VALVE / LOST COSMONAUTS
VALVE CORPORATION
Environment – 2D Matte painting background – color and lighting paint over
In collaboration with Lost Cosmonauts we took part in the creation of the main background for Kez debut cinematic. We enjoyed jumping back on this famous stylized world from Valve.
For the final shot of the sequence we had to design the environment. We worked on the lighting and composition to provide the best framing to support the character posing. This shot was also used to inform the lighting of rest of the sequence so we had to be mindful of the action scene happening right before. Therefore, the balance between colors, contrast & shapes was key to make this background successful.
For Kez, we starting with having a look at the design of the lower city and its main feature hierarchy. Finding the right balance between the wobbly wooden structure and the connection between the major architectural pieces was key to keep this busy slums city understandable and readable.
Therefore, we started by creating an asset library that would help us define the architectural language of the lower city. Starting on the main elements separately helped our team create a strong design contrast with the existing fancy upper world environment. This also supported the main story points behind this new character and supported his introduction to the players of Dota 2.
Similar to Vengeful & Skywarth’s debut we then used a mix of 3D, 2.5D and 2D to achieve the final look. This workflow provided us the best results in developing different mood early one and also preserved the most flexibility until the final touches. Making the most of both worlds : 2D & 3D!
