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SHAMAN: SPIRITHUNTER : Summer 2018 - Playsnak - Present
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ROBINSON The Journey : Creative / Animation Director & Animator - Crytek - 2016
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THE CLIMB : Animation Director - Crytek - 2015
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BACK TO DINOSAUR ISLAND : Animation Director & Animator - Crytek - 2014
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RYSE Son of Rome : Animation Director / Fight Choreographer & Animator - Crytek - 2013
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PRINCESS & THE FROG : Lead Animator & Animator - Imperia Media - 2009
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A VAMPYRE STORY : Lead Animator - Imperia Media - 2008
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SUPER MARIO STRIKERS : Animation Consultant for Next Level Games - Imperia Media - 2005
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METROID PRIME : Lead Animator & Animator - Retro Studio Nintendo - 2002
MARTIN L'HEUREUX
ANIMATION DIRECTOR
CREATIVE DIRECTOR, ANIMATION DIRECTOR & FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHER
As a Creative and Animation Director I am responsible for the vision of the game, which includes game play, visual style, story, scripted events, and cinematic. I inspire and drive the artistic vision of in-game character animation, cinematic character performance, cinematic mise-en-scène, and camera. I oversee the creative process and give guidance to the team while insuring that all projects are delivered on time and on budget.
When creating any sort of story-driven sequences, storyboarding is very important. It helps me think through the messages and emotions I want to convey, and how to best stage an action sequence. I also enjoy defining animation solutions and processes to support game-play which includes the creation of Animation Motion Trees based on code implementation.
Below are compilations of my work as a creative and animation director
Robinson
Back to Dinosaur island
Ryse - Animation Director
Ryse Facial Performances
Ryse Son of Rome
Lead Animator & Animator Men in Black II
Dinosaurs: Giants of Patagonia
SHAMAN spirithunter
The Climb Launch Trailer
Metroid Prime
FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHER
On set, fight choreography is one of the more complicated aspects of Mocap performance. My expertise helps to identify the design, style and scope of the action in order to create dramatic action sequences efficiently while ensuring minimal amount of Mocap editing.
COMBAT FLOW SHOULD FEEL NATURAL AND INTUITIVE
Our reactive brain is much faster than our cognitive brain. When we can consistently view our actions as though they “just happened” instead of a situation we need to deliberately initiate, we have successfully achieved an intuitive flow in combat.
Mocap demo reel
Fight choreography BEFORE
WORK WITHIN THE BOX, THE BOX BEING THE GAME DESIGN
A good animation should not only look good, it should also support the game design. My objective is to deliver state of the art animations that will ''wow'' people without affecting the responsiveness of the game.
MOST ACTIONS ARE BOUNDS TO METRICS AND TIMING LIMITATION
The game design also defines the metrics of the actions. I collaborate with the game designers prior to any mocap sessions in order to lock-down all degree measurements and distances.
ANIMATION RULES
In order to get the best results, animation rules have to be taken into account during sessions. What creates better results is when one teaches all the principles of Animation to the performers. Here are the rules I ''always'' bring with me during mocap sessions. Exaggeration, Anticipation, follow through & overlap, arcs, secondary actions, timing, avoid symmetry in your poses, avoid symmetry in your timing, wavelike motion, opposite action, line of action, path of action, clear silhouette and of course, lot's of fun!
PRE-PRODUCTION : A good motion list is a huge cost saver. To get the motion list ready, it is critical to fully understand the game and how the data will be cut and implemented. I work with the animators, animation programmers and game designers to prep the motion list.
PRE SESSION : Before capturing the performance, I take the necessary time to prepare the actors so they fully understand what is expected. This will prevent hours of editing to compensate for any mistakes. Example of a common mistake : Fixing wrong foot placements can add weeks to your schedule.
MOCAP SESSION : I give clear direction to the talent and never settle for one take even if I am happy with it. I always capture several takes with different timing and performances.
POST PRODUCTION : Remove as much noise / bugs as possible before altering the data. It is advised to not start the esthetic editing without completing the first pass clean up.
