100%

How We Do It: War Knows No Nation

Title

“War Knows No Nation” is Wargaming’s most ambitious historical video to date, and the first of its kind. The video was filmed in 360° format, Ultra HD (4K) resolution, combining CGI and live-action panoramic footage. It brought to life the memories of three veteran World War 2 tankers (Alexander Fen from Belarus, Tom Saytor from the United States, and David Render from the UK) for a truly immersive historical experience.

Videos like “War Knows No Nation” and all the other projects that we’re involved in serve as a great way to introduce fans to the history that make our games possible. Putting a cool, innovative spin on how we interact with the past places the viewer right in the action, which is an opportunity we relish.

Challenges

There were several challenges present in the spec for the script. One of the biggest was the fact that in 360° videos, unlike a traditional script, the action isn’t constrained to one perspective but to everywhere the viewer can look. We had to imagine the action from every angle. Another challenge was coordinating all this footage, and blending live-action shots with CGI.

Luckily, this wasn’t the first time the Wargaming Team visited the 360° format. The first was “Virtually Inside the Tanks”, where resident war machine experts Richard “The Challenger” Cutland and Nicolas “The Chieftain” Moran gave viewers a tour inside several tanks. Viewers could see what it was like inside tanks such as the Leopard 1, and the Sherman from the movie “Fury”. The second, larger project was “1941 Battle: 360° Reenactment”, where viewers could relive a thrilling tank battle.

On the road

The filming locations for “War Knows No Nation” took the team around the world. Locations included Belarus, Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Like most big video productions, scattered locations were shot with the help of third-party teams who filmed in the United States and England. However, the script first had to be worked out, then the sets had to be constructed in 3D to send the detailed requirements to the teams.

As well as authentic locations, a number of set dressings are the real deal from the forties. This includes the radio in the early Pearl Harbor bar scene, the medical instruments in the hospital train car, and the soldiers’ weapons. While the clothing was recreated, the tanks were certainly not.

Capturing every angle

As mentioned above, we were not just filming in “one dimension” but three dimensions. It was key to describe each scene in as much detail as possible. We needed to tell each bunch of actors what to do, and couldn’t even think about close and long range shots. The viewer is seeing everything as they want to. Panoramic filming also meant that we couldn’t use quick camera movements because it would only nauseate the viewer, so the team had to conduct tests to make sure viewers didn’t need a sick bag.

The hardware

Filming was done with the help of three special rigs. One of them had two GoPro cameras with a 250° angle of view, the second one had six cameras, and the third had ten cameras on it. Each rig had its specific purpose dependent on the location. So, a two camera rig worked better for smaller locations, like the inside of a tank. The ten camera setup worked best for capturing large, open spaces like the railway station or the bar.

For the previous 360° videos, the team couldn’t watch what they were filming in real time. However, by using a Ricoh Theta S camera, they could stream the video to a smartphone, which meant the director could hide somewhere on set and keep an eye on the action. Filming the veterans was a little easier; they were placed in front of a green/blue screen.

What’s next?

People are responding really well to the videos we’ve produced, and there is always new technology becoming available. The Wargaming Team is currently hard at work on a new series—“Virtually Inside the Ships”—about, you guessed it, warships! You can get your sea legs without leaving the house and join BBC presenter Dan Snow and Wargaming historian Richard Cutland. Filming for the new series has already taken place on the destroyer HMS Cavalier in Chatham, United Kingdom.

To watch “War Knows No Nation”, simply follow the link:

To watch the “Making of” on YouTube: