Listen, say all you want about Kojima's writing/storytelling but one thing that you can't deny is his skill with regards to cinematography. In the past, individuals criticized his game as being too much like movies. But, with this criticism comes the acceptance that Kojima's game's have Hollywood level editing and cinematography embedded within them. Now, this is hardly a new revelation, he practically ushered in the game of "cinematic" storytelling with Metal Gear Solid 1. There was pretty much nothing like it at the time and it took a long time for the industry to catch up to MGS1's level when it came to "cinematic" storytelling. Hell, some "cinematic" games released today still aren't as well shot as MGS1.
The Dawn of the Cinematic Game
However, Kojima has only improved with each new game, constantly pushing his skills as a Director. I tried to make a thread discussing cinematography in games a while back that barely went anywhere, but figured Kojima specifically is a good point to focus on. Now, I despise the minimal amount of traditional cutscenes and sparse storytelling in MGSV. But, when we do get actual cutscenes Kojima can't help but flex his muscles presenting a bold cinematic style that has its own hidden meanings that support the themes and revelation within the game (even if I hate the underlying message and twist).
MGSV in particular tends to use long, one-shot takes through the use of a handheld camera, almost as if there is a third person in every scene filming everything. This, of course, gives the impression that Snake (and the player) are constantly being watched. Naturally, this feeds into the larger twist that we aren't actually playing BB but a doppelganger whose being carefully observed such that they fulfill their role.
Example A:
Yet, even more striking is the consistent use of what I'll call "V" Framing. Now, the letter V is a big theme in MGSV. Of course, V refers to the 5th entry in the series. Yet, it is also the codename for Venom Snake, the game literally opens with the statement "V Has Come To." The boxart is Snake making a V symbol which also happens to point toward his eyes. V is also a hand sign we make to signal peace. You get the point. In MGSV, Kojima constantly uses the camera to reinforce the concept of V, framing action and dialogue so that the V is ever present.
See:
To continue with this, and something I love about MGSV, is that almost all dialogue attempts to be framed in such a V framing eschewing traditional shot/reverse shot when shooting dialogue. Kojima never wants Snake to be the sole focus of any conversation, conversations are almost always framed with both speakers being visually shown together. Again, it adds to the feeling of paranoia and constantly being watched. Venom Snake is not his own person, instead he is guided by others, mainly his better angels (Ocelot and Miller). Action or the subject of any particular conversation is typically framed in the middle.
And, as stated, the idea that Ocelot and Miller are seen as Venom Snake's guardian angels, individuals that represent opposite ends of his morality and thinking is repeatedly reinforced with the camera as both characters are always framed on opposite sides of Snake, as if angels on his shoulder.
TL;DR
Yeah, big deal OP, why are you making a thread about this stuff? Well, because it's damn impressive and with Death Stranding around the corner I can't wait to see Kojima flex his skills some more. I'm making this thread to show an example of top level cinematography in games, something most developers really have no clue about. Most games are shot very traditionally or just straight up bad. Now, do all games need to follow Hollywood cinematography? FUCK NO. Half-Life 2 is a beautifully shot game despite the player having control of the camera at all times. It's an example of great cinematography that can only be achieved through gaming. However, too many games, especially those that are actually trying to be cinematic, are actually shot incredibly bland or boring.
Notable Games with Good Cinematography: Mass Effect series, Uncharted, Deus Ex, Half-Life, The Witcher 3, FROM Games.
So, what do you think? Did you notice this stuff in MGSV? What are games with good cinematography to you?
The Dawn of the Cinematic Game
However, Kojima has only improved with each new game, constantly pushing his skills as a Director. I tried to make a thread discussing cinematography in games a while back that barely went anywhere, but figured Kojima specifically is a good point to focus on. Now, I despise the minimal amount of traditional cutscenes and sparse storytelling in MGSV. But, when we do get actual cutscenes Kojima can't help but flex his muscles presenting a bold cinematic style that has its own hidden meanings that support the themes and revelation within the game (even if I hate the underlying message and twist).
MGSV in particular tends to use long, one-shot takes through the use of a handheld camera, almost as if there is a third person in every scene filming everything. This, of course, gives the impression that Snake (and the player) are constantly being watched. Naturally, this feeds into the larger twist that we aren't actually playing BB but a doppelganger whose being carefully observed such that they fulfill their role.
Example A:
Yet, even more striking is the consistent use of what I'll call "V" Framing. Now, the letter V is a big theme in MGSV. Of course, V refers to the 5th entry in the series. Yet, it is also the codename for Venom Snake, the game literally opens with the statement "V Has Come To." The boxart is Snake making a V symbol which also happens to point toward his eyes. V is also a hand sign we make to signal peace. You get the point. In MGSV, Kojima constantly uses the camera to reinforce the concept of V, framing action and dialogue so that the V is ever present.
See:
To continue with this, and something I love about MGSV, is that almost all dialogue attempts to be framed in such a V framing eschewing traditional shot/reverse shot when shooting dialogue. Kojima never wants Snake to be the sole focus of any conversation, conversations are almost always framed with both speakers being visually shown together. Again, it adds to the feeling of paranoia and constantly being watched. Venom Snake is not his own person, instead he is guided by others, mainly his better angels (Ocelot and Miller). Action or the subject of any particular conversation is typically framed in the middle.
And, as stated, the idea that Ocelot and Miller are seen as Venom Snake's guardian angels, individuals that represent opposite ends of his morality and thinking is repeatedly reinforced with the camera as both characters are always framed on opposite sides of Snake, as if angels on his shoulder.
TL;DR
Yeah, big deal OP, why are you making a thread about this stuff? Well, because it's damn impressive and with Death Stranding around the corner I can't wait to see Kojima flex his skills some more. I'm making this thread to show an example of top level cinematography in games, something most developers really have no clue about. Most games are shot very traditionally or just straight up bad. Now, do all games need to follow Hollywood cinematography? FUCK NO. Half-Life 2 is a beautifully shot game despite the player having control of the camera at all times. It's an example of great cinematography that can only be achieved through gaming. However, too many games, especially those that are actually trying to be cinematic, are actually shot incredibly bland or boring.
Notable Games with Good Cinematography: Mass Effect series, Uncharted, Deus Ex, Half-Life, The Witcher 3, FROM Games.
So, what do you think? Did you notice this stuff in MGSV? What are games with good cinematography to you?
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