0:00:00.846,0:00:02.467
Hello! My name is Dan,

0:00:02.492,0:00:06.567
I am a professional animator,[br]and this is New Frame Plus.

0:00:06.592,0:00:08.967
The remake of Final[br]Fantasy VII is here,

0:00:08.992,0:00:12.222
and it is affording us all[br]a very rare opportunity:

0:00:12.247,0:00:17.200
the chance to see a classic, beloved[br]game updated to modern AAA standards.

0:00:17.225,0:00:21.402
To see it not just remastered,[br]but re-imagined from the ground up.

0:00:21.427,0:00:24.500
Every single asset,[br]every game-play system,

0:00:24.525,0:00:29.391
AND every story sequence[br]reconsidered and built from scratch!

0:00:29.416,0:00:32.851
As an animator,[br]that last one makes me REAL excited.

0:00:32.876,0:00:34.544
Consider the potential here!

0:00:34.569,0:00:38.301
These animators and directors and[br]performers have the opportunity

0:00:38.326,0:00:42.567
not just to make these scenes prettier, but[br]to flesh out their character performances

0:00:42.592,0:00:44.703
and cinematography[br]with a level of nuance

0:00:44.728,0:00:47.851
that the original game[br]simply was not capable of.

0:00:47.876,0:00:48.856
To show you what I mean,

0:00:48.881,0:00:49.975
I'm going to do a deep dive

0:00:50.000,0:00:52.904
into the animation of just[br]the opening title sequence

0:00:52.929,0:00:58.312
in both versions of the game,[br]starting with the 1997 original.

0:00:58.633,0:01:00.878
It’s easy to forget,[br]looking at it now but,

0:01:00.903,0:01:04.238
Final Fantasy VII was a[br]technological leap in its own right;

0:01:04.263,0:01:09.503
the first game in this franchise to leave[br]those familiar 8 and 16-bit roots behind

0:01:09.528,0:01:11.561
in favor of Sony’s new PlayStation

0:01:11.586,0:01:15.100
and all the shiny new 3D[br]graphics it was capable of.

0:01:15.120,0:01:19.000
But these big hardware transitions[br]always come with some growing pains,

0:01:19.020,0:01:22.820
and Final Fantasy VII[br]is loaded with them.

0:01:23.140,0:01:28.340
The title sequence begins as an FMV[br]cinematic; basically a pre-rendered video.

0:01:28.362,0:01:32.333
The ability to store movie files on disc[br]was one of the more exciting new features

0:01:32.358,0:01:34.977
of the PlayStation’s[br]CD-ROM format.

0:01:35.002,0:01:40.479
We open on a field of stars, the camera[br]lazily drifting around in space for…

0:01:40.504,0:01:42.767
probably 20 seconds[br]longer than necessary.

0:01:42.792,0:01:47.040
And then we cross-fade to a medium[br]close-up shot of a woman’s face

0:01:47.065,0:01:49.183
bathed in eerie green light.

0:01:49.208,0:01:51.467
And, I should probably[br]just go ahead and say that

0:01:51.492,0:01:55.128
the character animation in Final[br]Fantasy VII’s pre-rendered cut-scenes

0:01:55.153,0:01:57.033
is just... terrible.

0:01:57.058,0:02:02.200
They've got poor body mechanics, no sense of[br]weight, dead-eyed expressions everywhere…

0:02:02.225,0:02:06.169
the craft of animation is fundamentally[br]about taking something not alive,

0:02:06.194,0:02:10.633
like a drawing or a CG model, and creating[br]the illusion of life in that thing,

0:02:10.658,0:02:14.342
and you will rarely see that[br]illusion work in these scenes.

0:02:14.367,0:02:17.305
Now, this failing is[br]COMPLETELY understandable.

0:02:17.330,0:02:21.088
CG animation was still in its[br]very early days at this point,

0:02:21.113,0:02:22.833
And Squaresoft’s cinematic animators

0:02:22.858,0:02:25.467
would quickly find their[br]feet over the next few years,

0:02:25.492,0:02:27.199
so no disrespect towards them!

0:02:27.224,0:02:31.267
Honestly, nobody in 1997 was[br]delivering great CG character animation

0:02:31.292,0:02:33.046
in their pre-rendered cut-scenes.

0:02:33.071,0:02:36.723
...But yeah, this first effort[br]is pretty rough, though.

0:02:36.809,0:02:38.400
So then we cut to a new angle,

0:02:38.425,0:02:42.915
and we see that this woman is kneeling in[br]some sort of dark alley looking at something

0:02:42.940,0:02:46.646
(although we can’t really see what[br]that glowing green something is)

0:02:46.671,0:02:50.931
And it’s here that we can see that Aerith’s[br]character model is actually segmented,

0:02:50.956,0:02:54.873
constructed of several separate pieces[br]of overlapping geometry.

0:02:54.898,0:02:59.300
You can see the most obvious seams here[br]at her elbow joint and there at her waist.

