The Laboratory: A Heroic Journey into the Unreal

In a world where movies, animation, and gaming offer mind-blowing visuals, it’s important to stay ahead of the creative curve and use the best tools. At Heroic, the Trailers & Cinematics service line of Room 8 Group, we’ve crafted a project to showcase our expertise in making realistic trailers and working with Unreal Engine. Let’s take you through the journey we went on – lab coats at the ready! 

The Idea 

“The Laboratory” showcases our team’s prowess in crafting high-tech, futuristic environments with cutting-edge technology. We wanted to play with the boundaries of what could be achieved regarding photorealism, intricate details, and dynamic lighting within Unreal Engine. 

The Creative Vision

In “The Laboratory,” our goal was to explore futuristic interiors in a sci-fi setting, using a wide array of creative techniques that deal with lighting, accents, animation, hard surface animation, and UI. While creative projects typically begin with a story and incorporate technical considerations afterward, we took a counter-intuitive route here. Heroic developed a technical task first, and then tailored the story to align with it. The storyline revolves around a neon-lit cryo-bunker on a spaceship, carrying people in stasis to a new world. We wanted the scene to feel similar to movies like Blade Runner and Prometheus. Originally, we also considered incorporating voice-over, but decided that it might not work as effectively as silent eeriness, which allows viewers to immerse themselves in the scene and experience it through their own heightened awareness.

The Path 

Our journey began with an intensive block-out phase, during which we meticulously crafted every detail to ensure that viewers would continually discover new facets of the scene with each new viewing. We left intriguing hints and nuances throughout the environment, making it a cinematic that could be watched over and over again, each time revealing hidden details.

The use of low-key lighting à-la Blade Runner played a crucial role in our success. The soft neon contrasting light in a dark environment worked like a charm. Not only did it enhance the visual appeal, but also provided an opportunity to delve into the intricacies of Unreal Engine’s light behavior. This creative exercise allowed our artists to build an environment that was both understandable and shrouded in mystique.

Working with UE brought its set of creative and technical trials, too. For instance, handling complex scenes, numerous light sources, and assets was a rewarding yet demanding experience. Achieving the realistic look we envisioned while avoiding artifacts required painstaking attention to detail. But the amazing final product speaks for itself.

Bottom Line

“The Laboratory” was a transformative journey of innovation and excellence for Room 8 Group’s Trailers & Cinematics Service Line. Our willingness to confront technical trials equipped us with invaluable insights. This allows us to remain a versatile game industry player with plenty of aces up our sleeves, ready to meet the diverse needs of clients in the dynamic world of VFX.

So far, Heroic has crafted two distinct stories to show our experience in realistic projects. The first trailer we produced was called “Fantasy Project.” Alongside “The Laboratory”, the narrative has a deliberate and measured tempo while displaying notable lighting, shading, and post-processing disparities. If you’d like to learn more about “Fantasy Project,” you can find additional details here.