reach features characters such as Dr. Catherine Halsey, the creator of the Spartans, their advanced power armor, and - later - the legendary artificial intelligence Cortana. Considering that Halo fans regard these characters with such a high level of esteem, only the best, most realistic facial animation would be satisfactory.
Originally Sequence had looked at outsourcing the facial animation for Fall of Reach, but the cost proved prohibitive - not to mention that it would somewhat lessen Sequence's creative control over the project. The catch-all solution to these problems was Faceware and its suite of facial capture solutions: Analyzer for facial tracking and Retargeter for animation.
Ensuring that the facial performances were believable was imperative to the team, states Sioui. We needed the facial animation to draw the audience in and hold their attention over the entire runtime. Faceware helped us to achieve that at a high quality and in a quick and efficient manner.
We could get high performance results from our captured footage using the Faceware tools really quickly, and we felt the price was very reasonable, continues Sioui. And not only were the solutions more than up to the task, but the Faceware team were consistently helpful and available for support, in many ways working with our internal team as a true partner.
Military precision
Analyzer and Retargeter were vital in helping Sequence lay the groundwork for the impressive facial performances witnessed throughout Fall of Reach. And it wasn't just the level of quality that impressed the team, but the speed with which Faceware was able to reach that level.
In total we had 19 voice actors performing 37 roles for the Fall of Reach project, reveals Sioui. We captured nine hours and 24 minutes of performance video during our voiceover sessions, which translated into 21 minutes 36 seconds of onscreen facial animation.
Each performer was different, but using Faceware their faces tracked really well - we received really detailed, nuanced mouth shapes with organic movement, he continues.
As is always the case with facial animation at this level, additional keyframe animation work was required to refine the digital models' various face shapes. Nevertheless, Faceware played a big part in reducing the amount of post-capture clean-up required.
Each actor would track differently and would therefore need less or sometimes more work done, depending on the capture, explains Sioui. However, the initial time Faceware save
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
04/05/2024
NEW YORK As the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month kicks off in May, Nielsen has released an extensive new report diving into their media habits with data sh...
04/05/2024
PHILADELPHIA As National Military Appreciation Month gets underway, Comcast has announced several new initiatives to help veterans, service members, and their f...
04/05/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. Federal Communications Commission chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has announced a tentative agenda for the May Open Commission Meeting scheduled...
04/05/2024
The Broadband Forum has announced major enhancements to key 5G convergence standards that the group said will help advance next-generation applications, improve...
04/05/2024
Spotify Wrapped Campaign Spot Graded With DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
Blackmagic Design today announced that Colorist M...
04/05/2024
Three Boston Conservatory at Berklee Alums Nominated for Tony Awards An additional eight alums and two current students performed in nominated productions.
...
03/05/2024
An innovative learning tool to help media and civil society better understand ho...
03/05/2024
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 21: (L-R) Actors K stutis Cic nas and Greta Grinevi i t , Director Marija Kavtaradze and Producer Marija Razgute attend the 2023 Sunda...
03/05/2024
If you aren't familiar with Danny Ocean's music, it's only a matter ...
03/05/2024
Spotify has an unwavering commitment to supporting emerging artists across all genres, to helping them launch and thrive in their careers, and to connecting the...
03/05/2024
Como uno de los sonidos de mayor expansi n en el mundo, la M sica Mexicana va m ...
03/05/2024
As one of the fastest-growing sounds worldwide, M sica Mexicana is more than jus...
03/05/2024
NEW YORK FuboTV reported that it lost 110,000 subs in Q1 2024 but it exceeded its guidance for the quarter with double digit year-over-year increases across key...
03/05/2024
Only 3 Weeks Left To Enter The Creative Industries Most Award
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
Creativepool is giving a last call to the creative i...
03/05/2024
WePlay Studios Transforms the Future of Live Event Storytelling with AJA Gear
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
By 2032, the esports market is expec...
03/05/2024
WASHINGTON Shannon Bream, Fox News Sunday anchor and chief legal correspondent, sat for a keynote chat at The Business of TV News, with Tom Umstead, senior co...
03/05/2024
WASHINGTON Asked how important is local news, Martha Raddatz, who has covered foreign conflicts for decades and moderated presidential debates for ABC News, s...
03/05/2024
Sony Pictures and Apollo Global Management have made a $26 billion cash offer fo...
03/05/2024
CBS announced its 2024-2025 primetime schedule, which features the new dramas NCIS: Origins, Matlock and Watson, and new comedies Poppa's House and Georgie ...
03/05/2024
Sports-focused streaming service Fubo said it reduced its red ink in the first quarter, despite losing 110,000 subscribers since the end of the year....