0:02:59.325,0:03:01.958
Now, this is actually how[br]all of Final Fantasy VII’s

0:03:01.983,0:03:04.286
in-game character models[br]are constructed too;

0:03:04.311,0:03:08.254
it was a pretty common character-modeling[br]approach in those early 3D days

0:03:08.279,0:03:12.400
when deforming a character mesh with an[br]animated skeleton of joints in real time

0:03:12.425,0:03:15.344
was just a lot for that[br]early hardware to handle.

0:03:15.369,0:03:17.693
Of course,[br]animation in a pre-rendered movie

0:03:17.718,0:03:20.700
isn’t bound by those[br]real-time processing concerns,

0:03:20.725,0:03:24.416
so I’m guessing that this segmented[br]character model being used here is

0:03:24.441,0:03:28.887
just an artifact of those real[br]early wild west days of CG animation

0:03:28.912,0:03:33.045
where everyone was still trying[br]to just figure out the basics.

0:03:33.488,0:03:34.800
And it’s also in this shot

0:03:34.825,0:03:38.887
that we get our first taste of Final Fantasy[br]VII’s full body character animation,

0:03:38.912,0:03:41.374
which,[br]like I said before: not great.

0:03:41.425,0:03:45.448
You see the way she finishes standing up[br]and THEN starts straightening her back

0:03:45.473,0:03:48.124
while her hips stay[br]completely locked in place?

0:03:48.149,0:03:53.033
That sort of isolated motion is how[br]machines move, but not how humans do.

0:03:53.058,0:03:56.600
All the parts of our bodies tend to[br]coordinate together when we move.

0:03:56.625,0:04:01.200
It’s actually surprisingly difficult to move[br]just a single isolated part of your body

0:04:01.225,0:04:03.812
without any other part[br]moving just a little bit.

0:04:03.837,0:04:06.722
It what makes dancers like[br]these so darn impressive.

0:04:06.747,0:04:09.712
Granted, I suspect that part of[br]the weirdness of her movement here

0:04:09.737,0:04:12.550
might be due to the fact that[br]the animator's having to cheat

0:04:12.575,0:04:14.341
to make her stand up AT ALL.

0:04:14.366,0:04:18.646
Look at the lower half of her body for[br]the duration of this standing motion...

0:04:18.671,0:04:21.556
You notice how her legs don’t[br]actually bend that much?

0:04:21.581,0:04:26.212
Here, I’ll play it back in reverse...[br]Kinda looks like her knees bend slightly,

0:04:26.237,0:04:29.386
and then her legs just stiffly[br]sink into the floor, right?

0:04:29.411,0:04:31.847
I’m guessing that is[br]EXACTLY what’s happening.

0:04:31.872,0:04:35.433
I would wager that this character[br]model (or at least her skirt geometry)

0:04:35.458,0:04:39.474
wasn’t rigged to bend that way. Or maybe[br]there was some other technical complication

0:04:39.499,0:04:42.535
preventing her from ACTUALLY being[br]shown kneeling on the ground,

0:04:42.586,0:04:45.967
so the animator had to cheat[br]to make this shot work at all.

0:04:45.992,0:04:50.633
And I say, hats off to you, sneaky animator[br]who made this impossible thing work.

0:04:50.658,0:04:53.279
You weren’t the first[br]and will not be the last.

0:04:53.304,0:04:56.292
...oh, THAT’S why the camera[br]doesn’t tilt down far enough

0:04:56.317,0:04:58.776
for us to see the glowing thing[br]she’s looking at, isn’t it?

0:04:58.801,0:05:02.268
Because lowering the camera any further would[br]reveal she’s not actually crouched down

0:05:02.293,0:05:05.700
and break the whole illusion?[br]Aw that's it, isn’t it!

0:05:05.725,0:05:07.770
Sorry, I got distracted,[br]what was I talking about...

0:05:07.795,0:05:10.231
RIGHT. Yes,[br]Aerith moving like a robot. Okay.

0:05:10.256,0:05:14.300
And it really doesn’t help that her[br]eyes are 2D textures pasted to her face

0:05:14.325,0:05:16.631
that are only capable of[br]looking straight ahead.

0:05:16.656,0:05:21.472
Like, look at her head turn here. You see[br]how her eyes just stay locked in place,

0:05:21.497,0:05:26.657
staring forward for the entire move?[br]That, again, is how robots move, not humans.

0:05:26.682,0:05:28.668
I mean,[br]try it yourself right now.

0:05:28.693,0:05:30.969
Try turning to look 90[br]degrees to your left

0:05:30.994,0:05:35.600
while keeping your eyes focused straight[br]in front of your face the entire time……

0:05:35.625,0:05:38.767
is that not the most[br]robot-feeling thing to do?

0:05:38.792,0:05:41.101
Now, I could keep nitpicking[br]this little stuff all day,

0:05:41.126,0:05:43.467
but at this point you get the[br]idea, right?

0:05:43.492,0:05:46.311
This is clearly a team[br]of artists and engineers

0:05:46.363,0:05:49.089
learning their way around[br]a new animation medium,

0:05:49.114,0:05:53.772
probably using the software equivalent of sticks[br]and rocks compared to modern animation tools.

0:05:53.797,0:05:55.941
So, I think we can[br]cut them some slack.

0:05:55.966,0:05:58.233
In fact,[br]let’s say some nice things!

0:05:58.258,0:06:01.967
I really like the way this[br]extended shot is staged;

0:06:01.992,0:06:06.708
the way it starts in close spending a quiet[br]intimate moment with this flower girl,

0:06:06.733,0:06:10.467
and then slowly begins to pull back[br]as she walks out into the busy street.

0:06:10.492,0:06:14.616
And then the bustle of this dark,[br]grimey city suddenly intrudes on it,

0:06:14.641,0:06:19.113
breaking our line of sight and just taking over the[br]frame as the camera continues to pull back

0:06:19.138,0:06:22.605
and the flower girl slowly[br]disappears into the cityscape.

0:06:22.630,0:06:26.700
And, by the way: side benefit of having[br]all these nameless extras shrouded

0:06:26.725,0:06:31.097
in moody shadow during this camera move?[br]Much harder to see animation flaws!

0:06:31.122,0:06:32.320
Except on this guy. HEY.

0:06:32.320,0:06:34.695
I see that hitch[br]in your walk cycle, random dude.

0:06:34.720,0:06:36.097
Better get that looked at.

0:06:36.122,0:06:38.533
But alright, we’re done with[br]character animation for a bit.

0:06:38.558,0:06:43.633
The camera pulls back and back until we’re[br]looking over the entire city of Midgar.

0:06:43.657,0:06:48.615
And just keep in mind: even though all of[br]this does look very rough and early CG,

0:06:48.667,0:06:52.600
this one extended shot has been[br]a showcase of cinematography

0:06:52.625,0:06:56.500
and character animation detail[br](relatively) that, up to this point,

0:06:56.525,0:06:59.860
Final Fantasy has never been[br]capable of doing before.

0:06:59.885,0:07:02.690
Now it’s time for the second[br]half of this opening cinematic,

0:07:02.715,0:07:04.674
and this is where stuff[br]gets really interesting.

0:07:04.699,0:07:07.300
So, the camera begins its[br]flight back into town,

0:07:07.325,0:07:10.433
inter-cut with some quick[br]shots of a decelerating train.

0:07:10.458,0:07:14.142
We fly down, down, down until[br]we’re back at ground level.

0:07:14.167,0:07:18.666
And the camera settles into place just as[br]this train pulls into the Sector 1 station,

0:07:18.691,0:07:20.571
and the instant the train stops,

0:07:20.596,0:07:25.280
the pre-rendered video portion of[br]this intro ends and we seamlessly(ish)

0:07:25.331,0:07:28.719
transition from a movie[br]file to a static 2D image,

0:07:28.744,0:07:31.300
the likes of which Final[br]Fantasy VII is going to have us

0:07:31.325,0:07:33.700
running around in front[br]of for most of the game.

0:07:33.725,0:07:35.261
But before we get[br]to the action here,

0:07:35.286,0:07:37.952
I’d like to direct your[br]attention to these two guards.

0:07:37.977,0:07:41.833
Because you probably noticed,[br]those guards appeared on screen BEFORE this

0:07:41.858,0:07:43.267
pre-rendered video ended.

0:07:43.371,0:07:45.900
And they were not PART[br]of the pre-rendered video.

0:07:45.925,0:07:49.397
Those were in-game character[br]models, being rendered in real time,

0:07:49.422,0:07:51.567
being layered OVER the FMV.

0:07:51.592,0:07:54.255
This is a pretty cool little[br]trick they're pulling off here.

0:07:54.280,0:07:57.598
I mean when you think about it,[br]almost every environment in this game

0:07:57.623,0:08:03.033
is just a lavish pre-rendered 2D image[br]being layered behind the invisible terrain

0:08:03.058,0:08:04.873
your 3D characters[br]are standing on,

0:08:04.898,0:08:08.550
and there’s no real reason that that[br]background image CAN’T be a video.

0:08:08.575,0:08:12.572
But to make that work, the animators had[br]to make sure that the game-play camera

0:08:12.597,0:08:14.688
which is seeing and rendering[br]these two guards,

0:08:14.739,0:08:18.074
imitated the pre-rendered cut-scene[br]camera’s movements perfectly

0:08:18.099,0:08:24.079
to preserve the illusion of those 3D characters[br]being grounded in that moving 2D background.

0:08:24.104,0:08:25.238
It’s a complicated trick,

0:08:25.263,0:08:29.497
but quite effective at blurring the[br]boundary between movie file and game-play.

0:08:29.565,0:08:32.367
Square would actually do[br]this a lot in the PS1 days

0:08:32.392,0:08:35.741
and by Final Fantasy VIII,[br]they were getting real extra about it.

