Production:
The Mill
Tasked by Sega Europe with creating the trailer for long awaited Triple A title Rome 2: Total War, the Mill's creative team have come up with an epic film that takes you right to the heart of Ancient Rome.
The trailer plays out across three different scenes at the height of the Roman Empire - a general returning from battle, two lovers intertwined and the political world of the Senate - but nothing is quite as it seems...and as beauty and brutality combine on screen the viewer is given a sense of the shifting perspectives of the game play itself. Creative Director Rodrigo explains "The idea of Rome 2:Total War is that you can do whatever you want - politics, war, intrigue - and the game reacts to you. It's that sense of living and paying for your actions that we chose to communicate through the drama of a beautifully crafted live action trailer."
2012 is a big year for Sega as they celebrate their 25th year of games development and they had high ambitions for the project, as Mill Executive producer, Alex Webster explains "Both Sega and The Creative Assembly had a clear mission from the outset to create a very special film and gave their full backing to our creatives to develop a concept which fully defined the cerebral experience of the gameplay. Their collaborative approach, I believe, shows on screen."
Mill Director, William McGregor set out to harness the essence of game play intertwined with the drama of key historical events "We wanted to create a trailer that told a complete story in itself, but also alluded to the epic nature of the game. So, while all of the characters are on their own personal journey with an independent storyline, they are also all linked together in a battle for power and fall into the grand architecture of betrayal within the city."
The Mill created, directed and produced the piece from start to finish - ensuring a level of continuity in both team and vision.
Treacherous, bloody, vengeful, what would you do for Rome?
Production: The Mill
Creative Director: Rodrigo Sobral
Creatives: James Fernandes, James Greening
Director: William McGregor
Content Creative Director: Russell Tickner
Executive Producer: Alex Webster
Producer: Jane Tredget
Director of Photography: Adam Etherington
Production Assistant: Adriane Scott-Kemp
Editing Company: Work
Editor: Ben Jordan
VFX & Design: The Mill
Executive Producer: Alex Webster
VFX Producer: Alexander Fitzgerald, Cath Short (Colour)
Shoot Supervisor: Jean-Claude Deguara
2D Lead Artist: Sara Bennett
3D Lead Artist: Jean-Claude Deguara
2D Artists: Luke Sikking, Eleanor Sutton, Miguel da Silva
3D Artist: Kwai Ip
Matte Painting: Christoph Unger