03/05/2024
Walmart is reportedly about to release a new 4K streaming box/smart speaker hybrid device for Google TV that could retail for as low as $50, according to a repo...
03/05/2024
Enhancements to its Delivery Workspace solution provide increased content delivery robustness and security
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: May 3, 2024
Enha...
03/05/2024
According to reports, if the bid is successful, Sony would be the significant majority shareholder of the new private company
By Jenny Priestley
Published: M...
03/05/2024
Located in Manchesters Spinningfields district, the course aims to equip students with the skills, knowledge and industry insight for a career in the creative s...
03/05/2024
Lightbridge has created a new Cine Reflect Lighting System kit, dedicated to enabling artistic lighting with consideration of today's productivity practical...
03/05/2024
Broadcast media systems integrator BeckTV and Lawo worked together on a large-scale AES67 build of radio control rooms at KPBS, San Diego's NPR and PBS memb...
03/05/2024
Raleigh, NC, April 12, 2024 SmallHD announces PageOS 6, a powerful software update free for owners of SmallHD monitors, featuring increased functionality, exp...
03/05/2024
SmallHD announces the Quantum 32 a new 31.5 OLED monitor designed to provide reference HDR/SDR images for post-production final color grading, as well as cri...
03/05/2024
By 2032, the esports market is expected to grow to $9.29 billion, bolstered by a global player count and fan following that both continue to climb. The 2023 Lea...
03/05/2024
Amagi, the global leader in cloud-based SaaS technology for broadcast and connected TV (CTV), today announced that the 11th edition of the Amagi Global FAST Rep...
03/05/2024
Riedel Communications today announced that Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) is relying on a media and intercom network based on Riedel technology for the renewal of...
03/05/2024
Broadpeak , a leading provider of content delivery network (CDN) and video streaming solutions for content providers and pay-TV operators worldwide, announced t...
03/05/2024
Media technology innovator Limecraft will exhibit the latest updates to its online platform on stand G79 at the 15-16 May 2024 Media Production & Technology Sho...
03/05/2024
Audio interface specialist Prism Sound is partnering with console manufacturer Solid State Logic, professional monitor manufacturer PMC and acoustic panel and d...
03/05/2024
Intinor, Sweden's leading developer of products and solutions for high-quality video over the internet, is set to join forces with its UK partner Zest Techn...
03/05/2024
NAKIVO Inc., a fast-growing software company dedicated to protecting physical, virtual, cloud, and SaaS environments, announced its Q1 2024 financial results to...
03/05/2024
Hiltron Communications announces an addition to its range of satellite communication products and systems: a field-upgradable motorisation kit specifically desi...
03/05/2024
Visit LiveU at Stand D30
With this year an exceptional one for major sporting events alongside multiple, key elections, the power and flexibility of LiveU'...
03/05/2024
Agile Content, the leader in the development of technology and solutions for the provision of television services over the Internet, announces Koldo Unanue as i...
03/05/2024
Eight co-signers representing streaming services, pay TV operators and public interest groups have sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging their Committee...
03/05/2024
BOSTON Brightcove has announced that it has implemented Amazon Q Business, a new generative AI assistant on Amazon Web Services (AWS)....
03/05/2024
NEW YORK CBS has declared that it will finish the 2023-24 season as Americas Most-Watched Network in primetime for the 16th consecutive season....
03/05/2024
A new survey indicates that U.S. businesses and consumers had an overall positive attitude towards their technology spending plans in the first quarter of 2024,...
03/05/2024
Sony and Apollo Global Management have sent an offer letter to Paramount Global's board of directors making an $26 billion all cash offer for Paramount Glob...
03/05/2024
EMG / Gravity Media has appointed Charlie Cubbon chief operating officer (COO) and Jamie Hindhaugh regional CEO for the U.K., U.S., Australia and the Middle Eas...
03/05/2024
Final 2024 Season Games to Air Saturdays on WRAL at 10:30am in May, Championship on June 1
Taping for the final episodes of the 2024 season of WRAL-TV's Br...
03/05/2024
Estrella MediaCo said it is expanding its connected TV portfolio by launching three new channels with Curiosity that will first appear on Samsung TV Plus....
Master Chief John-117 may have spent the majority of his video game career hidden behind thick armour plating, but in Halo: Fall of Reach we see the iconic hero unmasked - both figuratively and literally. It was up to Sequence Group and Faceware to ensure Master Chief's facial animation - as well as that of the diverse Halo cast - delivered the strong sense of personality that has seen the character endure for over 15 years.
