After having his films dragged into the feud between writer James Morgan and critic Jeff Stockton, writer Seth Overton has decided to give a bit of insight into the Mass Effect series in this exclusive piece from the writer himself.....
"In light of the recent controversy regarding criticism
against the Mass Effect series and blockbuster films in general, I feel
compelled to share some thoughts as well as some behind the scenes
moments from the set of Mass Effect 2.
A lot of work
is being put into the making of these films, especially by our actors.
Motion caption performances can be very challenging because it is harder
for audiences to empathize with digital characters and there is a high
risk they might come off as lifeless. Fortunately, it is a challenge
that I feel our cast managed to overcome. I couldn't be more proud of
their performances and how they bring a newfound depth to these
characters. In the film, they are physically unrecognizable, and yet I
honestly couldn't picture anyone else playing them, which is again a
testament to their great acting skill.
The criticism
from fellow screenwriter James Morgan reminded me of an encounter I had
with with a fan of the series after the first Mass Effect film was
announced by the studio. For the sake of the argument, let's say his
name was Tom. Tom simply told me : "please don't fuck it up." According
to him, things were not looking good. I was a newcomer to the scene,
with no experience save for a couple of short films. Rian Johnson was
coming off directing The Last Jedi which was lauded by critics, but
had a divisive response among fans. Right after Henry Cavill was
involved in that whole Superman "CGI moustache removal" story, we cast
him as the leading actor in another CGI-heavy franchise. Add to that the
fact that most video game adaptations up to that point had been
considered subpar.
It was a pretty stressful period
leading up to the premiere, especially for me since I had not worked on a
production of that scope before. When I saw the first cut, I was at
least confident it was the film I wanted it to be. But I still didn't
know what others would think. There was still some self-doubt and second
guessing going on in the back of my head. Which is weird because I am
usually not as bothered about critical reception. I guess the fact that
it was a movie based on a franchise with a considerably large
pre-existing fanbase meant there was a bigger potential to disappoint a
lot more people.
Fortunately, my instinct regarding the
first cut of the film was correct. It was well-received, with critics
lauding the performances of the cast, and people in my Twitter mentions
were mostly saying the movie was great (there were some that outright
hated it and thought it was the worst film ever made, but that is the
nature of Twitter I guess). I kept thinking about Tom, the fan I had
encountered before and wondered if the film had met his expectations. He
messaged me a few days after, telling me he watched it with a big grin
on his face the entire time and that he is looking forward to the
sequel. He even invited me to his wedding which he told me was Mass
Effect themed, but I unfortunately couldn't attend since I was working
on the Cerberus spin-off at that time.
A year later, I
wanted to make it up to him, so I invited Tom and his wife Lena to visit
the set for the first day of filming Mass Effect 2. I think it's a
great opportunity to show you some of the things they've seen in order
to showcase the work that goes into making this type of film.
We first checked on Henry Cavill who was once again shaving his head for the role of Commander Shepard.
We
then met with Alicia Vikander who was training in preparation for an
action scene. (Spoiler: the scene with the krogan extremists on Taetrus)
Tom and Lena also got to see Lupita N'yongo as Tali, filming a scene in her motion capture suit.
Finally,
since Tom told me that Thane was his favorite character from the
series, we could not end the day without meeting up with Mads Mikkelsen
who was also doing some motion capture tests.
In
the end, I realize that some people might suffer from blockbuster
fatigue or might simply not like the sci-fi spectacle that Mass Effect
stands for. And that's fine. What I find kind of irksome is dismissing
the performances of a talented cast as as lesser just because they
involve motion capture work.
Finally, speaking
of blockbuster fatigue, I would also like to announce that we have
officially begun work on another Mass Effect spin-off involving a
certain fan's favorite character, Thane Krios. This is for you, Tom.
Hope we don't fuck it up."
- Seth Overton
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