Tidman scene analysis

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Scene Analysis of Resident Evil: The Game and the Animation Mae Tidman [email protected] ABSTRACT The Resident Evil (RE) series is an important one to horror and action game and film enthusiasts. With each new release, whether it be videogame or movie, the series grows in design and presentation both technologically and stylistically. Resident Evil 4, the sixth installation in the game series released in 2005, is considered a milestone in game development for its time. It is the game that took the series in a bold, new direction. The animated film Resident Evil: Degeneration, which was released in 2008, is the first feature-length film of the series that is in the Resident Evil game universe. Most reviewers say that this film feels more like a game than a movie, especially compared to the RE movies released previously. Degeneration captures the essence of the games in multiple ways; it has even cast the lead voice talent from its interactive predecessors. My argument is that the Degeneration movie is a very interesting direction that the Resident Evil series is taking and deserves more credit for trying something new in a series that has yet to get old. I will use comparisons and contrasts with the other installments of the series to support my argument. Of the other installments, I will discuss Resident Evil 4 the most since it is the only one I have played through entirely and recently. I will consider the comparisons in the areas of plot, cinematography, sounds, enemy characters, and arsenal. Keywords Resident Evil series, Degeneration, videogame, CGI, cinematography, zombie. 1. INTRODUCTION Since its debut on the PlayStation in 1996, the genre-defining Resident Evil series has remained at the forefront of survival horror games [2]. The latest film installment in the series, Resident Evil: Degeneration (see Figure 1), is the first film to continue the story from the games. I will be comparing and contrasting Degeneration to its prequel, the game Resident Evil 4. I chose RE 4 (see Figure 2) because it is the only game in the series that I have played entirely through. Figure 1 and Figure 2. This is the first Resident Evil movie done in CGI (computer generated images) and is the first to be based directly off the games (the live-action movies are original plots that are related to the games but are not continuations of the plots in the games). It takes place between the events of Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5. It should be noted that this is also the only Resident Evil movie created by its video game creator, Capcom (the live-action movies were created by Screen Gems and Sony Pictures). Unlike the Resident Evil live action films, Resident Evil: Degeneration is set within the same "universe" that the videogames are. The main characters are Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield, who appear together for the first time since Resident Evil 2. Ingrid Hunnigan is also from the RE series but she has only a brief appearance in the movie. The voice actors for these three characters in the games also do the voices in the animation. 2. PLOT Aspects of each plot in the Resident Evil series can be expected in any additions; these include suspenseful, lengthy storylines that keep you guessing, battles with plenty of zombies and mutations, and mysteries that reveal themselves over the course of the plot or in a sequel. Government and corporation involvement with biochemical testing usually sets the stage for conspiracy and bio- terrorism. The terrorist event induces a response from the United States government, and they send someone tough and good at killing to figure out what is going on and to fix the problem and save the region and possibly a particular person. The ending or conclusion gives rise to notions of a continuation of the series, leaving the door open for another chapter in the series. The resulting plot continually building up the sense of danger and tense excitement felt instantly upon start. In games, the story unfolds through cut scenes and notes or papers found during gameplay. Other more specific details can be found throughout the series, such as the T- and G-Viruses developed by Umbrella Corporation and land in the hands of Umbrella’s successors, WilPharma and later Tricell. All of these relations can be found in every segment of the Resident Evil series, and tie Resident Evil: Degeneration closely to Resident Evil 4. Commonalities can be found throughout the RE series and are therefore included in Degeneration, but what is important is how this animation has many differences from the live-action films. Degeneration is the first Resident Evil film that is in the game universe (following the timeline of the series, Degeneration occurs seven years after the Raccoon City incident, between the events in Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5). It is also the first RE movie that involves characters from the games: it stars Claire Redfield from RE 2, Code: Veronica and Veronica X and Leon S. Kennedy from RE 2 and 4. Leon and Claire are also the main characters for Resident Evil 2, and the movie’s scene in which Claire and Leon meet is a reenactment of how they met in that game. In the game: Leon sees Claire being faced off with a

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Scene Analysis of Resident Evil: The Game and the AnimationMae Tidman

[email protected]

ABSTRACT The Resident Evil (RE) series is an important one to horror and action game and film enthusiasts. With each new release, whether it be videogame or movie, the series grows in design and presentation both technologically and stylistically. Resident Evil 4, the sixth installation in the game series released in 2005, is considered a milestone in game development for its time. It is the game that took the series in a bold, new direction. The animated film Resident Evil: Degeneration, which was released in 2008, is the first feature-length film of the series that is in the Resident Evil game universe. Most reviewers say that this film feels more like a game than a movie, especially compared to the RE movies released previously. Degeneration captures the essence of the games in multiple ways; it has even cast the lead voice talent from its interactive predecessors. My argument is that the Degeneration movie is a very interesting direction that the Resident Evil series is taking and deserves more credit for trying something new in a series that has yet to get old. I will use comparisons and contrasts with the other installments of the series to support my argument. Of the other installments, I will discuss Resident Evil 4 the most since it is the only one I have played through entirely and recently. I will consider the comparisons in the areas of plot, cinematography, sounds, enemy characters, and arsenal.