0:08:35.766,0:08:39.267
ANYWAY. Now that the pre-rendered[br]video portion of this sequence is done,

0:08:39.292,0:08:42.533
from here on, all of the characters[br]are going to be rendered in real-time.

0:08:42.558,0:08:45.150
And real-time story scenes[br]in Final Fantasy VII

0:08:45.175,0:08:48.153
have to deal with a handful[br]of very tricky limitations.

0:08:48.178,0:08:49.567
Limitation No. 1:

0:08:49.592,0:08:52.888
Because every animation in the game[br]takes up some amount of memory,

0:08:52.913,0:08:57.700
the devs had to try to limit the number of[br]unique animations appearing in each scene.

0:08:57.725,0:09:00.900
Because the more animations[br]needed in one single environment,

0:09:00.925,0:09:03.367
the longer that environment[br]was going to take to load.

0:09:03.392,0:09:04.820
Limitation No. 2:

0:09:04.845,0:09:09.185
Because most of this game’s[br]environments are pre-rendered 2D images,

0:09:09.210,0:09:12.227
their ability to move the[br]camera is extremely limited,

0:09:12.252,0:09:15.100
and camera rotation is[br]completely locked down.

0:09:15.125,0:09:19.447
So pretty much all of the action in any[br]given scene has to be played to one angle,

0:09:19.472,0:09:21.067
kind of like a stage play.

0:09:21.147,0:09:22.807
And Limitation No. 3:

0:09:22.858,0:09:26.828
Final Fantasy VII’s characters....they[br]don’t really have faces.

0:09:26.853,0:09:27.762
I mean, they do,

0:09:27.787,0:09:31.143
but it’s near impossible to see them[br]at the games original resolution,

0:09:31.192,0:09:33.204
and those faces weren’t[br]built to animate anyway.

0:09:33.229,0:09:36.352
So, unlike the character[br]animation in the 16-bit games

0:09:36.377,0:09:39.900
(which ran almost entirely on[br]exaggerated facial expressions),

0:09:39.925,0:09:43.400
Final Fantasy VII’s characters[br]have to rely on gestures

0:09:43.425,0:09:45.900
and heavily-exaggerated[br]body language.

0:09:45.925,0:09:48.995
And that's not actually a[br]terrible trade-off in the end,

0:09:49.020,0:09:53.677
but not being able to use facial expressions[br]is a pretty big acting limitation.

0:09:53.702,0:09:57.725
All of that to say: for the duration of this[br]scene, the camera's barely going to move,

0:09:57.750,0:10:01.270
the character performances are going to[br]be created by stringing together short,

0:10:01.295,0:10:05.159
re-usable animations, and nobody is[br]going to be acting with their face.

0:10:05.184,0:10:06.333
Ok? Ok.

0:10:06.381,0:10:10.556
So first we see Biggs jump off the top of[br]the train and throw a guard to the ground,

0:10:10.581,0:10:14.661
which reads SURPRISINGLY CLEARLY[br]considering how far away he is from camera

0:10:14.686,0:10:17.068
and how low resolution[br]this game is.

0:10:17.093,0:10:20.216
Next Jessie runs in and takes out[br]the second guard with a kick,

0:10:20.241,0:10:24.026
which reads a little less clearly than the[br]throw, despite being closer to camera,

0:10:24.051,0:10:26.967
largely because the guard's body[br]is kind of obscuring the move

0:10:26.992,0:10:31.037
they probably could've tried to clear the silhouettes[br]a little better here, but I'm nitpicking.

0:10:31.062,0:10:34.000
Notice how exaggerated all[br]these animations are, though!

0:10:34.025,0:10:37.836
With render resolution this low and[br]character models this simplistic,

0:10:37.861,0:10:39.600
there is no room for subtlety.

0:10:39.625,0:10:43.442
The animators are having to push[br]everything to the extreme to read clearly.

0:10:43.475,0:10:47.490
Wedge hops off the train next. And then[br]we see one of our main characters, Barret,

0:10:47.515,0:10:50.467
who looks back toward the train and[br]gestures impatiently.

0:10:50.492,0:10:54.553
The camera pedestals up a bit for the[br]grand entrance of our main character,

0:10:54.578,0:10:58.971
who flips down for a showy,[br]absolutely cliche three-point landing.

0:10:58.996,0:11:01.590
And there are a couple details[br]I really like in this moment.

0:11:01.615,0:11:05.733
First, having Barret run out, look up[br]and gesture toward the train is great

0:11:05.758,0:11:09.200
not only for directing our attention to[br]where Cloud’s entrance is about to happen,

0:11:09.225,0:11:13.400
but it also signals to the new player that[br]Barret is in a position of authority here,

0:11:13.425,0:11:17.600
and it sets the tone for the early antagonistic[br]dynamic between Barret and Cloud.

