Spov Sets the Scene for Titanfall

Earlier this week we got a glimps of the larger-than-life robots in the world of new Xbox One release Titanfall and with the game launching in the UK today (Friday 14 March), fans will be itching to start their space adventures this weekend. But before they embark on their odysseys, the patient ones will sit through a mesmerising opening sequence to the game, created by London-based creative studio Spov.

The intro film (above) plays out at two-minutes long and offers a completely different slant on the Titanfall world to that seen in the commercial (below) with an emotional undertone to immerse players into the concept.

Detailing humankind’s escape to the stars, using footage of space travel, before utilising Spov’s CG and animation skills to visualise Titanfall’s game world, the cinematic sequence is a unique piece of work from the creative studio. Here, executive producer on the project, Dan Higgott, tells us about some of the elements.

How did the project come about?

Spov has a long-standing relationship with the developer, Respawn and was invited to pitch a couple of alternative creative routes around the concept of man's journey to the stars, and out towards the planetary systems where Titanfall's action occurs. We worked with the director of the sequence, Gavin Rothery, to develop these early concepts.

The two ideas we pitched were contrasting - one was tense and character focussed, like the three-way shoot-out in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. The other was based on beautiful alien vistas and views of the stars, taking the long cinematic shots from Lawrence of Arabia as inspiration. After discussions with Respawn, Spov focussed on the second route, which then took on board influences from the footage of NASA's Cassini mission to Saturn, and particularly an edit of stills from the mission created by Chris Abbas.

Did you know much about the game’s story before you took the job on and tell us about the research?

Respawn provided Spov with the background to the game's narrative setting in order to give a framework within which to develop creative responses to the brief. Spov was clear that the sequence should feel real, grounded and beautiful.

Respawn have created a world in the game that feels familiar for all of its alien settings, so Spov wanted the introductory movie to retain this. We extensively researched locations in some of Earth's most extreme environments that appear alien, and also footage taken in space, to understand how cameras in an environment without any atmospherics record imagery. This work contributed to the film's strong aesthetic direction.

Tell us about the production process and selecting the archive footage?

Spov chose and edited the archive footage to illustrate the devlopment of space travel and technology from the late 1950's to the present day. Footage from CERN was also used to suggest the development of a future technology that could power interstellar travel. Archive footage is also used at the very start of the sequence to remind the viewer what is left behind on Earth when humanity travels far from home.

What about the sound, is that from the game or created especially for the sequence?

The sound design and score was created in-house by Respawn to fit with the audio atmosphere in-game. It is however a bespoke sequence designed and built around Spov's edit.