Keywords Resident Evil series, Degeneration, videogame, CGI, cinematography, zombie.

1. INTRODUCTION Since its debut on the PlayStation in 1996, the genre-defining Resident Evil series has remained at the forefront of survival horror games [2]. The latest film installment in the series, Resident Evil: Degeneration (see Figure 1), is the first film to continue the story from the games. I will be comparing and contrasting Degeneration to its prequel, the game Resident Evil 4. I chose RE 4 (see Figure 2) because it is the only game in the series that I have played entirely through.

Figure 1 and Figure 2.

This is the first Resident Evil movie done in CGI (computer generated images) and is the first to be based directly off the games (the live-action movies are original plots that are related to the games but are not continuations of the plots in the games). It takes place between the events of Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5. It should be noted that this is also the only Resident Evil movie created by its video game creator, Capcom (the live-action movies were created by Screen Gems and Sony Pictures).

Unlike the Resident Evil live action films, Resident Evil: Degeneration is set within the same "universe" that the videogames are. The main characters are Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield, who appear together for the first time since Resident Evil 2. Ingrid Hunnigan is also from the RE series but she has only a brief appearance in the movie. The voice actors for these three characters in the games also do the voices in the animation.

2. PLOT Aspects of each plot in the Resident Evil series can be expected in any additions; these include suspenseful, lengthy storylines that keep you guessing, battles with plenty of zombies and mutations, and mysteries that reveal themselves over the course of the plot or in a sequel. Government and corporation involvement with biochemical testing usually sets the stage for conspiracy and bio-terrorism. The terrorist event induces a response from the United States government, and they send someone tough and good at killing to figure out what is going on and to fix the problem and save the region and possibly a particular person. The ending or conclusion gives rise to notions of a continuation of the series, leaving the door open for another chapter in the series. The resulting plot continually building up the sense of danger and tense excitement felt instantly upon start. In games, the story unfolds through cut scenes and notes or papers found during gameplay. Other more specific details can be found throughout the series, such as the T- and G-Viruses developed by Umbrella Corporation and land in the hands of Umbrella’s successors, WilPharma and later Tricell. All of these relations can be found in every segment of the Resident Evil series, and tie Resident Evil: Degeneration closely to Resident Evil 4.

Commonalities can be found throughout the RE series and are therefore included in Degeneration, but what is important is how this animation has many differences from the live-action films. Degeneration is the first Resident Evil film that is in the game universe (following the timeline of the series, Degeneration occurs seven years after the Raccoon City incident, between the events in Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5). It is also the first RE movie that involves characters from the games: it stars Claire Redfield from RE 2, Code: Veronica and Veronica X and Leon S. Kennedy from RE 2 and 4. Leon and Claire are also the main characters for Resident Evil 2, and the movie’s scene in which Claire and Leon meet is a reenactment of how they met in that game. In the game: Leon sees Claire being faced off with a

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zombie. He says "Get down!" and shoots the zombie. Claire then looks at his face as he offers her his hand. In the movie, Claire goes off to look for a survivor that she hears running around, she looks out the corner of a wall to hear Leon say, "Get down!" He shoots the zombies and offers Claire his hand as she says, "Leon!" The animation allows these characters to look exactly like the ones from the videogames; this is not currently possible with live-action even with good casting.

3. CINEMATOGRAPHY What makes Resident Evil: Degeneration so captivating is not its story alone but in the way that it is told: its cinematography is outstanding and succeeds in making the viewer feel a part of the action. Most reviewers say the movie is as much of a game as the games are movies. It looks and feels like a “90-minute cut scene – from the scripting to the character models – with a scene structure that leads from environment-to-environment, like stages in any of the numerous videogames” [4]. Some scenes end just like the cut scenes end, leaving the viewer ready to pick up the controller and start shooting at the masses of zombies. Since cinematography is not as easily accessible in games, it makes sense that the games do not focus on cinematography. They have evolved over time with advances in computing and game design, but compared to cinema the cinematography is very limited.

Figure 3. Aiming point of view in RE 4.