0:11:17.625,0:11:22.045
And the second thing I really like is that[br]Cloud’s unnecessarily acrobatic entrance

0:11:22.070,0:11:26.733
is a perfectly fine way to make your player character[br]feel like the coolest tough guy in the room

0:11:26.758,0:11:27.653
(...eh, sort of),

0:11:27.678,0:11:29.133
but in the LONG term,

0:11:29.158,0:11:32.177
it also effectively sets up[br]Cloud as the kind of person who

0:11:32.202,0:11:35.533
would try to present himself as the[br]coolest tough guy in the room,

0:11:35.664,0:11:40.000
which is a surprising level of nuance for[br]a clump of untextured, faceless polygons

0:11:40.025,0:11:41.433
hand-springing off a train.

0:11:41.458,0:11:44.483
But yeah, then Barret tells you[br]to get moving and there you are,

0:11:44.508,0:11:46.100
playing Final Fantasy VII.

0:11:46.196,0:11:50.633
Overall, as clunky as these PS1[br]graphics and early 3D animations are,

0:11:50.658,0:11:54.060
I’m surprised at how effective[br]all of this still manages to be.

0:11:54.085,0:11:57.155
That’s kind of Final Fantasy[br]VII in a nutshell, really.

0:11:57.180,0:12:00.333
This brings us to the[br]Final Fantasy VII Remake,

0:12:00.358,0:12:05.092
a complete overhaul of the original game[br]with the full power of modern AAA budgets,

0:12:05.117,0:12:07.100
talent and technology behind it.

0:12:07.125,0:12:10.267
And of course, there are, TONS of[br]improvements you can just see at a glance.

0:12:10.292,0:12:13.733
The high resolution graphics,[br]the high-fidelity character models,

0:12:13.758,0:12:16.582
the lighting, the shading, the[br]effects... all of it gorgeous.

0:12:16.607,0:12:20.067
But the two things that interest[br]me most are all those brand new

0:12:20.092,0:12:24.067
motion-captured character performances[br]AND all the creative adjustments

0:12:24.092,0:12:27.940
and changes designed to help this[br]opening achieve its story goals

0:12:27.965,0:12:29.891
in ways that the[br]original couldn’t.

0:12:29.920,0:12:33.720
Let’s see what 23 years of[br]technological advance can do.

0:12:34.460,0:12:37.720
We begin, once more, drifting in a star fie--

0:12:37.720,0:12:39.320
...hang on.

0:12:39.420,0:12:40.820
...yep.[br]This is different. Okay!

0:12:40.836,0:12:45.167
It turns out the Remake diverges from[br]the original intro sequence immediately.

0:12:45.192,0:12:48.958
This time we open with a bird[br]flying over a barren wasteland

0:12:48.983,0:12:52.318
and we get our first look at the Midgar[br]skyline in broad daylight,

0:12:52.343,0:12:54.937
almost completely[br]shrouded in smog.

0:12:54.962,0:12:58.733
We get a good look at the actual city[br]itself during the day time rush,

0:12:58.758,0:13:03.933
all of the densely-packed buildings,[br]construction work, some kids riding bikes…

0:13:03.958,0:13:07.434
honestly, this new opening could probably[br]have stood to cut 20 seconds too but,

0:13:07.459,0:13:11.323
they do establish some important[br]thematic imagery in these new opening minutes:

0:13:11.348,0:13:14.400
dead landscape, [br]a bustling smog-coated city,

0:13:14.400,0:13:16.433
dead flowers SPECIFICALLY,

0:13:16.458,0:13:18.204
and, as the sun goes down,

0:13:18.229,0:13:22.275
the bright green glow of Midgar’s[br]mako reactors illuminating the night.

0:13:22.300,0:13:26.667
Now all of this is stuff that fans of Final[br]Fantasy VII are already well familiar with,

0:13:26.692,0:13:30.979
but these two minutes sure do give the[br]newcomer a lot more useful information

0:13:31.004,0:13:33.915
about this setting than[br]45 seconds of stars do.

0:13:33.940,0:13:38.100
And that spray of green particles from[br]the reactor transitions us beautifully

0:13:38.125,0:13:40.900
into the classic opening[br]sequence we know and love.

0:13:40.925,0:13:43.167
I would say we are off to[br]a pretty strong start here.

0:13:43.192,0:13:46.267
What’s more, craning the camera[br]down toward Aerith like this

0:13:46.292,0:13:49.367
instead of simply cross-fading[br]affords us a much better look at

0:13:49.392,0:13:52.756
what’s actually happening in[br]this scene; the Mako energy -

0:13:52.781,0:13:55.507
the planet’s very life force,[br]we’re soon going to learn -

0:13:55.532,0:13:58.576
is seeping from a broken[br]pipe in this dirty alley.

0:13:58.601,0:14:00.984
And thanks to those two[br]extra minutes we just saw,

0:14:01.009,0:14:04.925
the new player can probably start[br]connecting some dots on what’s happening here!

0:14:04.950,0:14:07.667
Much more easily then they could[br]have in the original, anyway.

0:14:07.692,0:14:09.800
And when we reach that[br]close up of her face,

0:14:09.825,0:14:12.783
we can see that she’s[br]sort of lost in this glow,

0:14:12.808,0:14:16.533
just basking in it, almost[br]meditative, possibly praying.

