Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1144162
62 cgw s u m m e r 2 0 1 9 Director Simon J. Smith (Penguins of Madagascar, Bee Movie) used virtual reality and Unity to explore storytelling and devel- opment, but also to spontaneously explore different lighting and different camera shots within moments. As a result, they were making significant changes days before the finished product was due. In this case, they were able to use Unity Engine as a finishing tool. To be fair, Baymax Dreams are shorts, and the whole Big Hero franchise is a cel- ebration of simple, expressive animation and fun. But the advantages of non-lin- ear approaches and collapsing the walls between isolated specialists is changing the way content is made at a time when there is huge demand for content online and on television. As new ways to make content take hold, the content changes. The mania for huge effects movies has not only taken some of the magic and spontaneity out of the pro- cess, but that loss is oen reflected in the movies. It's no wonder real-time approaches are getting support and investment from the film and video communities. Real-time rendering is out there as a goal, but the real win seems to be coming in bringing creative people together. n Kathleen Maher (Kathleen@jonpeddie.com) is a contributing editor to CGW, a senior analyst at Jon Peddie Research, a Tiburon, CA-based con- sultancy specializing in graphics and multimedia, and editor in chief of JPR's "TechWatch." ED FILMS USED A GAME ENGINE COMBINED WITH MAYA TO ACHIEVE A PAINTERLY LOOK FOR THE FUR IN GIANT BEAR.