Resident Evil 4 is in third-person point of view and uses a following camera for the gameplay, entering first person for sniper and scope shots. The camera is focused behind Leon, and it zooms in for an over-the-shoulder view when aiming a weapon. (See Figure 3.) This zoomed view while aiming works great, but naturally the player loses some situational awareness in the process (peripheral vision is partially lost), which can intensify gameplay. This game is a great example of when the controls and the perspective work very well together, creating a more enjoyable player-experience. The Gamespot review said this about it: “The game expertly makes you feel that you're both watching a freaky, nail-biting movie about Leon and actually walking in his shoes. In fact, despite the high quality of the action, some of the best moments are the purely suspenseful ones when you're exploring while knowing full well that things aren't going to remain this quiet for long”. The cut scenes are able to add more specific camera angles and special action sequences sometimes with quick timer events. The dynamic, or interactive, cut scenes in which the player must press buttons indicated on-screen to execute actions such as dodge. These are often incorporated into

boss battles, where quick response times become a matter of ‘survival’. These moments help instill boss battles with real dramatic flair.

The CG animation of Degeneration is of a higher quality than those found in the games’ cinematic moments, but that is to be expected of a animated film which depends on its visual representation more wholly than games do. Degeneration certainly embraces its gaming roots with its cinematography, as can be seen in Figure 4 where the camera is behind Leon’s shoulder like in the game – though in this frame fails to show what he is aiming at.

Figure 4. A game-like point of view of Leon in Degeneration. Since animation is more concerned with cinematography than games, it is expected that Degeneration would surpass the RE games in quality, but the movie goes beyond expectation. Each scene is filled with very particular details that aid its story and enhance the game-like feel of watching it. The kind of quality in this movie is possibly a goal for game designers, though games have their own reasons not to journey in a direction toward cinema.

4. SOUNDS In the horror genre, audio is one of the most important factors involved in evoking a sense of dread and suspense. The Resident Evil series knows this and implements it well; the games would not be so successful in the horror genre without good audio decisions. In addition, voice acting quality is important in any game or animation. The script, sounds, and musical score in Resident Evil: Degeneration can be tied to the games in the series.

As in the Resident Evil tradition, shooting, exploding, roaring, growling, moaning, screaming, crying, and dying sounds are prevalent in Degeneration and 4. Even more specific sounds can be linked to the series, such as in Degeneration the scene where Fredric Downing left his office with Claire inside, the sound effect of the door closing is the exact same one used for doors closing in the earliest RE games [8].

The movie was made in English to preserve the air of the games, which in Japan are English audio with Japanese subtitles (according to multiple online sources). Some criticisms have been made of Degeneration about poorly synchronized voices and “uncharacteristically goofy dialogue” [2], but these criticisms are

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also found in reviews of RE games including RE 4 and thus are consistent with this comparison. The voice actors for Leon and Claire in the games also did the voices for the animation: Alyson Courte for Claire’s character worked on Resident Evil 2, Code: Veronica and Veronica X, while voice actor Paul Mercier did Leon’s voice in Resident Evil 4. The familiarity is rewarding to fans of the series.

All other aspects of the audio, from the chilling ambient noises frequently heard, to the booms of various weapons, to the occasional and perfectly placed musical cues are terrific in both the animation and the game.

5. ZOMBIES

Figure 5. Zombies at the airport in Degeneration. Zombies are obviously a key aspect since they are what the games and films are all about; anything without zombies is obviously not Resident Evil. The zombies throughout the entire RE series have common characteristics, but in certain games there are vital differences. The undead in Degeneration are very similar to the undead in the early games: slow-moving dead people that attack when close enough (see Figure 5). Leon tries to make clear to everyone that the easiest way to kill these enemies is by shooting them in the head.

Such ease for Leon was not so simple in RE 4, which makes some deviations from the original idea of a zombie. This game has enemies that are not normal alive humans and still are not the usual zombified remains walking around. The main difference is that RE 4 zombies show basic signs of intelligence, which is explained in the game to be the result of an infestation of Las Plagas (“The Plague” in Spanish). They are parasitically controlled humans referred to as “Los Ganados” (see Figure 6), which means “cattle”. They are a different sort of foe compared to those in previous games in the series because they can dodge, wield melee and projectile weapons, and are capable of working collectively and communicating with each other.

Los Ganados and other Las Plagas infected creatures are special for another reason: the do not necessarily die when shot in the head. In fact, often when shot in the head a much more dangerous, sharp bug-like creature pops out and begins attacking at a greater range. Though RE 4 occurs before Degeneration, these intense enemies are not in the animation; they are, however, in an even more advanced form in Resident Evil 5. Most reviews of the

movie complain that there are not enough zombies and mutations. The fact that they are left out is not an inconsistency nor a demeaning quality, instead it makes sense – the situation in Degeneration is much smaller in scale than the complex conspiracies going on in the games. The zombies in the animation are the result of only two singular outbreaks of the virus, one on an airplane and the other is by self-injection of the G-Virus, which is dangerous but does not spread.

Figure 6: RE: 4’s new “zombies”: Los Ganados The G-Virus creature is a specially mutated monster that is found in multiple RE games and movies (see Figure 7). It is so tough, huge, extreme, and aggressive that it is usually a boss fight or epic fight scene; in Degeneration it is both. To emphasize the horror of the G-Virus, the scene is scary, action-packed, and even emotional due to the fact that the host – before mutation – is the brother (Curtis Miller) of the third main character Angela Miller who lost his family in the Raccoon City tragedy. His mutated form is a direct resemblance of the G-Virus monster in the Resident Evil 2 game.

Figure 7. RE: Degeneration’s G-virus monster attacking Leon and Angela.

6. WEAPONRY When dealing with regions exposed to viruses that cause undead killers to roam the area slowly but in masses, a good arsenal is important. Like in the games, the animation comes with a good variety of familiar weapons. According to IMDb’s page on Degeneration, “Leon uses the same USP .45 with laser and

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tactical illumination as the one he used in Resident Evil 4, along with a Glock 26 for backup.” Other weapons are seen in this movie and the games including grenade launchers and machine guns. While watching a movie, ammunition conservation is not a concern; this can be compared to Resident Evil 4 where ammunition is more plentiful than in other games in the series so the concern is reduced. Overall, the action and fighting in the animation are directly related to the Resident Evil 4 gameplay, both focus on action, horror, and shootouts involving crowds of enemies in large open areas. For RE 4, this is a departure from the previous games in the series, which focused on exploration and conservation of ammunition. Being heavily armed and yet faced with an unnatural enemy is often what makes RE 4 seem so intense, which makes moments of desperation and helplessness seem that much more poignant when they occur.

7. CONCLUSION Resident Evil: Degeneration is more comparable to the game series, which happens to be the main attraction of the overall Resident Evil series, than any of the movies prior. As a movie that was seen on DVD rather than in theaters, Degeneration does not receive much critical or public attention – but it certainly deserves to. I have related the animation to what I feel are the important facets of the series and compared it with the games, concluding that it is a well-done movie deeply submerged in the increasingly popular series. My scene analysis shows that this is in fact an important installment in the series.

8. REFERENCES [1] Cukier, Jérôme. "Some thoughts on Resident Evil 4 -

Revolution or Evolution?" Gamethink: Articles and discussion on game production. N.p., 26 Apr. 2006. Web. June 2009. <http://www.gamethink.net/Some-thoughts-on-Resident-Evil-4.html>.

[2] Kasavin, Greg. "Resident Evil 4 Review for PS2." GameSpot. N.p., 24 Oct. 2005. Web. June 2009. <http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/adventure/residentevil4/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;read-review>.

[3] Kasch, Andrew. "Resident Evil: Degeneration (2008)." Dread Central. N.p., 19 Nov. 2008. Web. June 2009. <http://www.dreadcentral.com/reviews/resident-evil-degeneration-2008>.

[4] Monfette, Christopher. "Resident Evil: Degeneration Blu-ray Review." IGN.com. N.p., 3 Dec. 2008. Web. June 2009. <http://bluray.ign.com/articles/935/935403p1.html>.

[5] Plante, Chris. "Resident Evil: Degeneration Review." UGO Movie Blog. N.p., 28 Oct. 2008. Web. June 2009. <http://movieblog.ugo.com/movies/resident-evil-degeneration-review>.

[6] Resident Evil 4. 2005. Capcom Production Studio 4. Nintendo Wii. Videogame.

[7] Resident Evil: Degeneration. Dir. Makoto Kamiya. Screenplay by Shotaro Suga. Perf. Alyson Court and Paul Mercier. Sony Pictures, 2008. DVD.

[8] "Resident Evil: Degeneration (2008)." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). N.p., n.d. Web. June 2009. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1174954/>.

[9] "Resident Evil: Degeneration (Film Review)." FANGORIA - The #1 Name in HORROR since 1979. N.p., 19 Nov. 2008. Web. June 2009. <http://www.fangoriaonline.com/reviews/2-film/599-resident-evil-degeneration-film-review.html>.

[10] "Resident Evil: DEGENERATION." Sony Pictures. N.p., n.d. Web. June 2009. <http://www.sonypictures.com /homevideo/residentevildegeneration/ >.