0:14:16.558,0:14:21.650
And when she opens her eyes to look into[br]camera - just like she did 23 years before -

0:14:21.675,0:14:26.412
...man. What an incredible difference two[br]decades and 4 console generations can make.

0:14:26.437,0:14:28.967
This Aerith actually looks alive.

0:14:28.992,0:14:33.078
Even in this tiny moment, there is so much[br]more subtle fidelity to the performance.

0:14:33.125,0:14:36.597
The way her eyelids stir[br]slightly before she opens them.

0:14:36.622,0:14:39.798
The way she first looks down at the[br]pipes she was focused on previously

0:14:39.823,0:14:42.067
BEFORE her gaze drifts[br]up toward camera.

0:14:42.092,0:14:46.438
The way not just her eyelids but also her[br]eye brows move slightly as she looks up.

0:14:46.463,0:14:48.449
And all of those[br]subtle eye darts...

0:14:48.474,0:14:51.529
Especially when compared to[br]the original robo-Aerith,

0:14:51.554,0:14:54.533
what incredible realistic[br]acting fidelity here.

0:14:54.558,0:14:57.967
Then we cut to the second shot,[br]very similar to the original angle,

0:14:57.992,0:15:02.296
but with some better framing. Except this[br]time, Aerith doesn’t stand up right away.

0:15:02.321,0:15:07.429
She just... stays here, gazing at this leaking[br]pipe, lingering in the moment.

0:15:07.454,0:15:09.367
I REALLY love this change.

0:15:09.392,0:15:13.833
It’s not a radical departure from the original,[br]but the extra time spent lingering here

0:15:13.858,0:15:17.100
gives us a chance to emotionally[br]invest in this moment WITH her,

0:15:17.125,0:15:19.433
in a way that you really[br]couldn’t in the original.

0:15:19.458,0:15:22.248
And immediately AFTER that,[br]another change that I love:

0:15:22.273,0:15:25.661
Aerith stands up NOT just[br]because it’s time to stand up,

0:15:25.686,0:15:30.846
but because she suddenly senses a threat[br]at the end of the alley. This is so good.

0:15:30.871,0:15:34.567
For one, it gives her a motivated[br]reason to stand up and leave this alley

0:15:34.592,0:15:36.351
she was just having[br]that moment in.

0:15:36.376,0:15:40.618
Two, it further reinforces what the original[br]game was trying to drive home as well:

0:15:40.658,0:15:42.698
that this city is[br]a hostile place.

0:15:42.723,0:15:47.010
And best of all, three: if you already[br]know a little bit about Aerith’s story,

0:15:47.035,0:15:50.228
then you know that she[br]is ALWAYS being watched.

0:15:50.253,0:15:54.500
She is a Person of Interest in this town.[br]And so seeing her get spooked by…

0:15:54.525,0:15:57.294
well, seemingly nothing[br]at the end of this dark alley

0:15:57.319,0:16:00.572
helps to plant some seeds for[br]her story WAY in advance,

0:16:00.597,0:16:04.249
and, again, the original version of[br]this cut-scene didn’t do that AT ALL.

0:16:04.274,0:16:08.429
Also, by the way? THAT’S how you animate standing[br]up from a kneeling position right there.

0:16:08.454,0:16:09.367
A+

0:16:09.392,0:16:13.005
Now here comes the biggest departures[br]from the original opening sequence:

0:16:13.030,0:16:17.967
rather than maintaining one long shot from Aerith[br]standing to Aerith walking out of the alley

0:16:17.992,0:16:20.900
to zooming out over the city to[br]zooming back into the train station,

0:16:20.925,0:16:25.550
instead they cut to a new shot here and[br]add an entirely new series of events.

0:16:25.575,0:16:27.600
Aerith hastily walks[br]out of the alley,

0:16:27.625,0:16:30.100
nervously looking behind her[br]to see if she’s being followed,

0:16:30.125,0:16:33.672
and accidentally bumps into a[br]passerby, dropping some of her flowers.

0:16:33.697,0:16:37.500
She kneels to pick them up as the rest of[br]the city goes about its business around her

0:16:37.525,0:16:40.167
(which is EXACTLY in line with[br]the tone of the original).

0:16:40.192,0:16:43.883
But one of the flowers gets[br]trampled by a careless pedestrian.

0:16:43.908,0:16:49.559
She slowly picks it up, cradles it in her[br]hands… and lingers in this moment too,

0:16:49.584,0:16:52.389
just like she had with the[br]broken pipe in the alley.

0:16:52.414,0:16:54.479
Now,[br]the symbolism of this addition

0:16:54.504,0:16:58.267
combined with the shot of the dead[br]flowers earlier is Not At All Subtle.

0:16:58.292,0:17:01.867
But for anybody experiencing Final[br]Fantasy VII for the first time

0:17:01.892,0:17:03.289
(and a LOT of people[br]are going to be),

0:17:03.314,0:17:07.839
drawing a direct visual parallel between[br]how Aerith treats the trampled flower

0:17:07.864,0:17:11.243
and how she treats that broken[br]pipe leaking a weird green light,

0:17:11.268,0:17:14.500
that I think is a worthwhile[br]bit of thematic foreshadowing.

