The Last Camp: A Cinematic Journey

Introduction

Inspired by the game Ghost of Tsushima, I felt a strong urge to explore Jin Sakai's path to becoming a ghost. The game's open ending left many possibilities, particularly with anticipation for Ghost of Tsushima 2 (GOTS2). I believed the sequel would explore new stories rather than rehash the conflicts of the Mongols and themes of loss and betrayal. Thus, I decided to create a final battle titled "The Last Camp" to give fans like myself a sense of closure—witnessing Jin clean up the chaos of Tsushima. However, upon completing my film, I learned that the upcoming GOTS2 would take a different approach, set 300 years later with Jin already deceased. Consequently, I made slight adjustments to my film's ending, where the samurai advises Jin to head north to evade the Shogun—foreshadowing the journey in Ghost of Yotori.

Project Overview

AI Technology With the support of Eleven Labs AI, I didn't just use AI for voice reading; I captured the voices of two actors standing with me in the recording room. I used voice cloning technology to save the voices of Jin Sakai (voiced by Daisuke Tsuji) and Khotun Khan (voiced by Eric Steinberg). This approach allowed me to achieve approximately 80-90% accuracy in replicating their tones and character inflections, which added depth to my film's dialogue. However, it’s important to note that there are limitations regarding commercial use of these voice clones.

MetaHuman AnimatorI combined head animations with body movements this time, providing a more realistic portrayal of my characters. Previously, head animations were disabled when body animations were applied, resulting in lower quality during character dialogue. I will delve deeper into this in the breakdown section.

Marketplace AssetsThe Unreal Engine Marketplace offers a wealth of resources, and I've drawn inspiration from many talented artists, particularly William Faucher. His plugin, Easy Snow, enabled me to transform my entire movie into a snow-laden environment effortlessly. With just a click, I could apply the snow material to every object in the scene. Additionally, I utilized assets from Leather Studio, such as the Dark Medieval Environment Megapack, resources from BigMediumSmall like the water village, a Jin mask from Sketchfab, and an Asian armor pack previously used in my short film "Shomorume."

DaVinci ResolveIn post-production, I used DaVinci Resolve for color grading, employing a technique called Bleach Bypass to achieve a cinematic look. This method involves skipping the bleaching process in film development, resulting in higher contrast and a gritty aesthetic. I also utilized the Dehancer plugin for film grain and LUTs to enhance the overall visual quality.

Technical Details

Animation About 80% of my animation came from Wonder Dynamics Studio. I recorded video references and uploaded them, receiving back the animation motion capture data. When I initially purchased the monthly product, I realized that the time isn’t based on input FPS—whether 60 or 120 FPS, the same credit is charged. Therefore, I converted most of my 24 FPS videos to 60 FPS using Topaz Video. I prioritized clear and smooth motion over 4K quality, which allowed me to export high-quality animation from lower-resolution videos.

Lighting Techniques For lighting, I implemented the 16 Sunny Rules, a technique to achieve natural-looking light and shadows in my scenes. I also used the website scantips.com to convert ISO and f-stop settings into EV (Exposure Value) for the post-process volume, allowing for more realistic lighting.

Plugins

Easy Snow The Easy Snow plugin by William Faucher was instrumental in achieving the snowy environment of my film. William's dedication to his work and his tutorials greatly influenced my growth as a creator, particularly his first tutorial on color grading in DaVinci Resolve. With the Easy Snow plugin, I could simply drag and drop the material function, instantly transforming any surface into snow. While the plugin does increase scene heaviness, it enhances the cinematic quality I aimed for. William continually improves performance with each update, which I appreciate.

Screen Space Fog Scattering

The Screen Space Fog Scattering plugin by Dmitry Karpukhin allowed for smooth and soft fog effects, enhancing the light diffusion in my scenes. This plugin eliminated the need for additional soft lighting.

LightForge

Finally, the LightForge plugin from Boundless Entertainment simplified post-process settings, automatically enabling Lumen reflections, global illumination, and ensuring that I didn't overlook any crucial settings for optimal rendering quality. This plugin also provides sample renders for the best quality output.

Editing and Sound Design

Once I completed the color grading for 121 shots, I rendered the full film and moved to Adobe Premiere for editing. With three years of experience in broadcast television editing, I have a solid understanding of sound effects, pacing, and the importance of timing when transitioning between shots. For sound, I sourced effects from Artlist IO and Epidemic Sound, utilizing original music from Ghost of Tsushima, which significantly elevates the game's atmosphere and contributes to its success.

Conclusion

Throughout this project, I utilized ChatGPT for scripting support. Initially, the AI didn’t fully grasp my intentions, so I switched to writing in my mother language, Vietnamese. I then had GPT translate my words and asked for a more dramatic and wild rendition. AI has been an invaluable tool for me—not just in scripting but also in voice work, motion capture animation, and world-building. While AI played a significant role in streamlining my workflow, it’s important to note that not everything was done solely by AI. My creative direction and human touch remain integral to this project. By harnessing AI support, I was able to work more efficiently and effectively, ensuring that I stayed on the right path throughout the creative process.