What is Unreal Engine?
Unreal Engine is a free to download game engine developed by Epic Games and commonly abbreviated as “UE”. There has been a lot of buzz around it lately, and not just because of Fortnite (although that's a big part of it). As I’m writing this, they are currently in a dispute with Apple that spurred a tongue-in-cheek video spoof of Apple’s “1984” commercial. But why write about it on a filmmaking blog? Because creators are embracing UE for more than just creating games; filmmakers are adapting it for film, video, and commercial projects.
As a relatively new technology, the Unreal Engine is still in the “Wild West” phase of development and application by video pros. The full scope of its uses aren’t yet clear and filmmakers are experimenting with it in some pretty incredible ways. It’s coded in a way that makes it expandable and able to grow with advancements in hardware and software.
To give a little sense of what’s been achieved so far, here are a few short films that were created with Unreal:
Terra
Created by Thomas Wilson
This short film evokes Disney’s WALL-E. Wilson, a filmmaker with a background in VFX, used this video as a challenge for himself. He made the film on a 2016 iMac, Epic Marketplace content, and Quixel Megascans. This film is a great example of how incredible results can be achieved with relatively simple elements and processes.
Please Forgive Me
Created by K&K Productions
A sci-fi horror short made in UE 4 with hyperreal robots and 3D spaces.
Rebirth
Created by Quixel
This is probably the most commercially viable short on this list. Set in the beautiful, other-worldly landscapes of Iceland, “Rebirth” achieves a cinematic look while asking existential questions of machine/human hybrids.
A Boy and His Kite
Created by Gavin Moran and Kim Libreri
Honored at SIGGRAPH with Best Real-Time Graphics and Interactivity Award, “A Boy and His Kite” shows a boy’s journey through picturesque mountains, rivers and forests – a lush terrain spanning 250 square kilometres, beautifully generated with UE4.
You might be thinking, “this is all well and good, but what if I don’t have a background in VFX?” The Unreal Engine is far more accessible to all breeds of filmmakers than previous iterations of VFX tools. Sure, it’s easier for those who do have animation and VFX experience, but the main takeaway should be: Unreal Engine can be learned by anyone.
Here are a few ways you can integrate Unreal Engine into your filmmaking pipeline:
Storyboards and pre-vis work: It’s always important to map out your project. Storyboards have been the traditional means of visually displaying your story. UE is an improvement on this method because not only does it allow you to create storyboards, but you can animate them, letting you refine angles and camera moves prior to production. This is referred to as pre-vis, and prior to now, was reserved only for big-budget productions. CineTracer is an app that can be used to help make this even easier for filmmakers using UE for pre-vis.
Virtual Production: The core concept of VP is to bring the immediacy and interactive nature of the real world into CG, allowing key creative stakeholders to iterate quickly and make informed decisions. Imagine being able to create and modify photo-real sets, costumes, and props instantly using CG. Some filmmakers are looking at this technique as an alternative to green screen by creating virtual backgrounds using LED projection. I could write an entire article solely about how UE is utilized for virtual production, and probably will be in the future.
Just as with filmmaking, it’s better to show instead of tell: Check out this film Spotless Mind, and then watch Spotless Mind BTS to get a tangible understanding of what VP can achieve.
Mocap: If you’re into motion capture, you should absolutely be testing UE as part of your pipeline. The guys at Super Alloy Interactive are doing some cool stuff with UE. Check out their work here.
This might just be stating the obvious, but you can just make your entire film/video project in UE! Check out the samples at the top of this post.
Getting started with UE
For a lot of filmmakers the hardest step is the first one. VFX can be intimidating, but here’s an easy way to get started: Download Unreal here. Glad we got that out of the way.
Now what? Time to learn the basics. Luckily, Epic covered that and actually wants their engine to be accessible to the widest group of users possible. There’s some great documentation for learning UE over at Unreal Engine’s Online Learning Center.
Here are some people to follow and additional resources to help you get better acquainted with Unreal Engine and stay up to date on new developments in the technology:
• Unreal Engine: Virtual Production Facebook Group: You have to submit a request to join, but there are a ton of people in this group. Members have a range of skill levels, from hobbyists to pros working in UE all day every day.
• Epic’s Unreal Engine Learning
• Matt Workman: A cinematographer that’s really taken a dive head first into UE. He runs a fantasti, and very informative YouTube channel where he regularly updates viewers on his new UE project applications
• The Mandalorian Season One Behind The Scenes: This is the video that first brought the Unreal Engine and the power of virtual production into the view of the wider filmmaking community
• UE4’s Next-Gen Virtual Production Tools | Project Spotlight | Unreal Engine
In conclusion, don’t be intimidated to try Unreal Engine. It’s meant to be accessible to all and give a powerful new tool to filmmakers everywhere. Core filmmaking principles, and making creative choices in service of the story will always apply. But the power of UE and virtual filmmaking can help you bring the visuals in your imagination to life and tell your story in new, exciting, and previously unachievable ways.
About the Author:
Hi, I’m Sam! I’m currently the Head of Production at Crafty Apes VFX. I’ve been in the VFX business for over a decade and produced classic low-budget movies you’ve never heard of like Ozark Sharks, Desolation, and A Deadly Affair through my production company Fable House. If you’d like to see what I’m up to, which includes developing an Unreal Engine pipeline, you can sign up for my newsletter here.
Note From Tongal: "How Epic’s Unreal Engine Can Help Filmmakers" is part of a series of Tongal Community-written blog posts that were originally sourced in the Tongal Blog Open Call Project. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Tongal. Read more Tongal Community-written posts here and then Pitch us a topic you'd like to write about for the Tongal Blog!