0:17:14.525,0:17:16.560
The flower girl is planting seeds.[br]Deal with it.

0:17:16.560,0:17:18.730
But ok, time for that big flyover shot.

0:17:18.755,0:17:22.355
The camera pulls back and back[br]and back… and keeps going because

0:17:22.380,0:17:26.600
the city is huge this time and we get[br]that view of the entirety of Midgar,

0:17:26.625,0:17:29.433
looking as gloriously[br]ominous as ever.

0:17:29.458,0:17:34.233
Then we swoop back in to Sector 1, inter-cut[br]with those same shots of a decelerating train.

0:17:34.258,0:17:38.833
Only this time, the camera flight ends[br]framing our main character atop the train.

0:17:38.858,0:17:43.433
Again, arguably not a necessary change, but[br]it is a nice little hint to the newcomers that

0:17:43.458,0:17:46.300
something is about to happen when[br]this train gets where it’s going.

0:17:46.325,0:17:50.000
And can we just take a moment to appreciate[br]how far physics simulation has come?

0:17:50.025,0:17:53.146
We already saw a ton of it before[br]with Aerith’s hair and clothing,

0:17:53.171,0:17:56.367
but look at that wind whipping[br]through Cloud’s hair and shirt here.

0:17:56.392,0:17:57.293
Awesome detail.

0:17:57.545,0:18:02.067
Then we see the train pulling into[br]the station, and right... THERE,

0:18:02.092,0:18:05.977
if I had to guess, is where we transition[br]from the pre-rendered cinematic

0:18:06.002,0:18:08.212
to rendering this[br]scene in real time.

0:18:08.237,0:18:13.067
Did I mention, by the way, that everything up until[br]now was almost definitely a pre-rendered movie,

0:18:13.092,0:18:16.148
just like the original game did?[br]Because it probably is.

0:18:16.173,0:18:17.445
And why shouldn’t it be?

0:18:17.470,0:18:20.143
I mean, everything we’ve[br]seen so far in this sequence

0:18:20.168,0:18:22.974
is meant to play out[br]exactly the same every time,

0:18:22.999,0:18:27.267
AND the camera has to cover a ton of ground[br]and show all of Midgar at a couple of points.

0:18:27.292,0:18:31.755
There is literally no reason to try to[br]make this all render smoothly in real time

0:18:31.780,0:18:35.067
when they could just play a pre-rendered[br]movie and allow the actual level to

0:18:35.092,0:18:37.231
load in the background so[br]we are not kept waiting.

0:18:37.256,0:18:39.733
(A lot of modern games do that, by the way.)

0:18:39.758,0:18:43.633
And, if my guess is correct,[br]they’re transitioning from movie file to

0:18:43.658,0:18:47.945
in-game assets at almost the exact same[br]point as the original, so that’s fun!

0:18:47.970,0:18:50.433
And if I’m wrong about[br]the exact hand-off moment,

0:18:50.458,0:18:54.162
honestly, that's just a testament to[br]how good real-time rendering has gotten

0:18:54.187,0:18:57.067
in modern AAA games that[br]it's this hard to tell.

0:18:57.092,0:19:00.413
But here’s where the Remake diverges[br]heavily from the original again,

0:19:00.438,0:19:04.033
because this game isn’t bound by any[br]of the original’s limitations.

0:19:04.058,0:19:07.500
This is a fully 3D space[br]being rendered in real time.

0:19:07.525,0:19:10.167
Now, the camera can move[br]wherever the director wants,

0:19:10.192,0:19:10.933
so this time,

0:19:10.958,0:19:14.800
they can actually shoot this scene using[br]standard cinematography techniques.

0:19:14.825,0:19:17.067
So, instead of a static angle

0:19:17.092,0:19:19.633
showing everybody jumping off[br]the train and fighting guards,

0:19:19.658,0:19:25.533
this time, we get an uninterrupted moving Steadicam[br]shot of the attack from the guards’ perspective.

0:19:25.558,0:19:30.100
They patrol the platform a bit, we hear[br]one of them get taken out off camera,

0:19:30.125,0:19:33.833
the other hears this and turns to[br]see the platform behind him now empty

0:19:33.858,0:19:35.967
so he gets suspicious[br]and starts looking…

0:19:35.992,0:19:38.522
And watching this all play out[br]from the guards' perspective

0:19:38.547,0:19:42.033
not only lends the scene more dramatic[br]tension, it also gives AVALANCHE

0:19:42.058,0:19:44.289
a chance to look more[br]coordinated and stealthy.

0:19:44.314,0:19:47.233
AND Jessie still gets to knock[br]a dude out with one kick.

0:19:47.258,0:19:50.347
Then we get our introduction to[br]Barret (who is looking GOOD).

0:19:50.372,0:19:52.467
Barret turns,[br]and just like in the old days

0:19:52.492,0:19:55.374
he waves for Cloud to get his[br]butt off the train already.

0:19:55.399,0:20:00.797
And Cloud obliges, just as before: in the[br]most unnecessarily dramatic way possible.

0:20:00.822,0:20:03.204
And yes, this entrance[br]IS absolutely absurd,

0:20:03.229,0:20:07.990
but, even ignoring the fact that it is a[br]direct callback to the original train jump,

0:20:08.015,0:20:11.800
remember that performative coolness[br]and tough-guy posturing are

0:20:11.820,0:20:15.360
CORE elements of Cloud’s character[br]at this point in his arc.

0:20:15.400,0:20:17.300
WEDGE: "...but you know what I think?"[br]CLOUD: "Not interested."

0:20:17.380,0:20:19.620
What we are seeing[br]right now is a facade

0:20:19.658,0:20:23.167
which we are (hopefully) being[br]set up to eventually see through.

0:20:23.200,0:20:28.340
And it does seems like Square’s narrative team[br]is leaning into that setup with some intent here

0:20:30.420,0:20:32.700
JESSIE: "Ok THAT was pretty cool."

0:20:33.640,0:20:35.840
I am excited to see[br]how they handle this.

0:20:35.861,0:20:39.804
But, yeah, that’s it! Now we are playing[br]Final Fantasy VII, But Prettier!

0:20:39.829,0:20:42.067
Only one cut-scene into this game

0:20:42.092,0:20:45.667
and I am already really digging the[br]creative adjustments they’re making here.

0:20:45.692,0:20:48.733
They’ve not only recreated the[br]original sequence with more detail,

0:20:48.758,0:20:51.740
but actually added more[br]information and nuance,

0:20:51.765,0:20:55.153
largely through the animated character[br]performances and cinematography.

0:20:55.178,0:20:57.984
That’s what makes me so[br]excited for this Remake:

0:20:58.009,0:21:03.333
because, good or bad, this return to Midgar[br]represents a HUGE animation opportunity.

0:21:03.358,0:21:07.931
Final Fantasy VII’s story is PACKED[br]with some really juicy character scenes

0:21:07.956,0:21:12.931
that the original game could only deliver through[br]text boxes and simplistic pantomime acting.

0:21:12.956,0:21:17.767
There is so much untapped potential for[br]nuanced, animated acting in those scenes,

0:21:17.792,0:21:21.262
and this Remake has the chance to[br]go back and make good on that potential!

0:21:21.287,0:21:24.939
I am so jealous of the animators[br]in charge of re-imagining the scene

0:21:24.964,0:21:27.135
where Cloud talks with[br]Aerith in the church.

0:21:27.160,0:21:29.410
Or that scene where the party[br]is caught in Shinra tower

0:21:29.435,0:21:31.818
and they’re all talking to[br]each other through the walls.

0:21:31.843,0:21:36.368
OR the scene where Cloud is telling HIS[br]version of what happened five years ago,

0:21:36.393,0:21:39.933
and Tifa’s just sitting in that[br]room, knowing his version is wrong,

0:21:39.958,0:21:42.849
not knowing why, but[br]not SAYING anything?

0:21:42.874,0:21:46.667
IMAGINE the blend of emotions happening[br]in her head throughout that scene.

0:21:46.692,0:21:48.933
That is an animated[br]acting GOLDMINE.

0:21:48.958,0:21:51.833
I’m calling it right now: whenever[br]that scene happens, watch Tifa’s face.

0:21:51.858,0:21:55.733
That's one of the coolest character acting opportunities[br]in this whole dang game and they better not miss it--

0:21:55.758,0:21:58.433
SORRY.... I am sorry.[br]I got excited.

0:21:58.458,0:22:01.093
I don’t know if this game is going[br]to be great, or a disappointment.

0:22:01.118,0:22:05.405
All I know is that this kind of[br]opportunity for comparative animation study

0:22:05.430,0:22:09.200
does not come along often and[br]I cannot wait to get started.

0:22:09.225,0:22:11.800
I’m actually going to be playing[br]this Remake for the first time

0:22:11.825,0:22:14.665
over on our other channel,[br]PlayFrame, starting Monday.

0:22:14.690,0:22:18.133
And if you have enjoyed me nerding[br]out about Final Fantasy VII animation

0:22:18.158,0:22:21.733
and want to hear HOURS more of[br]it? Well, I hope you’ll join me.

0:22:21.758,0:22:25.536
And thank you very much to[br]CanvasWolfDoll for suggesting this topic!

0:22:25.561,0:22:27.900
I had so much fun[br]digging into this.

0:22:27.925,0:22:31.567
If you’d like to suggest a topic for[br]a future animation analysis video,

0:22:31.592,0:22:35.324
then consider supporting the show like[br]all of these good people listed here.

0:22:35.349,0:22:38.333
Thank you very much for watching,[br]and I will see you next time.

0:22:38.358,0:22:50.365
[music]